by Ricky Fingerz

Created on: September 16, 2008

Chicken on a Bun with Tangy BBQ Sauce

I remember back in the sixties living in Toronto and when it came to payday my mom and dad, my younger sister and brother would all go and do the grocery shopping. It was an outing that we kids always looked forward to. Being a busy Friday after school and work there of course was no time for my mom to cook a so we would usually end up at a place called "The Pickin' Chicken Restaurant", down by the lake shore somewhere. My mom would always rave about the BBQ sauce; we all loved it and so, being the great cook that she was, it was time to hunt down the recipe and she did just that. This is like no other that I have ever found but then again there are so many variations out there and no, I don't use ketchup like so many others do.

When the server came to the car we would place our order and because they were so popular our food was at our window in less than five minutes. They well predicted their rush of hungry crowds and made sure they were ready to sate and accommodate us all. This was probably one of the first fast food restaurants in Toronto at the time.

As always we would all get the same order of sliced chicken on a hamburger style bun with fries, milkshakes and their famous sweet and sour face twisting BBQ sauce. We would dip the chicken and fries into the sauce and it was so tasty. Here's what you need.

Face Twister BBQ Sauce

2 cans of tomato soup
1 can of tomato paste
1 medium onion
1 cup of vinegar
1 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 large clove of garlic
1 teaspoon of crushed cloves
teaspoon of salt

Dice the onion and garlic in very small pieces. Combine all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil then simmer for about a half an hour, stirring often. Turn the element off and let it stand for about an hour or so as this softens the onions nicely and allows all those flavors to mature. You can play around with the brown sugar and vinegar ingredients to your own taste preferences. My choice is the tangier the better. I did say face twisting. Back then the chicken and buns were steamed and kept hot as they had no microwave ovens. Of course it is your choice on how you prepare your chicken but please cook it. Serve with fries and a dill pickle along with a dipping dish of this tangy variation. Oh, and don't forget the milkshake. Hmmmm, now doesn't that sound good?

When and if I have any sauce left over I sometimes use it for steak, ribs or chicken on the BBQ or just keep it in a container and cover well as it will keep for weeks in the refrigerator. Use it instead of ketchup just to spice things up a bit.

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