Grilled BBQ Chicken
Flavorful, economical, and easy, Grilled BBQ Chicken is a perfect summer alternative to steaks and burgers. And it works in the oven too!
I still remember when I figured out how easy it was to make Grilled BBQ Chicken. I was newly moved to my first grown up apartment and one of my splurges was a small charcoal grill.
Pretty soon I was happily indulging in char-broiled meat dishes like Carne Asada Burger and Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak. Then, to broaden my repertoire, I slathered BBQ sauce on some chicken I was grilling. And I was in heaven!
Pretty soon it was a regular on my summer menu. And even high on the list of things to serve to friends!
Why You’ll Love This!
Tasty. How do you beat smoky, juicy, grilled chicken with a tangy BBQ-flavored accent! It makes good chicken extra special!
Easy. Many commercial BBQ sauces are excellent, so this is an area you can go easy and skip the homemade. And it’s almost as quick as Air Fryer Chicken Legs.
Fun. Chicken’s a nice dinner, but Grilled BBQ Chicken is fun. Like a picnic in the park—or a picnic in your backyard!
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken. This is the main component of the meal.
- BBQ sauce. This adds great tangy flavor! Use a commercial sauce or your favorite homemade.
- Water. I used a little water to thin my BBQ sauce for easy spreading.
- Salt. This enhances flavor and helps crisp the chicken skin!
Special Tools
- This is lovely prepared on the grill but can also be made in a oven.
Step by Step Directions
Mix BBQ sauce with a tablespoon or two of water to make it easy to spread with a brush.
Salt the chicken. Grill on a hot grill until crisp and almost cooked through.
Brush BBQ sauce on to both sides of the chicken. Continue grilling, flipping once or more and reapplying additional sauce if desired.
Remove from grill when cooked through, crispy and starting to develop a slight char. Serve immediately.
How to Serve
When planning a menu, I tend to treat BBQ Grilled Chicken like other casual dishes such as sandwiches and burgers. This means that the first thing I add is a casual side salad. Some of my favorites include Thai Carrot Slaw, Carrot Raisin Salad, Southwestern Three Bean Salad, or Broccoli Bacon Salad.
Of course for the easiest vegetable side ever, there’s always veggies and dip. Or a nice lettuce salad is also delicious!
Finally you’ll need a starch course. Potatoes like potato salad, fries, baked or even pan-fried potato slices can be delicious. Or a fun and easy alternative is just to go with a nice bread or muffin like these blueberry muffins.
And if you’re serving picky kids who might balk at BBQ sauce, consider a side of Grilled Nuggets!
Leftovers
Refrigerate any leftovers immediately and eat within 3-4 days per the USDA. Leftover chicken is delicious and can be eaten cold or reheated in the microwave or oven. Use a convection setting if you have it and want to do some re-crisping.
Another option is to use the BBQ chicken like any other cooked chicken. In that case you can add it to recipes like Chicken Curry or Sage-Flavored Chicken Noodle Soup.
Tips & FAQs
I used leg quarters which I like because they stay nice and juicy and cook at the same rate. But if you’re serving kids or other light eaters a chicken cut into the standard eight pieces might work better for you.
In that case move some of the smaller pieces like wings and legs to cooler parts of the grill so they don’t get dry and overcooked. An instant read thermometer will be especially helpful to make sure everything is cooked through.
How do I pick a BBQ sauce? While you could pull one together on the fly (mixing molasses, ketchup, etc), I have designed this recipe to be super easy. So I used a bottled BBQ sauce. I usually check out the label and steer away from those with the most unpronounceable ingredient list!
Of course if you want to go fully homemade, you can still do easy by making a batch of homemade BBQ sauce ahead of time—and even canning it if you’re a canner. My Cherry BBQ sauce is always a big favorite!
Grilled BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken leg quarters or the equivalent, e.g. a whole chicken cut into 8-10 pieces, 10 legs, etc.
- 1/3 cup BBQ sauce
- 1-2 Tablespoons water
- Salt
Instructions
- Mix BBQ sauce with a tablespoon or two of water to make it easy to spread with a brush. Set aside.
- Salt the chicken on all sides. Grill on a hot grill, flipping once or more, until skin is crisp and chicken is almost cooked through, about 20 minutes (temp should be about 160F in thickest part of thigh).
- Brush BBQ sauce on to both sides of the chicken. Continue grilling, flipping once or more and reapplying additional sauce if desired.
- Remove from grill when cooked through (temperature at least 170F in thickest part of thigh or 165F in breast), crispy and starting to develop a slight char. Serve immediately.
I love barbecue chicken. The way the sauce gets all caramelized and the chicken is tender and juicy. I really love thighs! They’re the best.
Your Grilled BBQ Chicken recipe sounds like an absolute summer staple! Yum!!!!
I always love making a big batch of Mom’s bbq sauce every summer — it keeps well in the fridge and makes for easy last minute bbq parties. Thanks for the reminder and your recipe!
That will be perfect for this David!
Yum!
Thanks Nancy!