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    Home > Main Courses > Main Dishes Chicken > Cherry BBQ Sauce with Cinnamon Cured Smoked Chicken

    Cherry BBQ Sauce with Cinnamon Cured Smoked Chicken

    Published: May 7, 2012 · Modified: Feb 3, 2022 by Lea Ann Brown · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Cherry BBQ sauce. Hubs couldn’t quit talking about it.

    A wonderful twist on traditional BBQ Sauce. It’s complicated in flavor. Savouring each bite, the palate sorts through a myriad of flavors as you start thinking about everything in sight that you could possibly drizzle this on. 

    Tart, sweet, sticky AND savory, it would be a perfect pair with duck or pork. Our first introduction was on some cinnamon cured smoked chicken.

    I finally purchased some wood chips and took my first stab at smoking.

    Nothing like you professionals out there, and you know who you are. This is more like kindergarten smoking…I simply soaked some cherry wood chips in water for an hour, drained them, put them in a foil packet, leaving the top of the packet open and placed it on the flavor grates of the gas grill. There was a wasp nest in the charcoal grill, or I would have used it. Let’s take a look at my Saturday project:

    For the Cherry BBQ Sauce:

    Cherry BBQ Sauce with Cinnamon Cured Smoked Chicken

    A delicious twist on traditional BBQ sauce.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Condiment
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 163kcal
    Author: Lea Ann Brown

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup chicken broth
    • 1/3 cup cherry preserves
    • 1/3 cup orange juice
    • 1/4 Cup lemon juice
    • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
    • 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
    • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
    • 1/2 Cup ruby port
    • 2 teaspoon cornstarch
    • 1/4 Cup orange marmalade
    • 1 Tablespoon chili sauce
    • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Combine the broth, preserves, orange juice, lemon juice, zests, cinnamon and cloves in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 8 minutes or until mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 cups. Stirring occasionally.
    • Whisk the port and cornstarch in a small bowl until blended. Whisk the port mixture, marmalade and chili sauce into the broth mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the flavors blend and the sauce is slightly thickened. Season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 288mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @lannisam or tag #CookingOnTheRanch!

    The chicken was great simply served along side steamed broccoli. I glazed the chicken with the sauce just before removing from the grill and also served it when plated.

    For the chicken:

    • 4 C. Water
    • 1/4 c. coarse sea salt
    • 1/4 c. dark brown sugar
    • 1 whole chicken, cut in half (or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
    • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
    • 2 thin lemon slices
    • 2 thin orange slices
    • 1/2 t. cinnamon
    • 2 C. cherry or apple wood chips

    Whisk water, salt and brown sugar in a large bowl until the brown sugar dissolves. Add the chicken, onion, lemon and orange slices, and cinnamon. Marinate, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for one to three hours. Do not marinate longer than three hours.

    Combine the wood chips with enough water to cover in a bowl. Let stand for one hour, drain. Preheat grill on medium heat. Place wood chips in a 6×8 inch foil packet; do not seal top. Place the packet on the coals five minutes before grilling process begins and cover the grill. Drain the chicken, discard marinade. Grill chicken until cooked through.

    Cherry BBQ Sauce with Cinnamon Cured Smoked Chicken…It’s What’s for Dinner.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chris says

      May 12, 2012 at 10:51 am

      Wow, that is one fruity bbq sauce, I like it a lot. For the record, I got to where I am today by using wood chips in a foil pack on a gas grill…..it’s a gateway drug, lol.

      Reply
      • Lea Ann says

        May 13, 2012 at 9:09 am

        I can tell I’m already addicted! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Ben says

      May 10, 2012 at 10:37 am

      Oh it looks delicious. I just had some pork chops last night and this would have gone perfectly with them. I’ll try it with the chicken breasts that are waiting in my freezer.

      Reply
      • Lea Ann says

        May 10, 2012 at 3:10 pm

        Ben, I had it on pork chops as soon as the chicken was consumer. Worked great. And actually the original recipe called for this to be served on grilled Chicken breasts. Thanks so much for stopping by and the comment.

        Reply
    3. Chilebrown says

      May 09, 2012 at 8:27 am

      Your cherry bbq sauce sounds very interesting but I thought your marinade was unique too. I think I will give the marinade a try.

      Reply
      • Lea Ann says

        May 09, 2012 at 12:17 pm

        Thanks for bringing that up. I thought the brine was very interesting, but didn’t talk much about it … mainly since I’m a brining dummy. 🙂 I sent you an email explaining.

        Reply
    4. Rhonda says

      May 08, 2012 at 11:07 pm

      I love complex BBQ sauces! The citrus and cherry…what a perfect match for chicken!

      Reply
    5. Susan says

      May 08, 2012 at 5:39 pm

      Sounds divine!

      Reply
      • Lea Ann says

        May 09, 2012 at 5:38 am

        Thanks Susan.

        Reply
    6. Susan says

      May 08, 2012 at 1:41 pm

      This BBQ sauce sounds wonderful! People who have smokers are SERIOUS BBQers! I’d try the chips in foil too.

      Reply
      • Lea Ann says

        May 08, 2012 at 3:41 pm

        I’m sticking to the chips in foil for now Susan. I’m on your side.

        Reply
    7. Dave says

      May 08, 2012 at 10:03 am

      That barbecue sauce looks like a winner. Happy smoking!

      Reply
      • Lea Ann says

        May 08, 2012 at 3:43 pm

        One of these days I’ll inhale and buy a smoker. 🙂

        Reply
    8. Barbara | Creative Culinary says

      May 08, 2012 at 8:37 am

      I did a ‘sauce off’ a couple of years ago; I made two BBQ sauces and a couple of platters of ribs and then had my guests vote for their favorite sauce. One was a bourbon/molasses/cumin mixture I assumed would be a surefire winner as I put together the elements but no one was more surprised than me at how much we loved the sweet and hot cherry sauce. Yours is totally different from mine; now I’m thinking I need to do another sauce-off of the cherry kind!

      Reply
      • Lea Ann says

        May 08, 2012 at 3:45 pm

        Barbara, I’m sure you saw that this came from one of the Jr. League cookbooks. It really was flavorful. It really has piqued my interest in trying less traditional recipes. Yum.

        Reply
    9. Jenn's Food Journey says

      May 08, 2012 at 6:35 am

      I’ve been wanting to try making a cherry bbq sauce for a while now.. I think I just found my inspiration!!

      Reply
      • Lea Ann says

        May 08, 2012 at 3:45 pm

        Hope you like it Jenn.

        Reply
    10. Robyn Lindars says

      May 07, 2012 at 7:24 pm

      WOW! I can’t wait to try this recipe! I’m always looking for new spins on bbq sauce- definitely going to pin this!

      Reply
      • Lea Ann says

        May 08, 2012 at 6:09 am

        Thanks for the Pin Robyn and hope you enjoy the sauce.

        Reply
    11. Jane says

      May 07, 2012 at 1:57 pm

      ummmm sounds delish!!!!

      Reply
      • Lea Ann says

        May 07, 2012 at 4:52 pm

        Thanks Jane

        Reply
    12. Larry says

      May 07, 2012 at 10:17 am

      A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first steps – way to go. looks like you kicked off the season with a bang. If you can get then, cherry wood chips shoul work well with this.

      Reply
      • Lea Ann says

        May 07, 2012 at 4:53 pm

        Thanks Larry. You never know, a real smoker might be in my future. 🙂

        Reply
    13. Karen says

      May 07, 2012 at 9:56 am

      Love all the flavors in that sauce. I bet it was great with the chicken. We all start out as Kinders when it comes to something new… nothing wrong with that 🙂

      Reply
      • Lea Ann says

        May 07, 2012 at 4:53 pm

        I agree Karen. I was pretty proud of my first smoking adventure. At least the result.

        Reply
    14. Vickie says

      May 07, 2012 at 9:30 am

      Yummy!! All that citrus, cherry, peppers and wine? Swoon-worthy ingredients and I can’t wait to try this on some chicken. LOL about being a kindergarten smoker – those guys do make it a little intimidating, but you stepped right up! 😉

      Reply
      • Lea Ann says

        May 07, 2012 at 4:54 pm

        Intimidating to say the least. I read some of their posts and I’m just shaking my head in bewilderment.

        Reply
    15. Marina@Picnic at Marina says

      May 07, 2012 at 8:58 am

      Oh, how delicious! Great flavor combination!

      Reply
      • Lea Ann says

        May 07, 2012 at 4:54 pm

        Thanks Marina.

        Reply

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    I'm Lea Ann, A Culinary School Grad obsessed with South of The Border cuisine. Mexican, Southwestern and Wild West Recipes. If you're an adventurous home cook looking to spice up your meal plans, you'll find plenty of inspiration for reliable, approachable recipes.

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