Grill-Grate BBQ Chicken Thighs
Sauced thighs cooked over the fire at camp. Marinated in the bag at home, straight onto the grate.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 8 oz
- cal / oz
- 53
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 22 min
- total time
- 32 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Grill grate
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Gluten free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Boneless skinless chicken thighs | 2 lb | about 8 thighs, trimmed of loose fat |
|---|---|---|
| Barbecue sauce | 1 cup | half for the marinade, half for basting; check the label if you need gluten-free |
| Cooking oil | 1 tbsp | for the grate |
Method
- At home, trim the thighs and put them in a heavy freezer bag with half the sauce. Squeeze the air out, seal, and lay it flat in the cooler on ice.
- Marinate at least an hour. Overnight in the cooler is better and it travels that way anyway.
- Build a fire and let it burn down to coals, or light the grill. You want the grate hot enough that a drop of water skitters, roughly 400F.
- Wipe the grate with oil, or lay down a sheet of foil punched with holes. Thighs stick.
- Lay the thighs out and cook 10 minutes without moving them. Brush the tops with the reserved sauce.
- Flip, baste the other side, and cook another 10 to 12 minutes. Pull them at 170F in the thickest part.
- Rest a few minutes on a plate, then cut into the biggest one to confirm no pink at the center.
This one stays close to the backyard version because it does not need adapting. Thighs are the cut that forgives a camp fire. They carry enough fat to survive uneven coals, and unlike breast they do not turn to rope if you leave them on two minutes too long.
The marinade happens at home, in the bag, before the cooler is packed. That is the whole trick. An hour on ice does the work while you drive, and the same bag is your marinating vessel, your transport, and your trash. Keep half the sauce back in a separate bottle for basting so you are not brushing raw-chicken sauce onto cooked meat. Coals are not a dial, so the thermometer is the only honest way to know when it is done.
Packing
Chicken and marinade go in one doubled freezer bag, flat on the ice. Reserved basting sauce rides in a separate small bottle so raw chicken never touches it. Bring a thermometer and a brush.
Variations
- Cut the thighs into chunks and thread them on skewers. Same sauce, about 12 minutes total.
- Bone-in thighs work but need 30 to 35 minutes and a cooler part of the grate.
- Wrap the last of the meat in a tortilla with slaw for the next day's lunch.
https://campfirefoodie.com/bbq-chicken-thighs-recipe