Summertime! How I love the sun, the outdoors, and company coming over to enjoy the pool, our backyard, and most of all, my brisket! I am famous for it, but I will never divulge the recipe. (Sorry!)

The thing you have to remember about cooking is there are things that you keep close to your heart, that make you famous in some cases, or just things that make you who you are. Think of the one thing your children always beg you to make; as they grow up, that one recipe is what makes them come home to visit.

While I can’t share my brisket recipe with you, this chipotle-mango BBQ chicken is almost as delicious, and it is best enjoyed with lots of friends and family around.

Chipotle-Mango BBQ Chicken

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups mango, peeled, pitted and roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro (loose pack, not chopped, stems and all)
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon canola oil, plus extra for grill
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks, bone in, skin on

Directions

Put the mango, cilantro, chipotle, vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, one tablespoon of oil and salt and pepper, in a food processor and puree until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Add the chicken with half the mango mixture to a resealable plastic bag, and massage to coat the chicken with the sauce. Refrigerate at least six hours to marinate.

Put the other half of the mango mixture into a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until thick, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Set some of the simmered chipotle-mango sauce aside to serve on the side and baste the chicken every few minutes with the rest of the sauce.

Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat and brush with canola oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and put on the grill.

Grill the chicken, turning and basting about every five minutes until cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the reserved mango sauce.

Until next time…