Chicken is coated in a smoky bbq marinade before being grilled to moist and juicy perfection! The marinade takes just 5 minutes to prepare and works with any cut of chicken. If you’ve been searching for the perfect Grilled BBQ Chicken recipe, look no further!

a white wooden table set with a dinner plate featuring grilled bbq chicken and side dishes

Bad bbq grilled chicken is tough and rubbery around the edges and dry in the middle. And that bbq sauce you lovingly slathered over the chicken has long since dried out — or worse, it burned off.

Rest assured, the bbq chicken recipe I’m sharing in this post has none of those problems! After testing this recipe over the course of countless grilling seasons, I’ve finally perfected my grilled bbq chicken recipe.

Chicken (any cut!) is first marinated in a simple homemade marinade. The bbq marinade is smoky, sweet, and tangy and does double duty by both tenderizing and flavoring the chicken.

After being grilled over high heat, the chicken develops the most gorgeous grill marks and caramelizes slightly around the edges. As the grilled chicken rests, the marinade is simmered to transform it into a glaze.

Fire up the grill this summer and make this bbq chicken! It’s great hot off the grill but also works well in sandwiches, salads, tacos, and more!

ingredients needed to make grilled bbq chicken recipe arranged on a white wooden background

Required Kitchen Equipment

You’ll need the following kitchen tools for grilling bbq chicken:

Large Measuring Cup — I prefer combining the marinade directly in a measuring cup, but you can also make it in a bowl.
Measuring Cups and Spoons — For measuring out the ingredients.
Whisk — For combining the marinade.
Gallon Zip-Top Bag — I prefer marinating chicken in a zip-top bag, but you’re welcome to use an airtight container instead.
Plate — Optional but recommended if you’re marinating the chicken in a zip-top bag. The plate is added insurance against spills or seeping.
Outdoor Grill — I made the chicken on our Traeger using the grill function, but any outdoor grill will work.
Grill Brush — Clean those grill grates thoroughly before grilling the bbq chicken!
Grill Tongs — You need tongs to quickly and safely flip the chicken on the hot grill. A grill fork may also be used.
Instant Read Thermometer — The only surefire way to tell when the chicken is done.
Cutting Board — I like to rest the chicken on the cutting board I’ll also be slicing it on.
Saucepan — The bbq marinade must be boiled on the stovetop to kill the bacteria from the raw chicken.
Silicone Pastry Brush — For brushing the bbq glaze over the grilled chicken.

woman preparing ingredients for a grilled bbq chicken recipe

Ingredients in Grilled BBQ Chicken

You’ll need the following ingredients for grilling bbq chicken:

Chicken (I typically use boneless skinless chicken breasts)
Avocado Oil
BBQ Sauce (our favorite is Stubb’s Sweet Heat)
Apple Cider Vinegar
Liquid Smoke
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Smoked Paprika
Regular Paprika
Ground Black Pepper
Salt

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

How to Grill BBQ Chicken

a quick overview!

Detailed instructions have been provided in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below is an overview of the marinating and grilling process:

Prepare the marinade: Combine all the ingredients in a large measuring cup.
Marinate the chicken: Add the chicken and marinade to a gallon storage bag. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Prep the grill: This includes scraping off debris from the grill grates and preheating the grill.
Grill the chicken: The left and right burners should be on low and the central burner should be on high. Grill the chicken with the thickest part of the breast facing the central burner. Grill until the chicken registers 160ºF in the thickest part, flipping once halfway through the grill time.
Rest the chicken: Remove the chicken to a clean cutting board, loosely tent with foil, and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.
Prepare the bbq glaze: Add 1 cup of the bbq marinade to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and let cook until the chicken has finished resting.
Serve! Slice the chicken against the bias, then brush the cooked bbq glaze over top before serving.

Safety tip: The reserved marinade MUST be boiled before being used as a glaze since it’s been in contact with raw chicken. If you don’t wish to do this step, then skip the glaze and serve with BBQ sauce if desired.

woman whisking marinade for grilled bbq chicken

Grilling Tips

Don’t shortchange the marinade time — Ideally the chicken will mariante for at least 12 hours. If you don’t have 12 hours, then let the chicken rest for however much time you do have. Even 1 hour of marinating is better than none!
Clean the grill grates twice — I always scrape the grill grates, then preheat the grill, then rub the hot grill grates with half an onion to ensure the grates are squeaky clean before grilling the chicken.
Preheat the grill — You want the grill to be hot when the chicken touches it. I turn all the burners to high, let the grill preheat for 10 to 15 minutes, and then turn the left and right burners to low before I begin cooking the chicken.
Let excess marinade drip off the chicken — When you pick up the raw chicken with your grill tongs, let the meat hang out for a second or two over a plate to let some of the marinade drip off. This ensures that the chicken starts to grill as soon as it’s laid on the grates, rather than “steam” in the marinade.
Use an instant read thermometer — It’s the easiest and safest way to tell when the chicken is done grilling.

Recipe FAQs

Got questions about how to make this grilled bbq chicken recipe? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.

What cut of chicken should I use?

I usually grill boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you’re welcome to use drumsticks, tenderloins, bone in chicken breasts, or thighs. You can even cut the chicken breasts into large chunks and make bbq chicken kebabs.

Just note that different cuts of chicken have different grill times!

How long does bbq chicken need to marinate before being grilled?

12 to 24 hours is preferred. This gives the marinade enough time to flavor the chicken and tenderize it so it stays moist and juicy once grilled.

With that said, if you’re short on time and only have an hour or two, then just let the chicken marinate for as long as possible. It will still taste delicious, it just won’t be as tender.

How long should you grill bbq chicken?

The grill times listed in the recipe card below are for boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Chicken breasts need to be grilled for roughly 8 to 13 minutes total, then allowed to rest for 5 minutes so the juices have time to redistribute throughout the meat before cutting.

What temperature does bbq chicken need to be cooked to?

Chicken breasts need to be grilled until they reach an internal temperature of 160ºF. The 5-minute rest time will then bring them up to 165ºF, which is when you can slice and eat the chicken.

How do you prevent bbq chicken from drying out on the grill?

I’ve shared my exact method for grilling super moist and tender bbq chicken breasts in the recipe card below, but here are the key points to note:

Preheat all grill burners to high heat.
Then, reduce the left and right burners to low. Keep the central burner on high heat.
Place the chicken breasts on one of the burners set to low, but angle them so that thicker portions of the breasts are facing the center of the grill (i.e. the high heat zone).
Flip the chicken after 6 to 9 minutes.
Then, once the thickest part of the chicken breast registers 140ºF, transfer it to the hottest section of the grill with the burner on high.
Flip once more so the chicken finishes cooking on the side you started with.
When the internal temperature reaches 160ºF, remove the chicken to a clean cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

grilled bbq chicken resting on a cutting board after cooking

How do you prevent bbq chicken from sticking to the grill grates?

First, you need to scrape the grill clean using a grill brush. Then, preheat the grill to high heat and let it warm up to 10 to 15 minutes.

Before grilling, rub the grill grates all over with half an onion to clean any lingering debris (hold the onion with grill tongs so you don’t burn yourself!).

Storage Instructions

Store leftover bbq chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Leftovers can be added to a variety of dishes; see additional suggestions for ways to serve the grilled bbq chicken below!

Cooked bbq chicken can also be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, defrost overnight in the fridge.

Ways to Serve BBQ Chicken

Grilled bbq chicken is delicious as is, but it’s also a multipurpose protein that can be added to a variety of dishes. Here are some serving suggestions:

Use to make bbq chicken sliders
Make bbq chicken pizza
Pile onto tortillas to make bbq chicken tacos
Add to your favorite wraps and sandwiches
Toss into a leafy green salad

grilled bbq chicken sliced on a cutting board

Side Dishes for Grilled BBQ Chicken

Bbq chicken pairs nicely with your favorite potluck and barbecue side dishes. Try serving the chicken with one or more of the following:

blue plate with sliced grilled bbq chicken and side dishes

Try Grilling BBQ Chicken at Home!

Next time you’re looking for an easy grilled bbq chicken recipe, give this one a try!

Did you love how juicy the grilled chicken turned out? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought.

On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see your photo of this bbq grilled chicken!

More Easy Grilled Chicken Recipes:

Grilled honey mustard chicken is one of our favorite easy chicken recipes. The chicken tenderloins are marinated in a sweet and savory honey mustard sauce with sprigs of fresh rosemary and lemon juice, then quickly cooked on a hot grill.

Juicy, flavorful grilled Greek chicken is easy to achieve with this marinade! Greek chicken marinade comes together quickly with homemade Greek seasoning, yogurt, and a few more choice ingredients.

This grilled bruschetta chicken is fresh and light. It features basil balsamic marinated chicken topped with a juicy tomato bruschetta. The perfect summer meal!

Buffalo chicken cobb salad is a fun twist on the classic Cobb salad. This recipe features buffalo grilled chicken, celery, blue cheese and blue cheese dressing paired with classic ingredients like lettuce, egg, and avocado.

Chicken is flavored with a simple Caribbean chicken marinade, then grilled to perfection before being topped with pineapple salsa. This pineapple salsa chicken is easy to make and delicious meal for summertime!

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Grilled BBQ Chicken

Yield: 3 pounds

Ingredients

1 batch BBQ Chicken Marinade
3 pounds chicken*

Instructions

Marinate the Chicken

Prepare the BBQ Chicken Marinade as instructed.
Transfer chicken to a gallon sized zip top storage bag. Pour the marinade over top. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible, and transfer the bag to a plate in the refrigerator. Marinate for 12 - 24 hours, flipping the bag halfway through.

Preparing the Grill

Before lighting the grill, use a grill scraper to clean off any debris that is stuck on the grill grates.
Then, turn all of the burners to high, close the lid, and let preheat until very hot (about 10 - 15 minutes).
Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the marinade. Let any excess marinade drip off of the chicken and transfer it to a plate. Reserve 1 cup of the marinade for later and discard the rest.
Slice an onion in half, leaving the skin on. Using tongs or a long grill fork, hold the onion and rub the cut side over the hot grill grates to remove any additional debris that remains after preheating.

Grilling the Chicken

Leave the center burner on high and turn the left and right burners down to low.
Place the chicken on the grill over one of the burners on low angled so that thicker portion of the breasts are facing the center of the grill (where the burner is set to high). Close the lid and cook the chicken for 6 - 9 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer translucent and has developed light grill marks.
With tongs, flip the chicken, rotating so the thicker side is still facing the hotter burner. Cover, and cook until the chicken reads 140 degrees F when measured at the thickest portion with an instant read thermometer.
Then, transfer the chicken to the hottest section of the grill with the burner on high, flipping the chicken once again to the side you started with and cook uncovered until dark grill marks appear, about 2 - 4 more minutes.
The chicken is done when it registered 160 degrees F when measured in the thickest portion of the breast. Remove chicken from the grill using clean tongs and transfer to a cutting board. Tent the cutting board loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.

Preparing the Glaze

Heat the reserved marinade in a saucepan over medium-high heat until boiling. Then, reduce heat to low and let simmer while the chicken is resting.

Serving the Chicken

After resting, slice the grilled chicken into ¼ - ½ inch thick slices, cutting on the bias. Using a silicone pastry brush, brush the chicken with the glaze before serving

Notes

*Chicken: I usually grill boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you’re welcome to use drumsticks, tenderloins, bone in chicken breasts, or thighs. You can even cut the chicken breasts into large chunks and make bbq chicken kebabs.

Safety Tip: The reserved marinade must be boiled to be used as the glaze since it has been in contact with raw chicken. If you don’t wish to do this step, then skip the glaze and serve with BBQ sauce if desired.