Maple Chipotle Barbeque Sauce

My back yard is covered in snow this morning after a winter storm yesterday, smack dab in the middle of our Canadian winter. Memories of summer barbeques are months old and anticipation for more still months away, so some oven roasted chicken glazed with this very simple but incredibly flavorful maple syrup based barbeque sauce was particularly appreciated earlier this week. This sauce is very easy to make and I'm also working on two other recipes that will use it so make a big batch in anticipation of Maple Chipotle Pulled Pork and Maple Chipotle Baked Beans.

I roasted this whole chicken on a rack, uncovered for about 1 3/4 hours at 350 degrees by simply seasoning it with salt and pepper inside and out and into the cavity I stuffed some chopped onion, garlic and a few sprigs of thyme. In the last 45 of cooking time I just brushed the whole chicken with the barbeque sauce every 10 to 15 minutes.

In a small saucepan, cook slowly over medium low heat until well softened and beginning to caramelize:

3 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves chopped garlic

1 medium red onion, chopped

 Add:

2 cups plain tomato sauce

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 to 2 tsp ground chipotle powder (according to taste)

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp ground dry thyme

1 tsp salt

Simmer slowly for about 20-30 minutes or until reduced by about 1/4 the initial volume, stirring often. When cool, puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.