Rebranding. Everyone’s doing it.
 
Welcome to the new incarnation of “Vacationland Eats,” the unabashedly kitschy, “Extra! Extra! Eat all about it.”
 
You might love it, you might hate it — either way, I don’t care.
 
The reason I say that is because my inaugural recipe for you today is sure to be a winner at any spring or summer dinner party you might host, and surely any quips you have about my rebranding will go out the window.

Beautifully colorful and teeming with complexity, this indoor “grilled” chicken is a dynamite dish to serve to company, utilizing the fresh spring herbs that make this season so perfect.
 
Don’t be afraid at the number of steps. You can prepare the barbecue sauce — which I can only describe as Maine meets Southeast Asia, thanks to Indonesian sambal and sweet maple syrup — days in advance; just warm it up before using to thin it back out. The Italian salsa verde, which perks up the spicy baked flavors, can be made a day ahead and kept tightly-wrapped in the refrigerator.
 
But please, whatever you do, use bone-in chicken here. It takes a little bit longer to cook, but it stays juicier in the oven. I can’t recount to you the number of times I’ve lied to hosts about how delicious and moist their grilled chicken is — sorry, Mom — when in reality, I’ve had better at the drive-thru.
 
This might be a tedious meal to make on a weeknight, but it’s absolutely perfect for a special occasion. And, because you’ve gone to so much effort, you’ll feel no shame in enlisting your guests to bring the booze and, if all goes well, having them wash the dishes at the end of the evening.
— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].

Sweet and spicy “oven-grilled” barbecue chicken
Time: 2 hours 
Serves: 4-6
 
For the chicken:
2-3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken legs, thighs, breasts or a combination of the three
Kosher salt, as needed
Freshly-ground black pepper, as needed
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
2 tablespoons butter, more as needed
3-4 rosemary sprigs
2 bell peppers, mixed colors, sliced thinly
1 large Vidalia or Spanish onion, sliced thinly

For the barbecue sauce:
½ cup hard apple cider
½ cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons sambal or other Asian hot sauce, such as sriracha
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons red chile flakes
½ teaspoon dried thyme
 
For the salsa verde:
4 scallions, peeled, trimmed and cut into large pieces
¼ cup cilantro leaves
¼ cup dill, torn into pieces
6 sprigs rosemary
6-8 sage leaves
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh orange or lemon juice
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

 
About an hour before cooking, remove chicken pieces from refrigerator and season liberally on all sides with salt and pepper. Allow to come to room temperature before cooking, letting the seasoning penetrate the meat.
 
Meanwhile, make the barbecue sauce and the salsa verde. In a small saucepot set over medium-high heat, combine all the sauce ingredients and stir well to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes until the mixture is reduced by half and is thick and syrupy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
 
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the scallions, cilantro, dill, rosemary, sage, garlic, orange or lemon juice and salt and pepper and pulse a few times to combine and dissolve the salt (once the oil is added, it won’t dissolve). Add the oil all at once and process until mostly smooth, resembling pesto. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
 
When ready to cook the chicken, heat oven to 350 degrees. On the stovetop in a roasting pan set over medium heat, add two tablespoons olive oil and cook the peppers and onions until beginning to brown. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to the oven to continue cooking.
 
In a large, wide skillet set over medium-high heat, add the remaining ¼ cup olive oil and butter and, working in batches, sear the chicken, skin-side down, until deeply golden-brown. Do not overcrowd the pan. Continue until all chicken pieces are browned, removing them and setting aside as necessary.
 
Remove the peppers and onions, which should be soft and brown, from the oven. Make room in the middle for the chicken and place, skin-side up into the roasting pan. Use a separate rimmed baking sheet for the chicken breasts, if using, since they’ll cook faster than thighs and legs. Bake legs for 30 to 40 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Breasts should take between 20 and 30 minutes.
 
In the last few minutes of baking, brush each piece of chicken liberally with barbecue sauce. It will caramelize in the oven and resemble grilled chicken.
 
Serve immediately, with rice or roasted potatoes, family-style with plenty of wine and napkins. It’s a knockout summer party dish.