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1
Heat up the teeniest bit of vegetable oil in a saucepan, on medium heat. Grate the half onion, and put it, and its juices, into the oil. Allow the onion to cook down, but be careful not to brown it at all. Just taking off the raw bite.
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2
Once the onion is drier, add the Coke and ketchup. Mix vigorously - the ketchup is going to want to stick into clumps, Don't Let It!
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3
One at a time, add the rest of the ingredients except the Chili Powder.
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4
At the Chili Powder. Start with half. Let the sauce cook a little and check the spiciness. Chili Powder has a tendency to lose its potency as it lives on the shelf, and spiciness ranges from brand to brand. The finish product will be spicer than what you're tasting right now, but better to keep an eye on it. (If it gets too spicy, put some honey in there until the spice balances out.)
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5
Then, let it simmer for as long as you have time. If you need to make the chicken right away - use the sauce right away. But, the longer it cooks, the more time it has to meld.
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6
Fire up your grill until it's RIPPING hot (I live in NYC and use a stovetop grill - most of the cooking isn't happening on the grill so don't bother with coals or anything, the chicken isn't going to be on here long). Once the grill is super hot, put the thighs on it - unseasoned. UNSEASONED?! Yes, unseasoned. We're imparting some smoke and rendering out some excess fat. Seasoning will come in the crock pot.
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7
As the chicken is spewing smoke all over your beautiful home, mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl.
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8
Keep checking the chicken, allowing it to color - but keep the grill sufficiently hot that you're not actually cooking the chicken. Just getting some smoke and color on, and some fat out.
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9
Once your chicken is sufficiently colorful (or you're tired of coughing), arrange your thighs in the bottom of your crockpot. Pour over the sauce mixture. Set the CrockPot on High and cook for 4 hours.
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10
Serve over rice or grits. Or, remove the bones - keep the skin if you want it, but I like to have it there just for the flavor and then remove it for the eating - and put on potato bread rolls with pickles.
