BBQ Chicken
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Make the best BBQ Chicken by covering chicken breasts, wings, drumsticks or thighs with a delicious bbq seasoning. Cook the chicken low and slow on the grill and finish it with a generous coating of bbq sauce to make juicy, tender, flavorful barbecue chicken every time! This grilled chicken recipe is perfect for everything from summer bbq’s to game day cookouts!
Table of contents
When it comes to cooking chicken on the grill, there is a difference between bbq chicken and grilled chicken. And it’s not just about the sauce! BBQ chicken is cooked low and slow, usually over indirect heat. This means that half of the grill is heated and the other half is not. The chicken is cooked for the majority of the time on the half of the grill that’s not heated.
The indirect heat from the side of the grill that is heated will slowly cook the chicken, keeping it juicy and tender. In this recipe, the chicken is reverse-seared, meaning seared over high heat at the end of the cooking process to crisp up the skin, while basting with bbq sauce for a sticky, sweet finish.
On the other hand, grilled chicken is cooked over direct heat, usually set at medium to medium-high heat. This means the chicken cooks much faster and is more likely to dry out. Now there are certainly methods for making excellent grilled chicken, but when cooking bone-in chicken, I prefer to use this bbq chicken recipe.
It might take an hour or so to make this recipe, depending on the size of the pieces of chicken that you’re barbecuing, but there’s very little hands on time and the method is simple. Season the chicken, cook it low and slow over indirect heat, then move it over to direct heat and sear it while basting with bbq sauce. Three simple steps for juicy, tender barbecue chicken!
Ingredients
- Chicken – for this recipe you can use just about any cut of chicken that you like. Boneless or bone-in chicken pieces will both work in this recipe, but I highly recommend trying it with bone-in chicken for the juiciest, most tender results. You can mix and match chicken breasts, thighs, wings or drumsticks to make this recipe. I recommend keeping the skin on to help protect the outside of the chicken from burning, but if you prefer chicken without the skin, feel free to use a sharp knife to remove it before starting this recipe.
- Olive oil – or any neutral-flavored vegetable oil, like canola or avocado oil, will also work for this recipe.
- BBQ seasoning – click the link for my easy, homemade spice blend. It’s made with a base of brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper. It’s excellent in this recipe and easy to mix up in just 5 minutes. You can also pick up a pre-made bbq seasoning mix at the grocery store on the spice aisle.
- BBQ sauce – pick your favorite bottled barbecue sauce, or make a homemade bbq sauce, to baste the chicken at the end. Sweet, spicy, traditional bbq sauce, it’s your pick, any flavor of bbq sauce will work with this recipe!
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken pieces dry, then rub them on all sides with olive oil. Sprinkle bbq seasoning evenly over the chicken until each piece is fully coated.
- Add the chicken to the grill. Heat one side of the grill to high heat, around 450°F. Do not turn on the other side of the grill. Once the grill is hot, rub oil on the grill grates. Place the seasoned chicken on the side of the grill that’s not turned on. This is referred to as grilling with indirect heat.
- Grill the chicken. Depending on the size of the chicken pieces, you’ll want to grill them for 20-40 minutes per side with the lid on the grill closed. For example, large bone-in chicken breasts will need about 40 minutes per side. Smaller cuts of chicken, like wings and drumsticks, will only need 20 minutes per side. Bone-in chicken thighs will need about 30 minutes per side. Refer to the “recipe tips” section below for tips on how to make this recipe work with various cuts of chicken. Always use an instant-read thermometer to make sure each piece of chicken reaches 160°F internal temperature before moving it to the hot side of the grill. The temperature will rise another 5-10 degrees while you sear it over direct heat.
- Sear and baste the chicken. Once the internal temperature of each piece of chicken reaches 160°F move the pieces of chicken over to the hot side of the grill. Brush each piece of chicken with bbq sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes. Flip and brush the other side of the chicken with bbq sauce. Continue to cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, then remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe tips
- Only brush the chicken with bbq sauce at the end of the cooking process. Coating chicken in bbq sauce before placing it on the grill will result in the outside of the chicken burning. Most bbq sauce recipes contain a lot of sugar. If the bbq sauce is brushed on the chicken at the beginning, this will cause the sugar to caramelize and burn the outside of the chicken. This is why you should only add bbq sauce at the very end.
- If using different cuts of chicken, I recommend adding bone-in chicken breasts to the grill first. These are usually the largest, thickest cut of chicken and therefore need the longest time to cook. Allow them to cook for 40 minutes, then add chicken thighs, wings or drumsticks to the grill. This should result in all of the chicken reaching 160°F internal temperature around the same time.
- If some of the chicken pieces reach 160°F internal temperature before the others, simply remove them from the grill, place them on a cutting board and loosely cover with foil. When all of the chicken pieces reach 160°F, you can add the other pieces of chicken back to the hot side of the grill and sear them with the pieces that were still on the grill. This will guarantee that all of your chicken pieces are fully cooked, and hot and ready at the same time.
- Grill to temperature, not time! Cooking over indirect heat is similar to cooking on a smoker. Each grill is different and with chicken pieces of different size, the cook time will vary when making this recipe. Always use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken before moving it to the hot side of the grill to sear.
- This recipe is gluten free, using the ingredients shown above. Always read the label on the bbq sauce to make sure it’s gluten free.
- To make this recipe whole30 approved, use this sugar-free chicken seasoning, or chicken wing seasoning, instead of the bbq seasoning. Brush the chicken with this sugar-free whole30 bbq sauce.
- You can always switch up the bbq sauce, and use white bbq sauce, buffalo sauce or garlic parmesan sauce instead.
How to store and reheat
Leftover barbecue chicken will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I love to pull the meat off the bone, like I would a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, and eat it cold on this BBQ Chicken Salad.
I also recommend pulling the meat off the bone and heating it up in a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat for 4-6 minutes. Toss the meat with bbq sauce and pile it up on toasted buns, with or without coleslaw, for a delicious bbq chicken sandwich!
You can also reheat the pieces of chicken on the bone in the air fryer or oven. To reheat them in the air fryer, add them in a single layer in an air fryer basket and make sure they’re not touching. Reheat at 400°F for 3-6 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
To reheat them in the oven, place them in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet. Preheat the broiler on the oven to high. Place the baking sheet of chicken on a middle rack in the oven. Heat for 4-6 minutes, flipping halfway through. When using the broiler, always keep an eye on the food in the oven to make sure that it does not burn.
What to serve with it
This bbq chicken is a great dish for summer barbecues. But it’s also a great recipe to toss on the grill year-round! It’s simple and makes a delicious meal, when paired with any of these tasty side dishes.
- Blue Cheese Salad
- Air Fryer Baked Potato
- Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Smoked Mac and Cheese (you can also cook it on the grill!)
- Corn Casserole
- Grilled Zucchini
- Red White and Blue Cheese Potato Salad
- Cheesy Grilled Potatoes
More recipes on the grill
After this bbq chicken, try tossing these other delicious meats on the grill!
BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless or bone-in chicken pieces, breasts, thighs, wings, drumsticks, or combination *see the notes section below
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons bbq seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 1 cup bbq sauce
Instructions
- Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel, then rub them on all sides with olive oil.
- Sprinkle the bbq seasoning evenly over the chicken and rub it in until the chicken is completely coated in the seasoning.
- Preheat one side of the grill to high heat, around 450°F. Do not turn on the other side of the grill.
- Oil the grill grates.
- Place the chicken on the side of the grill that’s not turned on, this is referred to as grilling with indirect heat.
- For bone-in thighs, drumsticks and wings, grill for 20 minutes, flip and grill for an additional 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F using an instant-read thermometer.For bone-in chicken breasts, grill for 40 minutes, flip and grill for an additional 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
- Once the internal temperature of each piece of chicken reaches 160°F, use tongs to move the chicken over to the hot side of the grill to grill over direct heat.
- Brush bbq sauce on the chicken, cook for 1-2 minutes, flip and brush the other side with bbq sauce.
- Continue cooking the chicken for 1-2 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Chicken – for this recipe you can use just about any cut of chicken that you like. Boneless or bone-in chicken pieces will both work in this recipe, but I highly recommend trying it with bone-in chicken for the juiciest, most tender results. You can mix and match chicken breasts, thighs, wings or drumsticks to make this recipe. I recommend keeping the skin on to help protect the outside of the chicken from burning, but if you prefer chicken without the skin, feel free to use a sharp knife to remove it before starting this recipe.
- If using different cuts of chicken, I recommend adding bone-in chicken breasts to the grill first. These are usually the largest, thickest cut of chicken and therefore need the longest time to cook. Allow them to cook for 40 minutes, then add chicken thighs, wings or drumsticks to the grill. This should result in all of the chicken reaching 160°F internal temperature around the same time.
- If some of the chicken pieces reach 160°F internal temperature before the others, simply remove them from the grill, place them on a cutting board and loosely cover with foil. When all of the chicken pieces reach 160°F, you can add the other pieces of chicken back to the hot side of the grill and sear them with the pieces that were still on the grill. This will guarantee that all of your chicken pieces are fully cooked, and hot and ready at the same time.
- Grill to temperature, not time! Cooking over indirect heat is similar to cooking on a smoker. Each grill is different and with chicken pieces of different size, the cook time will vary when making this recipe. Always use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken before moving it to the hot side of the grill to sear.
- This recipe is gluten free, using the ingredients shown above. Always read the label on the bbq sauce to make sure it’s gluten free.
- To make this recipe whole30 approved, use this sugar-free chicken seasoning, or chicken wing seasoning, instead of the bbq seasoning. Brush the chicken with this sugar-free whole30 bbq sauce.
Nutrition Facts
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One Comment on “BBQ Chicken”
i really love this recipes… amazing recipes!!!!!!!!