Cherry Bomb Chicken

Absolutely amazing!!! I must admit I was scared of the habanero peppers so I substituted with jalapenos...BUT next time I am making exactly as the recipe says. Definitely making this again, and again, and again!!!! UPDATE: Remade with the habanero peppers, DELICIOUS!! Don't change a thing. Also, if you have questions watch Chef John's video on this recipe...it is extremely helpful!

Delicious! I always brine my chicken. I usually just use beer and salt, but this adds extra flavor. UPDATE: I have made this a couple of times now, and the frist time I made as is and the second time I only used 3 1/2 TBSP of salt and marinated it over night, the flavor was much better and less salty as the original recipe. Do use gloves when handling the habanero peppers and make sure to dry the chicken well before grilling, that way the skin will crisp up.

The PERFECT bbq chicken! I had never tried to grill chicken before, so I was nervous. It turned out amazing, and all 3 people I made dinner for told me it was the best bbq chicken they had ever had! Next time I make it (which will be soon), I am thinking about adding some fresh pineapple to the brine. Amazing!

OMG OMG OMG - made this chicken yesterday and it was amazing. Can't stop thinking about it - may have to make it again today. Chef John I love you!

The magic of brining is exactly right, well done Chef John. This is so moist and flavorful, the only change I made was to use a whole chicken split in half and weigh the chicken down with tinfoil covered bricks while grilling. The extra weight flattens the chicken for better grill marks and a more even cooking surface. Thanks for the Cherry BOMB Chicken, BTW...if you have leftovers, pull the chicken and add a little bbq sauce for an awesome bbq chicken on a bun meal completed with beans and slaw.

Great recipe! I used 4 chicken breasts instead and wasn't up to firing up the grill so I baked them instead. 450 degree oven 35-40 min depending on the thickness of your chicken. Another tip that I always use is to place a wire rack in my roasting pan. This elevates the chicken for better circulation and produces crispier skin. I am always on the look out for great brine recipes and this one qualifies. Love the allspice flavor.

No need to repeat what's already been said. An excellent recipe for moist and delicious chicken. It was actually quite simple to make.

This recipe is the bomb, literally! I marinated the chicken for about 8 hours- 4 breasts on the bone (skin on) along with 2 thighs (skin on) and followed the directions exactly. The chicken had such an amazing flavor and was so juicy. Don't be afraid to use 3 Habanero peppers in the marinade - however, DO use gloves while handling to remove the seeds. Look for fresh, flavorful cherry tomatoes – it makes a difference. I followed the instructions in the video and used Red Pepper Jelly on top at the end. My dinner guests raved about the chicken. Will definitely make again! Amazing!

This chicken has the BEST flavor! We used chicken drumsticks with the skin on and also boneless skinless chicken breasts. They were both excellent! We also tried it with and without the sweet chili sauce and my husband and I both liked it better without it. We will make this often!

Just when I thought there wasn't another chicken recipes I could try............THIS is my absolute favorite above all others. My husband loved it, also. The only thing I think I'll try is doubling the glaze before grilling.......SO good - need even more! BRAVO!

For those of you afraid of the habanero, don't be! The sugar in the brine will reduce the heat of the habanero but will leave its distinctly unique flavor. One of the best pepper jellies that I make is a Habanero Jelly, which I absolutely cannot get HOT because of the sugar counteracting and reducing the heat of the pepper.

TOO HOT!

Talk about a moist full flavored bird- this recipe rocks! A little planning can go a long way to satisfy your taste buds- brine the chicken overnight.

A brilliant recipe that takes chicken to a whole new level. It is now a family favorite.

This was some good chicken! I couldn't get habanero peppers this week at the store so used a different chili pepper but I'm not sure it made a difference. Otherwise followed the instructions exactly and this is really the best chicken I've ever had off the barbecue. A little bit of extra effort but so worth it! Thanks for posting this and providing the video. Gave me lots of confidence that I could make this dish successfully.

Absolutely awesome!

I made half of this recipe for two large, skinless, bone-in chicken breast halves. I didn’t have cherry tomatoes, so I used 1 cup of chopped tomatoes from Hubs’ garden. I brined my chicken for about 7+ hours. This came off the grill looking absolutely fabulous, so I thought we were in for a real treat. Well, I am definitely in the minority on this one. We thought the chicken was good, but frankly nothing exceptional. I couldn’t detect any extra juiciness or moistness from the long brine. I know Hubs didn’t overcook it, because he took it off the grill at 155 degrees and we let it rest for about 5 minutes. All in all, quite a lot of fussing with an end result of just average grilled chicken.

I made this exactly as written x2. The first time I grilled as per the video's instructions. I moved the chicken to the top shelf of my gas bbq (off of the heat) and turned the heat to LOW. I closed the lid and 25 minutes later I had chicken that looked like it came from a volcanic lava field. If it hadn't been for the fact that what chicken hadn't been heat annihilated was actually still moist inside (I'm talking a huge, fat chicken breast) I would not have tried this recipe again. Note to self, do not leave food to cook on a closed grill for 25 minutes without checking on it, no matter whose recipe you're following. Even if there is no smoke and flame shooting out (which there wasn't hence why I didn't realize the chicken was actually transforming into "coal-bomb-chicken"). Anyway, I didn't grill the meat the second time. I roasted it in the oven in a glass baking dish for appx 25 minutes (as per a meat thermometer, smaller pieces were ready in just under 20 minutes, very large chicken breasts took 30 min). The chicken came out beautifully. Crispy on the outside, succulent and tasty on the inside. Do not be afraid to use the habanero and cayenne as written. Everyone in the family *loves* this chicken so it will be my 'go to' from now on. The only change being that I will roast, not grill. And this recipe makes a lot of brine, easily enough for seven or eight pieces of chicken so increase the portions!

After seeing OMG, INCREDIBLE, DELICIOUS reviews I had to try it. Ive never brined anything in my life so this was new to me. All I can say is this will be my new go to BBQ recipe. Everyone in my house LOVED this chicken. Dont freak out about the brining cause its easy. Dont freak out about the haberero peppers or what sounds like a very spicy combo of spices. Cook as directed ! It is not spicy but very flavorful. The Thai sweet chili sauce brings it all home. I used legs and thighs and it was just amazing. Im keeping this one to myself ! I read where where one reviewer couldnt stop thinking about it...I know what he means

I work for a well known grill company. We recommend oiling the food, not the grates if need be. Just make sure the grates are nice and hot before you put your food on them! Other than that, this recipe is amazing!

Absolutely delicious. Liked the thighs better than I liked the breast and I can take or leave the garlic sauce, but the marinade and rub are outstanding. Omitted the sugar and broiled in the oven.

Delicious, and so moist!!! I used boneless skinless breasts and brined them for about 8 hours. Sadly I discovered at the last minute that we were out of propane for the grill (dang it!), but no worries. I seared them in my cast iron grill pan on the stove and then baked them at 350, uncovered, in the oven for about 20 minutes. They turned out fantastic! So moist with just a little bit of zing from the habeneros. We will definitely make again.

very good. definitely takes a little work, but it was delicious

SWEET BABY JESUS this is good chicken. Great contrasting flavors in your mouth. We used skinless boneless chicken thighs, brined over night and grilled the next day. This chicken will make people look like barbarians when they eat... not kidding. I definitely ate one to many pieces. Thanks Chef John! Watch the video! This was too easy to be this good.

A big hit at the back yard bbq today! I'm not much of a chicken fan, but I have to say I was impressed with the recipie and easy prep!

i put this cherry bomb chicken on my menu for a week as a special and wow was impressed it sold like hot cakes thank you this rock chef Trev

I made this recipe for mothers day dinner and it was wonderful. The chicken was so moist and tender. I used barbecue sauce because that's what I had on hand. I highly recommend this recipe.

Delish!! Made this for the 4th of July and it was a big hit. The chicken grilled up beautifully. Sides were grilled Caesar salad and grilled pineapple slices.

Awesome! Used jalapeños because they were in the garden! Everything was spot-on! Got out the dipping sauce, but no need (or desire) to use it as the dinner was perfect already . As Hubby said "it's a keeper!"

Great great recipe. I used boneless chicken breasts and reduced the salt in the brine from 1/3 to 1/4 cup.

Don't worry about the habanero heat. I made this exactly as directed (but skipped the cayenne out of fear) and my 7 and 9 year olds gobbled it up. Perfect recipe for a family bbq...

It was so tasty and my family loved it.

"The magic of brining" is the key. This small step of brining the chicken makes it unbelievably moist and flavorful. I ran out of gas for the grill with about 10 minutes left and had to finish it in the oven, but it was still great. I'll make it again! This is my new, no-fail, go-to grilled chicken recipe!! UPDATE: I've now made this recipe on the grill many times and wish I could give it more stars. Even my daughter (who doesn't care for chicken) raves about this. Mucho Thanks Chef John!! 2ND UPDATE: My all-time favorite, go-to grilled chicken recipe!!!!

Amazing! This is my new favorite recipe! Served it with Spanish Rice and Avocado Mango Salsa, couldn't put it down!

My Daughter (14) said it was amazing!!! Wow that good!!!!!!! 2 thumbs up!! Just as is!! first time ever rating a recipe ! MAKE IT LOVE IT!!

Excellent. I didn't have habaneros so I used Thai chilis. This is a keeper!!!

So very yummy! I didn't have habaneros so use jalapenos and it was awesome.

For us it came out salty and lacking any real flavor.

I cook alot of chicken and this takes the cake thus far! I used the recipe exactly as is. Dont be afraid of the habenero peppers as they add great flavor. I cooked this for a group of 5 people and all 5 people wanted the recipe. I also brined for 6 hours and only used split chicken breast. AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME.

Amazing!!

Every time we make this the response is always the same: 'best chicken I have ever had'.

WOW!!!!

This is tops in my book! Excellent on the grill or in the oven!

This has become my most favorite way to get chicken ready to grill or bake. The brine is strangely amazing and I've only varied a bit from it ever and only by necessity (regular tomatoes when I don't have cherry, fresh thyme for dried,) and this results in the most firm, moist chicken on the grill I've ever had-bar none. Yep-it's magic!

I stumbled upon this gem while searching for recipes that included cherry bomb peppers since I have an abundance of them in my garden. I used the cherry bomb peppers and jalapenos from the garden in place of the habanero peppers. I used 4 cherry bombs and 4 jalapenos. Excellent flavor but no heat. This recipe's a keeper, will definitely try using habanero peppers next time since my family likes a spicier dish.

Best grilled chicken I have ever had, very juicy, great flavor and easy to prepare! Don't be afraid of the habaneros, adds a lot of flavor but not too much heat.

I have made this twice for guests in the last seven days! It's amazing. Look for the sweet chile sauce with the Asian foods in a large supermarket. I was also hesistant about the habaneros, but this recipe is full of flavor, rather than heat. This amount of brine will cover plenty of chicken thighs or breasts. I prefer to cut the breasts into serving sizes before brining. That's the only change I made to the recipe.

I did not care for this at all but my roommate and BF really enjoyed it. I won't be making this again.

EVERYONE who tried it loved it, including my picky nine year old. Not as spicy as you'd think, great flavor, and oh so juicy.

Made this tonight with thighs! Delicious! Followed recipe exactly except didn't use any sauce after it came off the grill and it was so scrumptious!

Best chicken recipe, lots of flavor. Used the immersion blender. Didn't have cherry tomatoes, so we used nice ripe Roma's instead. Used the counter top rotisserie instead of our BBQ. Made the chili sauce, which is easy peezy. Served with basmati rice and sauteed peppers, onions and herbs. This recipe is a keeper! Making it a second time this week and will take pictures. Thanks!

This definitely was a juicy and tasty chicken recipe, I will give the author that. However I think the next time I make this I will lessen the water amount. I felt that the amount of water diluted the other flavors a bit; with three habaneros I feel like there should have been slightly more kick than I received. But all in all this was still really tasty and definitely something I will be making again. This pairs well with something sweet such as the Apple-Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe found on this site.

Often the best chicken people have the luxury of trying

I used leg quarters and left in the brine for 4 1/2hrs before baking at 400 for 45 min. Everything else I followed exactly. Moist and delicious. Left a nice warm heat, not over powering at all! The chili sauce was a nice sweet heat! Would totally make again!

A favorite of ours! I've been making this recipe for about a year and it's just spectacular. I use chicken leg/thigh quarters and usually keep about one of the habanero pepper's seeds intact for more spicy flavor. I made this for a party with 25+ people and almost everyone commented on how good it was and asked for the recipe. My husband has a habit of charring chicken on the grill, so I initially cook the chicken in the oven until just about done, then I have him throw it on our grill for that grilled taste. YUM!

This chicken dish was All the Rave at my home tonight!!! My kids and grandkids said it was finger licking good!! Followed the recipe almost to a T. But it was cold outside today so instead of grilling I Broiled the chicken til brown & Krispy then baked @ 400 deg. for 40 min. Was Excellent!

FabUlous! I messed it up with too much water and it was still good. I did use boneless skinless chicken breasts for time, health and general icky factor avoidance (not cutting up whole chicken). Husband and 2 of my three kids loved it. The other kids only eats peanut butter and honey sandwiches.

This recipe scared the $%#! out of me and my husband thought I was crazy to even consider making this (as we would also be feeding it to our 3 year old), but I trusted the other reviews, followed the recipe and directions to a T and it was amazing! Not at all spicy, the whole family ate it like they haven't eaten in a week, and they are already asking for "Da Bomb Chicken" again. Preparation was actually very easy. My only problems are that I can't rate it higher than 5 stars....and why you are still reading reviews? Go and make it already!!!

Exciting! Fantastic! Used 2 lbs of chicken breast.

Easy to rate this 5 stars. Loved everything about it! Just the right amount of spiciness. We made 5 chicken thighs & I ate 3 of them myself - over the course of a couple days. I don't usually do that because I'm not a big meat eater, but it was so good - even reheated - that I kept going back for more. I'm sad that I had the last piece for lunch today. I'll definitely make this again. Chef John's recipes never disappoint me.

I grilled this chicken this past weekend for a large party. EVERYONE raved about the chicken - which was pretty amazing in that it was served with "Roast Beef Tenderloin with Port Wine Sauce" which is an Epicurious recipe. The chicken was excellent and held its own with the beef. There are a lot of steps, but they are all ready. You just need to plan for the time with the steps.

Decided to give this a try for the new grill. The flavor of the chicken is very mild yet pretty tasty. Perhaps cutting back the sugar to 1/4 cup or increasing the salt a bit would help the flavor stand out more. The Thai Sweet Chili sauce wasn't really needed but I added anyway to see how the recipe as a whole would stand up. The chicken turned out good and will be something we try again. I did marinate for about 24 hours which I assume was helpful so the longer, the better. Not sure why this is called "Cherry Bomb" though? Maybe Cherry Tomato Bomb? First glance made me think this was chicken in some kind of cherry sauce or something.

I use this brine every time I smoke chicken. The first time I didn't have habanero peppers or cherry tomatoes so I substituted with chopped green chili, brine overnight then slow smoke for four hours or until chicken is cooked, Wonderful!

This was the hit of 3 bbqs, and 2 tailgate parties this year....Do not fear the habanero. The tomato mixture does a great job of offsetting the fire.

Excellent - super flavor and with the Sweet Chili Sauce on top - perfect!!!!! A few steps but sure does add to this wonderful flavor. Well worth the little bit of extra time but steps can be done a day ahead so doesn't feel too time invasive!!

I, too, was worried about the spice level. No worries at all, and a delicious recipe! I used a ziploc bag to brine. The chicken was super moist and not too spicy at all. I bought the thai chili sauce, which has a good kick for sure, and took his advice on a couple of tablespoons...not too much. DELICIOUS!

we decided to try baking this and it turned out great. We turned the chicken a couple of times during 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Then broiled on hi for about 5 minutes on each side to get somw of the charring like if we were grilling. We will have to try thia again when the weather is much nicer :)

This is delicious! Chef John is the Bomb!

This was tasty and I will make it again!

Delicious! Worth the extra effort to prepare. My husband and son absolutely loved it. We prepared 4 chicken breasts with the bone in, and the skin still on.

I made it pretty much as is! The only thing I had to change was I used only thighs and baked them at 350 degrees for 1 hour and fifteen minutes. Turned out very moist and wonderful. I didn't have a blender so I used my very small food processor to chop and emulsify the tomatoes, peppers and garlic then I incorporated it into the cooled water, sugar, salt mixture. When summer comes, I will try it on the grill. Thanks John for another lovely dish! Also tasted good without the sweet chile sauce.

Very good!!

Best chicken I have ever had! While my pepper plant was producing I was making this constantly. Even my wife who doesn't like things too spicy loved this recipe!

W-O-W! I made this for 4th of July and still thinking about it.

Awesome. We grill with the neighbors every weekend and this was a hit! I added a little smoked paprika to the oil mixture, don't know if it made a difference or not. They are still talking about it today!!

My teenage son and husband loved this chicken on Super Bowl Sunday. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs and broiled them since it is currently winter. I used canned crushed tomatoes and dried habaneros softened in the hot brine, then using a hand immersion blender whipped everything together. The chicken was frozen, but thawed in the brine nicely overnight. I did not score the chicken since it was boneless, and encourage soaking overnight to maximize the flavor. My husband also commented this would be a great restaurant dish.

I love this chicken!! It is hard to make it any other way now. I usually use jalepenos instead of habanero because I have them on hand.

I was looking for a recipe that would use up my leftover habaneros. I'm so glad I found this one; it was excellent! We didn't notice much spice in the chicken, surprisingly, but it was very good anyway. I used bone-in chicken thighs and cooked it on a cookie rack over a cookie sheet at 450 in the oven. I forgot to use the sweet chili sauce at first and found the chicken doesn't need it, but when I dipped my next bite into the sauce, that raised it to the next level of delicious. The sauce compliments it perfectly!

Warning to all to avoid contact on skin. I accidentally got habanero pepper oil in my eye and on my hands. The burning sensation was terrible. Very annoyed there was no warning in video or recipe to wear gloves.

Followed recipe as written. WOW Loved the flavor. Chicken had a little kick and was very moist. Used red pepper jelly as shown in video and it was wonderful!

This was a new process for me. The flavor was fantastic, brining made the meat very tender and moist.

We love this recipe and it was easy enough, with the video, for my 15 year old budding chef to make independently. For five of us we doubled the recipe and there wasn't anyt left! Thanks a million for this recipe and video tutorial!

I made this as written and it was "da bomb", very good, spicy and tasty! Thanks again Chef John!

I've been waiting for the cherry tomatoes to ripen ever since I found this recipe and while the chicken is flavorful and tender it was not as good as I thought it would be. The thyme from the rub and the thai chili sauce were the strongest flavors and took over everything else. I love brined chicken, but don't feel this recipe imparted enough flavor into the meat to justify the time spent.

Oh my this is the most awesome grilled chicken, my husband said it was best chicken ever. Kudos chef John!

Did not change a thing! It was wonderful. Received an OMG from my 14 yr. old.

Hum. We have now made this twice and I just don' t get the hype. I tasted the brine both times and I loved the flavor but the flavor didn't really carry over to the chicken. The second time I brined it overnight. All that did was make the chicken saltier and change the texture. There is some heat from the peppers but the use of tomatoes seemed unproductive. All the flavor came from the store bought chili sauce. I feel I could get the same results with less time and ingredients.

Very good!

Ok, so I was too chicken to use the habanero but used two jalapeno in place of and soaked chicken for almost 24 hours in the brine. Was liberal with the sweet Thai chili sauce. What a Hit!

Fantastic! Followed the recipe exactly. The grilling was simple. My whole family was asking for more. Kids did not think it was too spicy. Yum!

Company good! Don't discard all the habanero seeds to get enough spicy heat for my taste. Double (or more) the thyme-cumin-pepper-cayenne-oil mix to adequately cover all chicken pieces. Increase the cook time by 5-10 minutes more if using bone-in half chicken breast w/thigh cuts. Serve w/ fresh cut lime wedge, pinquito beans, salad, and warm flour tortillas.

I substituted for red chillies because the habaneros had sold out and this still worked perfectly and was bursting with so much juicy flavour I decided not to put on the Thai chilli sauce at the end.... What a great recipe

Once again, thank you Chef John. Brined overnight and the chicken was excellent. Not too spicy hot at all. Please keep up the good work.

this came out very tasty with a nice kick to it.. i made very few modifications.. left out the sugar and the thai sweet chili sauce.. reduced the kosher salt to 3 T's like Celeste's suggestion.. and lastly, split the chicken down the middle instead of into fourths like RustyDuck.. it was fun to do something different (brining).. ty for the recipe

Everything except the Habenero and this recipe has made me a Chef John fan for life. Thank you for being part of my favorite recipe website, Allrecipes.

loved!

I used both Thai sweet chili and a homemade mango habanero jam and both were delicious!

Wow wonderful! Next time while preparing the peppers I will wear gloves and a mask. My throat almost closed on me a few times and my hands burned for the rest of the day. Be so careful not to touch any part of your face after touching a pepper, you will surely regret it! I didn't get my hands near my face yet still the pepper was strong enough to leave a hot film on my skin, I licked my lips and my tongue burned from the pepper residue. Incredible how strong they are! When done with the pepper I'd strongly advise to wash your face with soap and water...if pepper juice gets in your eye you will feel like you are going to go blind, not pleasant. Ty for the recipe, we loved it!!

This is my absolute favorite chicken recipe. Trust the habanero peppers, it's by no means too spicy!