June 1st calls for some BBQ! A gem here with homemade sauce, a Chive Ranch dip, and everything can be made in advance with little effort on the back end. Food like this serves us well all summer for outings at the beach, camping, etc. It travels well, and despite being a little messy, it’s a crowd pleaser for kids and grandparents, and everyone in between. Cornbread recipe will come later too!
The sauce recipe is from Half Baked Harvest, a goldmine of incredible recipes and food inspiration. My friend Liz introduced me to this site, and I cannot thank her enough! Anyway – it’s legit. Beer in the sauce. BBQ perfection.
Beer BBQ Chicken with Chive Ranch Dip
Homemade Beer spiked BBQ sauce, slathered on grilled chicken strips, served with a cool chive ranch dip on the side.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken breast, sliced into strips for grilling
Beer BBQ Sauce
- 3/4 cup beer - whatever you like to drink
- 1 cup ketchup
- 3/4 cup runny honey
- 3 tsp dijon mustard
- 3 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 3 tsp chili powder
- 1.5 tsp smoked paprika
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Chive Ranch Dip
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
- 1 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Make the BBQ Sauce
- Combine all ingredients in a small to medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Continue simmer over low heat for at least 15 -20 minutes until slightly thickened. I usually do this a day in advance.
Make the Chive Ranch Dip
- Stir all ingredients together and keep refridgerated until ready for use.
Grilled BBQ Chicken
- Slice the chicken breasts into strips and rub with olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside
- Slather a thin coat of the BBQ sauce on the chicken - you want to go light so it doesn't cause a flare up on the grill. I baste the back side of the chicken as I turn it, to boost the flavor without feeding the flames. You can use a grilling or pastry brush to do this. Add one final coat of the sauce when finished cooking - the chicken will absorb a lot of it and concentrate the flavor. Serve the chicken warm or make ahead to eat later - dip with extra BBQ sauce and the ranch on the side.
Notes
This recipe is adapted slightly from Half Baked Harvest - www.halfbakedharvest.com. Tieghan Girard is a huge source of recipe inspiration for me, and I often find myself going back to her recipes time and time again!
Also - the Chive ranch is a big batch recipe because my family devours this - we use it with veggies, tacos, and even put it on sandwiches. If you aren't as insanely addicted to ranch, you will likely be fine with a 1/2 portion of the recipe...
