Root Beer BBQ Chicken Burgers

Directions

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Marinate Time: 4 hours or overnight
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Serves: 4

• Place chicken on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over top. With a meat mallet or a small, heavy pot, lightly pound chicken breasts until they are approximately ¾ of an inch thick.
  
• In a large bowl, whisk together root beer, garlic, chili flakes, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, soya sauce, ketchup, maple syrup or honey and ground pepper until well combined. Place chicken breasts in marinade and mix well to coat. Marinate in refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight.
• Remove chicken from marinade. Place marinade in a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer until it reaches the consistency of barbecue sauce.
• Preheat barbecue to 500 degrees F.
• Lightly salt chicken breasts and brush with oil. Sprinkle wood chips directly onto the bar-becue flame under the grills. Replace the grills.
• Turn heat down to medium-high. Place chicken on the grill, brush with root beer sauce, close lid and cook for six minutes.
• Maintain a temperature between 300-350 degrees F. Brush with root beer sauce again and flip chicken breasts, again brushing with sauce, and cook for an additional four to six minutes or until they reach an internal temperature 165˚F (74˚C).
• Brush with more barbecue sauce and let rest for two minutes off the heat. Serve on buns with cooked bacon and cheese slices.