Tangy and sweet are the best words to describe this barbecue sauce. Make a double batch, take some to your next picnic, and you will thank me.

　　

Ingredients

4 servings

　　

Barbecue Sauce

1 cup balsamic vinegar

　　3/4 cup ketchup

　　1/3 cup brown sugar

　　1 garlic clove, minced

　　1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

　　1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　1 chicken, cut in serving pieces (2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 legs, and 2 wings)

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Combine all the barbecue sauce ingredients in a small nonreactive saucepan and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by one third, 15 to 20 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Place a grill pan over medium heat or preheat an outdoor grill. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.

　　

Step 3

Transfer 1/2 cup of the sauce to a small bowl. Grill the chicken for about 10 minutes per side, brushing the chicken with the 1/2 cup barbecue sauce for the last 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Serve with the remaining barbecue sauce alongside.

　　Cooks' Note

　　If you prefer not to grill, the chicken can also be baked. Place the chicken skin side up in a baking dish and bake for 25 minutes in a 375°F oven. Remove the baking dish from the oven and spoon the barbecue sauce all over the top of the chicken. Return the baking dish to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

　　Reprinted with permission from Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2008 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.