BBQ Black Garlic Chicken With Feta And Melon Salad

Black garlic chicken cooked to juicy perfection on the BBQ and served with a refreshing melon salad and feta dill dressing - this is a perfect summer recipe, plain and simple.

We let the black garlic chicken marinate before cooking it on the BBQ grill and drizzling it with yogurt, feta, and dill dressing. A sweet and refreshing melon salad perfectly complements the black garlic chicken thighs and drumsticks, and the result is the ideal chicken dish to serve at BBQ parties. This black garlic chicken recipe is a lighter and healthier option but tastes so full and decadent that you don't feel like you're missing out.

Jump to:

• Why this is the best recipe
• What is black garlic?
• What does black garlic taste like?
• Where to buy black garlic?
• Ingredients
• How to make black garlic chicken
• Top tip
• Wine pairing
• Substitutions and variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• FAQ
• Other recipes to try
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Black garlic chicken is the ideal summer BBQ recipe and works really well with some of my other summer recipes like these zucchini feta fritters, BBQ sweetcorn, and popcorn calamari. And finish on a high with these raspberry ice cream bars or key lime pie ice cream bars.

Why this is the best recipe

1. It's tasty: Black garlic is the most delicious flavor; it's unusual and works so well in this easy chicken marinade.
2. It's pretty: We use three types of melon in the salad, and I love to create a chequerboard effect because we eat with our eyes, right? And pretty food always tastes better. Watermelon is pink, Cantaloupe melon is orange, and Honeydew melon is green (also known as Galia melon), and it's great to get a mixture to make this black garlic chicken dish as beautiful as possible.
3. It's healthy: This is a great option as a healthy BBQ chicken main course, with a delicious and nutritious salad on the side. I also love to serve an heirloom tomato salad with this too; the flavors are amazing together.

What is black garlic?

Black garlic is the name for regular garlic cloves that have been cooked over very low heat in a humidity-controlled environment for an extended period of time. The black color essentially comes from the Maillard reaction (the scientific term for when food browns when it cooks), which is the chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars. You can make black garlic yourself, but the process takes around 3 weeks.

What does black garlic taste like?

The flavor of black garlic is strong but slightly sweet and smoky, and it's softer and much less astringent than raw garlic. This black garlic chicken recipe pairs well with the feta cheese, and the yogurt in the dressing provides some acidity to cut through everything else. The flavor of black garlic might be strong, but once it is cooked on the BBQ with the chicken, it is softer than normal garlic and not overpowering. I adore the flavor of black garlic, with its rich umami tones. The texture of black garlic is soft and almost buttery. It is spreadable and can be mixed with herbs and oils to make a paste that is an ideal BBQ marinade.

Where to buy black garlic?

You can buy black garlic in specialty food stores or online. It is not widely available, so some planning is needed if and when you want to make this black garlic chicken recipe! But I love cooking with more unusual ingredients that create a talking point amongst guests.

Ingredients

Black garlic chicken marinade

1. Chicken: Make this black garlic chicken with chicken on the bone, like thighs and/or drumsticks, rather than chicken breast. Chicken on the bone will always be moister, and it's much harder to overcook, so it won't dry out if it stays on the grill a bit too long.
2. Black garlic: You can either buy whole black garlic cloves or if that proves hard to find, then a black garlic paste will also work.
3. Parsley: Parsley is such a great herb; it goes with pretty much everything and adds so much flavor.
4. Olive oil: Olive oil is a perfect all-rounder; it is a healthy oil with a high smoke point and delicious flavor, so it works well in the BBQ black garlic chicken marinade.

Feta and melon salad

1. Cantaloupe melon: Also known as rock melon, these delicious fruits have a soft orange interior and beautiful mottled green skin.
2. Galia or Honeydew melon: These melons have either green or yellow flesh, the green flesh melons (white honeydew) are the sweeter of the two varieties.
3. Watermelon: Watermelon has a vibrant and distinctive pink inside and black seeds. They are incredibly refreshing and very low in calories.
4. Fresh mint: Mint has a delicious fresh taste, and it works perfectly with the other flavors in this black garlic chicken recipe.
5. Feta cheese: Feta is a strong and tangy cheese with a crumbly texture that is usually kept in water to prevent it from drying out. It whips really well (try this whipped feta with roasted tomatoes) and is traditionally made with ewes milk, so is also suitable for those with a cow's milk allergy.

Dill yogurt dressing

1. Feta cheese: We add a small amount of feta to the yogurt dressing as well to give it a delicious tang.
2. Plain yogurt: Yogurt adds some acidity to this dish that cuts through the sweetness and makes the dressing nice and thick, and creamy without actually needing to add cream.
3. Dill: Dill is a very flavorsome herb with a mild licorice flavor that pairs beautifully with feta.

See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step by step directions.

How to make black garlic chicken

1. Make the black garlic marinade. Crush the black garlic cloves with the olive oil until it forms a thick paste, and mix with chopped parsley.
2. Marinate the chicken. Place the chicken pieces into a bag or bowl and add the black garlic marinade. Mix thoroughly so that the chicken is thoroughly coated. Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
3. Make the melon salad. Cut the melons and feta into small cubes and arrange on a serving dish with the chopped mint.
4. Make the feta, dill, and yogurt dressing by blending them together in a food processor until fully combined and smooth. Adjust the amount of yogurt depending on how your desired consistency and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. BBQ the black garlic chicken. Light the BBQ, and when it's ready, carefully rub a small amount of oil onto the grill and put the black garlic chicken on to cook, skin side down.
6. Serve the black garlic chicken with the feta and melon salad with fresh mint and the feta dill dressing drizzled over the top.

Top tip

I like to have the BBQ on a lower setting and cook the black garlic chicken skin side down for as long as possible before flipping and finishing off the other side quickly. It keeps it super juicy but crisps up the skin perfectly.

Use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the black garlic chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit / 75 degrees Celsius and that the pan juices run clear before serving.

Wine pairing

A bright and acidic wine like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc will pair well with feta and black garlic. I can imagine how refreshing it will taste to share with friends in the sunshine already!

If you have leftover watermelon, you can also blend it with some tequila, lime juice, and triple sec to make melon margaritas.

Substitutions and variations

Here are some ways to change up this recipe to suit you.

1. Spicy: Add fresh chili or red pepper flakes to the black garlic marinade to spice things up a notch.
2. Deluxe: Mix some thick cream into the feta dill dressing to make it super rich.
3. Meat-free: try this marinade on halloumi cheese, cauliflower steaks or vegetable kebabs.
4. No BBQ?: no problem! Cook the black garlic chicken in a skillet or in the oven instead.
5. Appetizer: Use chicken wings to make snack-sized portions of this black garlic recipe as an appetizer instead.

Love this black garlic chicken recipe? Try making black garlic pizza bread next. And if you're serving other meats at your BBQ party as well, I highly recommend this flank steak marinade.

Equipment

A good BBQ will be a solid purchase and keep you and your friend happy in the summertime for years to come! I like cooking over charcoal to get a real smoky flavor.

I marinade the black garlic chicken thighs in a ziplock bag as it is an easy way to store it in the fridge.

Use a meat thermometer (I love Meater) to never have to guess if your chicken is cooked thoroughly!

I use Robert Welch knives; they are of brilliant quality and also very good value. I trained with them at chef school, and I really rate them.

Storage

Store any leftover black garlic chicken and melon salad in an airtight container in the fridge. I like to use leftover cooked chicken to make tacos or in salads or sandwiches.

FAQ

Other recipes to try

📖 Recipe