Get ready to be merry with chef Melissa’s barbecue chicken recipe

Can you believe it’s almost Christmas? I don’t know about you but this year feels like it’s really flown by. I hope your year has been filled with memorable moments and of course delicious food and culinary experiences. For many, Christmas represents a religious occasion, time spent with loved ones or travels to one’s hometown or village. Regardless of where you might find yourself this holiday period, I hope that it is with loved ones sharing delicious meals, love, and laughter.

It’s no secret that many of us spend all year dreaming about what we’re going to eat at our Christmas dinner. Between the jollof rice, glazed turkey, barbecue chicken, savory gravy, veggie side dishes, and, of course, the endless amount of delectable desserts, there really is enough to day-dream (and drool) about for months on end. With Christmas fast approaching, it’s time to start thinking about your holiday menu.

Food is an integral part of the holiday period, whether you’re the one who’s preparing the entire feast for your family or friends, or simply need to bring a dish or two to dinner, on this edition of Culinary Delights recipe edition I am happy to share a barbecue chicken recipe that might change your life. Get ready to eat drink and be merry with this recipe from Chef Melissa Uzoebo, who is a young chef of Nigerian origin currently studying law in the United Kingdom. At only 19 years old Melissa Uzoebo is well on her way to a great culinary career that started as a hobby. She started cooking earlier this year in university where is studying law as a way to keep fit and healthy. She describes herself as a self-taught cook and has ambitions of one-day opening restaurants in Lagos, London and one in Europe outside the U.K. Apart from cooking Melissa also plays sports such as basketball and football and is quite the athlete. I must say that her passion for cooking is evident and quite inspiring.

I tasted Melissa’s chicken and chips at a recent food fair( Street Souk) and totally fell in love with the taste of her chicken. The carefully garnished barbecue seasoning on the chicken was subtle yet strong enough. The blend of the honey glaze and margination was the perfect combination with the side of fries that came with it. You can get a plate from anywhere between N2500- N3500 depending on the size and side order. It is truly inspiring to see a young woman with such focus and entrepreneurial spirit. Watching her interact with her customers at the Food Fair, gave me much hope that the younger generation is creative and focused, ready to create a great impact.

No one is really sure where the term barbecue originated. The conventional wisdom is that the Spanish, upon landing in the Caribbean, used the word barbacoa to refer to the natives’ method of slow-cooking meat over a wooden platform. By the 19th century, the culinary technique was well established in the American South, and quickly spread to other parts of the West and now through-out the world. While the continent of Africa has its own delicious spices and grilling methods it is no surprise that barbecue chicken is popular on the continent of Africa and specifically in Nigeria. If you ask me.. there are not many things that are better than barbecue chicken and jollof rice.