Chef Poppy O'Toole, known as Poppy Cooks, has shared her essential advice for hosting the ideal summer cookout, focusing on a simple trick to keep chicken thighs juicy on the grill. While burgers and hot dogs remain staples, chargrilled chicken thighs are a popular choice, but they can quickly become dry without proper preparation.
The Secret to Moist Chicken Thighs
Poppy, often called the Potato Queen, recommends coating chicken thighs in a wet marinade the evening before cooking. Her go-to recipe includes water, salt, a touch of sugar, lemon, herbs, garlic, a dash of vinegar, and lemon juice. “Leave that to kind of do its thing overnight in the fridge,” she told us. “It just means that they're going to be super moist [when] they go onto that hot barbecue.”
After marinating, she suggests grilling the chicken and optionally adding a hot honey glaze at the end for a proper chargrill finish.
Potatoes Deserve a Spot on the Barbecue
Poppy also advocates for barbecued potatoes, saying, “Barbecued potatoes, they need to be in this year.” She recommends parboiling potatoes for about eight minutes, then threading them onto two skewers sideways and placing them on the grill. In a YouTube tutorial, she made them with a maple chilli butter glaze, producing a “smoky, crispy and buttery” result. Garlic butter or hot honey glaze also works well, and she suggests serving with whipped feta for extra flavour.
Britons Love 'Picky Bits' and Potatoes
Poppy's barbecue advice comes as new research involving 2,000 adults revealed that 87% of UK adults enjoy “picky bits” during summer, and nearly a third (31%) choose grazing-style meals at least once weekly. The study, commissioned by Nanna Tate, also found that half of Britons (50%) would gladly serve chips or potatoes alongside barbecue fare.
Speaking about her collaboration with Nanna Tate, Poppy said: “There's nothing better than spending time with loved ones over delicious food during the summer months. The best recipes don't have to be complicated. All you need is simple, quality ingredients to create a dish everyone will enjoy. I've loved teaming up with Nanna Tate to celebrate the launch of its new Baby potatoes range and developing recipes that will really elevate mealtimes this summer. Potatoes are such a great ingredient to use across main and side dishes as they are so versatile, whether you're feeding little ones or a larger group, there are endless ways to turn them into tasty meals. Nanna Tate makes it easy to create effortless summer dishes, perfect for picnics, barbecues or late night dinners.”
