This is a totally different barbecue recipe from Geniveive Taylor’s fantastic new barbecue book – Seared. The buttermilk makes the chicken super tender, so it’s worth marinating it the day before if you can.
Wine Suggestion: A round, fresh white was in order here with a bit of body to stand up to the barbecued flavours, so we chose an oaked Rioja for something a bit different. A bargain in any language, the Urbina Blanco Crianza 2014, yes that is correct … 8 years old, is released when ready and despite its age is fresh and vibrant, with layers of tertiary development, butter, toast and nuttiness alongside the melon, cirtus and jasmine flavours. It reminded us of a complex white Burgundy.
Barbecued buttermilk chicken, charred broccoli, mozzarella, tomato, basil & pine nuts – serves 4-6
- 800g chicken thigh fillets
- 300ml buttermilk
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- 250g cherry vine tomatoes
- a big bunch of basil, roughly chopped
- 50g grated Parmesan
- 50g fresh breadcrumbs
- 50g pine nuts
- 250g mozzarella, torn
Slash the chicken thighs with a sharp knife taking care not to cut the whole way through. Place in a shallow dish in a single layer.
Mix the buttermilk, garlic, mustard and sugar together with plenty of salt and black pepper. Pour over the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Light your barbecue for direct and indirect cooking (half with coals and half without).
While the barbecue is getting hot, blanch the broccoli in lots of boiling salty water for a couple of minutes. Drain well and toss with the olive oil and some seasoning. Set aside.
Cook the chicken thighs over indirect heat for about 30 minutes or until they reach 60-65C inside, turning regularly. Move them a little closer to the fire and keep cooking until they reach 74C.
When the chicken is almost cooked, grill the tomatoes and the broccoli for about 10 minutes over the fire, turning until nicely charred on all sides.
Transfer the chicken, broccoli and tomatoes to a heavy roasting tin. Add the basil and gently toss to mix. Sprinkle over the Parmesan, breadcrumbs and pine nuts. Top with mozzarella adn drizzle over a little olive oil and some salt and pepper. Set the tin directly over the fire for 15 minutes to melt the cheese.
Serve with crusty bread or some baby roasted potatoes.
(Original recipe from Seared by Genevieve Taylor, Quadrille, 2022.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 
Interesting to see buttermilk used as a tenderiser, although yoghurt is common enough – and they’re not very different, I suppose. It looks as though this would work quite well in a regular oven – all that indirect heat – with a hot cast iron ridged grill on the stove standing in for the searing. All weather BBQ?
Yes, do try the buttermilk. It’s super. We do barbecue in all weathers but it’s not an all weather bbq. We’ve had a good summer in Ireland.