- 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)
