Grilled BBQ Chicken
This is the easiest grilled BBQ chicken recipe. It creates a succulent juicy and flavorful chicken in no time at all. A great recipe means your grilling experience is tasty, delicious, and always satisfying.
This BBQ chicken gets its unique flavor from a 2 part preparation. First the fresh homemade bbq rub is mixed up and rubbed on the chicken. Then it’s grilled and finished with your favorite BBQ sauce. In this instance I used Sweet Baby Ray’s but I’ve used homemade barbecue sauce before too. This is a use-what-you-have kind of recipe.
To make this BBQ
But don’t use what you have for the dry rub. You need all the flavors mixed together to give you the depth of flavor that makes this chicken recipe so outstanding. Most of the spices are things you probably have on hand.
- chicken tenderloins
- olive oil
- brown sugar
- smoked paprika
- chili powder
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- cinnamon
- salt
- pepper
- barbecue sauce
Do I Really Need Tenderloins?
I use tenderloins a lot. They’re light and lean yet cook up juicy and tender. Oftentimes chicken breast can be so dry but not tenderloins. The key to keeping them juicy is to cook them just until until they’re done. Don’t overcook them.
If you don’t have tenderloins or you don’t want to use them you can use chicken thighs just be aware they need to cook longer because they’re bigger. You can cut them in half if you want them to cook more quickly.
If you absolutely must use chicken breast slice it into strips so it cooks quickly. The longer chicken breast cooks the drier it can get.
Use A Meat Thermometer
Be sure to use an instant-read thermometer so you don’t overcook the chicken. Whether you use tenderloins or thighs a digital thermometer will serve you well.
The finished temperature of cooked chicken should be 165°. The juices should be clear not pink or red.
Serve This Chicken With
Grilled BBQ Chicken is best served with things you’ve already got prepped. A Jiffy Corn Casserole works great, just grill the chicken while the chicken gets grilled. But you could also make Cauliflower Cheese.
Or make a grilled vegetable alongside the chicken on the grill. I don’t do anything special for grilled vegetables. I slice them, toss with oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. And grill until crisp tender.
Cold salads like pasta salad are nice too. Or just go super simple and serve grilled chicken with chips and a green salad.
If You Have Leftovers
This bbq grilled chicken is even better the next day. The flavors have a chance to fully develop by the next day so be prepared for better tasting chicken.
Reheat as needed or desired in the microwave or the air fryer. Or make a simple bbq chicken salad.
Grilled BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 12 ounces chicken tenderloins this is flexible, use anywhere from 12-16 ounces
- 1/2 TBSP oil
- 2 TBSP brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
Instructions
- turn on the grill and let it heat up
- pat the chicken dry
- place the chicken in a mixing bowl, drizzle with oil, and toss to combine
- mix the brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, cinnamon
- sprinkle half the spice mix together, toss to coat, repeat with the remaining spice mix
- let the chicken rest for 20 minutes or so
- when the grill is about 350-400 degrees lay the chicken tenderloins on the grill grate, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes
- turn then grill for anohter 2 minutes or so
- brush with the barbecue sauce grill on each side for another 1-2 minutes just until the sauce starts brown up, don't burn it, when chicken is 165° at the thickest point the chicken is cooked through
- serve while hot
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