Grilled BBQ Chicken
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Charred edges, a sticky-tangy glaze, and smoky barbecue flavor all the way through—this grilled BBQ chicken is a go-to for summer cookouts.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
We have a running joke about chicken in my family. Whenever I say we’re having chicken for dinner, my husband says, “Chicken again?” and then rattles off a seemingly endless list of chicken dinners his mother used to make: chicken parm, chicken cutlets, chicken schnitzel, chicken pot pie, and so on. The kids immediately pile on, groaning about all my chicken dinners. Luckily, these BBQ chicken breasts always win everyone over. They’re smoky, saucy, and loaded with barbecue flavor. I guarantee clean plates all around—proof there’s always room for one more chicken dinner!
“I made this chicken twice in the past week and received raves both times. Easy peasy and definitely crowd-pleasing!”
What You’ll Need To Make BBQ Chicken
- Chicken: You can use chicken tenderloins or boneless breasts. If using chicken breasts, it’s important to pound them to an even ½-inch thickness before marinating. This both tenderizes the breasts and ensures they cook evenly. (Pounding is not necessary if using tenderloins, as tenderloins are naturally very tender.)
- Marinade: Vegetable oil, garlic, salt, light brown sugar, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.
- BBQ sauce: You can use a good quality store-bought sauce or make your own. My homemade BBQ sauce is quick and easy.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the marinade. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, garlic, salt, brown sugar, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Unlike many BBQ chicken marinades, this one skips acidic ingredients like vinegar or citrus, which can make lean chicken breasts dry and a bit leathery.
Step 2: Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss with tongs until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.
Pro tip: Marinating in spices rather than BBQ sauce is the secret to deep BBQ flavor — spices penetrate the meat and season it throughout, while sauce sits on the surface and its high sugar content can burn before the chicken is cooked through.
Step 3: Grill the first side. Preheat the grill to high and oil the grates. Grill the chicken, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes.
Pro tip: If you’d prefer to use bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, preheat the grill to medium (350 to 375°F), oil the grates, and place the chicken, skin-side up, on the cooler side of the grill. Cook covered for 35 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally to prevent flare-ups. If the skin isn’t crispy yet, move it, skin-side down, to the hotter side for a few minutes — just keep a close eye on it.
Step 4: Flip and sauce. Flip the chicken and brush with some of the barbecue sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.
Step 5: Serve. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and serve with the remaining barbecue sauce alongside. Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
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Grilled BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1¾ lbs chicken tenderloins or boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon (packed) light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- About 1 cup store-bought barbecue sauce or homemade BBQ sauce
Instructions
For the Chicken
- If using boneless skinless chicken breasts, place the chicken breasts one at a time in a 1-gallon zip-lock bag; using a meat mallet, pound the breasts to an even ½-in (13-mm) thickness. (Skip this step if using tenderloins.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, garlic, salt, brown sugar, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne. Place the chicken in the bowl and, using tongs, toss until the chicken is evenly coated with the marinade. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the grill to high and oil the grates. Grill the chicken, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chicken, and then brush with some of the barbecue sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. (Note that tenderloins will cook faster than breasts.)
- Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and serve with the remaining barbecue sauce alongside.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Good basic bbq chicken recipe. Will make again.
Good morning Jenn! Just wondering if you remove the entire tendon or just the white “nub” from the tenderloin? Thanks! Ally in NJ 🙂
Just the nub 🙂
Thanks!! I’m going to make them tomorrow! : ]
Thank you such reliably awesome recipes! This is another new family favorite. The chicken came out so tender, juicy, and flavorful. It didn’t even really need extra bbq sauce, that’s how good it was. The leftovers were perfect cut up into a green salad.
Love all your recipes and can’t wait to try this. We like chicken tenderloins better because they’re much more “tender” and I usually remove the tendon before cooking, but I’ve seen you and other chefs not remove it. I also never seem to find that pesky tendon in a whole rotisserie chicken. Does the tendon cook down / off and am I wasting my time removing it?
Hi Sharon, I snip off the tendon if it’s sticking out of the end of the tenderloin. I’ve never bothered to pull them out. I find that while they don’t necessarily cook off, they don’t really bother me or my family when eating them.
Aside from broiling, would a well heated cast iron grill pan work on top of the stove work too?
Sure – enjoy!
Perfect summer meal with your broccoli salad AND the homemade BBQ sauce. The chicken is crazy good. My husband over- or undercooks everything on the grill—except when it’s your recipe. It’s a mystery… ☺️
Hi Jenn,
SO GOOD! What an easy and delicious BBQ chicken dinner. I used tenderloins and with that short cook time, I had dinner on the table in just minutes. Another keeper, of course!!
After I whisked the marinade together, I just used my hands to coat the chicken. Easy. I’m going to double the chicken next time – we both were hoping for leftovers. The smoked paprika and cayenne added such great flavor!
Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
Hi! I was thinking of making these for a party along with your pulled pork. Could you give suggestions on making ahead and possibly freezing and reheating?
Thanks!
Kim
Hi Kim, If you freeze this, I would thaw them in the fridge overnight and then reheat it, covered with foil, in a 325°F-oven until hot. Hope that helps!
Hi Jen,
What a great recipe! Would this work with pork tenderloin?
Sure!
So delicious – going in my regular recipes!
Made this for my husband and we shredded it and made BBQ chicken sandwiches. The chicken tasted great with the marinade!