The Trick To Good Grilled BBQ Chicken
But chicken takes longer to cook than either hot dogs or hamburgers and loves lower cooking temperatures, so it’s easy to mess up by under-cooking, over-charring, or both. The trick to good BBQ Chicken? Patience.
How Long To Grill Chicken
Done right, it will take at least an hour, and even up to 2 hours. Remember that barbecue is slow and low, grilling is hot and fast. You can grill a chicken breast, but chicken thighs, legs, or wings are far better barbecued. The key here is to moderate your heat, however you can. Either set the coals of the grill all on one side so you have a cool spot, put the chicken on the top rack of the grill, farther away from the heat, or, if you have a gas grill, just turn the heat to low. Slow and steady makes the best BBQ chicken.
How To Grill BBQ Chicken
The following is more of a “how-to” than a recipe. We recommend using your favorite barbecue sauce; we have several homemade barbecue sauce recipes which would work beautifully with chicken. Do you have a favorite BBQ chicken recipe? Or tip you would like to share? Please let us know about it in the comments.
More Ways To Cook Chicken on the Grill
Grilled Lime Chicken with Black Bean Sauce Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad Grilled Salsa Verde Chicken Spicy Grilled Chicken Tacos Spatchcocked Grilled Chicken with Orange and Ginger
Super Sides for a BBQ Feast
Sour Cream and Bacon Deviled Eggs Grilled Corn on the Cob Caprese Pasta Salad Strawberry Shortcake Sliders Sparkling Strawberry Sangria
This recipe assumes fairly large chicken pieces (like the main pieces from a 4 to 5 pound whole chicken). If you are working with smaller chicken pieces, they may require a shorter cooking time. If you are cooking wings, they too may be done before the other larger pieces.
A note about the skin. Even if you do not plan on eating the chicken skin, it’s still best to barbecue it with it on. The skin will protect the chicken pieces from drying out. Once you have a good sear on one side, turn the chicken pieces over and move them to the cooler side of the grill. If you are using a gas grill, maintain the flame on only one side of the grill, and move the chicken pieces to the cooler side, not directly over the flame. Reduce the temp to low or medium low (between 250°F and 275°F, no more than 300°F). Cover the grill and cook undisturbed for 20 to 30 minutes. Repeat, turning the chicken pieces over, basting them with sauce, covering, and cooking for another 10-30 minutes. The timing will depend on your grill set-up, the size of your chicken pieces, and how cold your chicken pieces are to start with! If you’re grilling smaller pieces of chicken on a charcoal grill, they may be done much earlier. The goal is to maintain a low enough grill temp so that the chicken cooks “low and slow.” The chicken is done when the internal temperature of the chicken pieces are 160°F for breasts and 170°F for thighs, when tested with a meat thermometer. Or if you insert the tip of a knife into the middle of the thickest piece and the juices run clear, the chicken is done. If the chicken isn’t done, turn the pieces over and continue to cook at a low temperature.
