- I don't know if it gets much better
than this barbecue chicken recipe
when it comes to summertime grilling.
You've got juicy and meaty chicken pieces
slathered in a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce.
And when people say a recipe is finger-licking good,
they are absolutely referring to this one,
because you're gonna have barbecue sauce
all over your fingers.
But unlike burger patties or hot dogs that are easy to grill
with just one flip, there are a few tricks
that you need to know in order to grill
the best barbecue chicken.
And that's what I'm gonna share with you today.
So let's get started.
I recommend that you use bone-in, skin-on chicken
for this recipe, as it'll keep the chicken
super moist and juicy on the inside.
And you can opt for your favorite chicken pieces.
Today, I'm using a combination of chicken thighs
and drumsticks just so that there's a little variety.
And you'll need about 3 1/2 to 4 pounds total,
which is about 12 to 14 pieces.
Bring the chicken to room temperature
so it's not overly cold from the fridge.
And I just place it on a baking sheet,
as it's easy to season that way,
which you'll see here in a second.
But first, pat the chicken dry with a paper towel
as there will usually be little beads of moisture
on the surface as it comes to room temperature.
To make the best barbecue chicken,
you'll season the chicken two ways.
First with a dry rub, and then with barbecue sauce,
as this gives the chicken the most flavor.
To make the dry rub, add one teaspoon of kosher salt
to a bowl along with one teaspoon of garlic powder,
one teaspoon of smoked paprika,
one teaspoon of chili powder, one teaspoon of onion powder,
and half a teaspoon of ground black pepper.
Give that a stir to mix it together,
and then sprinkle it all over the chicken.
I use a spoon to generously pile the rub
on top of the chicken pieces,
but then you're gonna wanna dig in
and use your hands to rub it all over,
making sure to loosen the skin and get some of those spices
under the skin and on the bottom side as well.
Essentially you want the chicken pieces totally covered
in dried spices, and then you can just let the spices
sit on the chicken and marinate
while you make my homemade barbecue sauce.
Now, of course you can use your favorite
store-bought barbecue sauce for this recipe,
but if you don't want junky ingredients like corn syrup,
processed sugar, and dyes, I say you make my version
which is the perfect balance of sweet, smokey, and spicy.
To make the barbecue sauce, add one 15-ounce can
of tomato sauce to a saucepan, along with 1/3 cup
of apple cider vinegar, 1/3 cup of blackstrap molasses,
which is also going to sweeten it naturally,
a quarter cup of tomato paste, one tablespoon
of tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos
or Worcestershire sauce.
If you opt to use Worcestershire sauce,
just watch the ingredients,
as many of them aren't gluten free.
Then add two teaspoons of mustard powder,
two teaspoons of smoked paprika,
and definitely use smoked paprika and not sweet paprika.
One teaspoon of garlic powder,
half a teaspoon of onion powder,
half a teaspoon of kosher salt,
and half a teaspoon of ground black pepper.
Give that a stir to mix it all together,
and it should turn a deep, dark color from the molasses.
I find so many barbecue sauce recipes that are bright red
and a combination of just ketchup with spices.
And trust me, that is not what you want
for the best barbecue sauce.
Bring this to a boil until it just starts bubbling,
give it a stir, and then reduce the heat to low
for a gentle simmer.
Let it simmer for about 10 minutes,
stirring it occasionally.
Now, heads up, you don't wanna fully walk away
because it does have a tendency to splatter.
So keep an eye on it in case you need to reduce
the temperature even more or move it to a smaller burner.
The great thing about this recipe
is that it's so easy to tweak to your personal preferences.
If you like a sweeter barbecue sauce,
you could always add a couple tablespoons of honey.
And if you like it spicier, you could add a pinch
of cayenne pepper or a few dashes of hot sauce.
Personally, I love this barbecue sauce
just how it is, but you do you.
All right, let's get to grilling.
In order to make the best barbecue chicken on the grill,
you'll need two zones of heat, direct heat
and indirect heat, with the chicken cooking
low and slow over the indirect heat.
So to do that, turn the burners on half of your grill
to high and keep the other half off.
If you've got three burners as I do today,
I'm turning two of them on and leaving
the middle section off, which is my indirect heat zone.
Lightly oil the grate with avocado oil
or another high-heat oil, and you can do this by moistening
some paper towels in the oil, and then using
long-handled tongs to coat the grate.
And this just helps ensure that the chicken pieces
won't stick to the grill.
Place the chicken on your indirect zone of heat,
and make sure there's enough space
between the pieces for good airflow.
For the 12 pieces of chicken I have today,
I can fit two perfect rows of six pieces each.
But the size of your grill may be different.
And once you've got the chicken
all on the grill, close the lid.
You'll cook the chicken for about 30 to 35 minutes,
flipping it every 10 minutes or so.
You'll notice that the first couple of times
you flip the chicken, there's not a lot of color on it.
But in the last 5 to 10 minutes,
it should really start getting some good golden color.
But given that there's so many different sizes, types,
and temperatures on grills, you may have to slightly
increase or decrease the heat and/or cook time
to achieve the same color.
I also know you may be tempted to add the chicken
to the direct heat side, but if you do,
you may get three or four nice grill lines,
along with some big flames
as the fat drips down into the grill.
But the rest of the chicken skin
will be undercooked and not crispy.
So trust me, low and slow is how you get the best
all-over golden color on the skin like this.
To double check that your chicken is cooked through,
use an instant-read thermometer, and it should reach
about 160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Now you can slather the barbecue sauce all over the chicken.
And what you wanna do is make sure
there's a nice coat on the top side.
Don't worry about flipping it just yet.
You actually wanna let the barbecue sauce
sort of dry out on the top side of the chicken.
And I'll usually cook it for another three to four minutes
with the lid closed again.
When you open the lid, the chicken will start to look
like the barbecue chicken you know and love
with that deep, dark color.
Now, you can flip the chicken and coat the other side
with barbecue sauce, and repeat this process again,
cooking it for a few minutes each time with the lid closed.
Keep repeating this process until the chicken registers
170 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit
on your instant-read thermometer.
Bone-in chicken meat needs to cook to a higher temperature
to be fall-off-the-bone tender.
When you're done, you will have the most gorgeous looking
barbecue chicken, and your patience on the grill
will be rewarded with raving applause
from all who eat your soon-to-be-famous
grilled barbecue chicken recipe.
Trust me, you will get put on grilling duty
for all outdoor parties and barbecues in the future as well.
(cheery music)
Use your tongs to move the chicken to a serving plate.
And if you'd like, you can always slather on
a bit more sauce, or serve the sauce in a separate container
alongside the chicken on a buffet table.
(cheery music)
I'm gonna take my barbecue chicken back inside
so I don't get sunburned today.
And I'm just gonna dig on in,
because there's really no graceful way to eat
barbecue chicken other than to just have at it.
I hope you enjoy today's video.
And if you did, make sure to give it a thumbs up
and share it with your family and friends
who also love tasty grilling recipes.
And I will see you again in the next video.
(cheery music)