Why is barbecue chicken so perennially popular? Because it’s just a perfect food. Your favorite piece of chicken, smothered in a tangy, slightly spicy, sticky homemade BBQ sauce. You can make it in the oven, you can make it on the grill (a gas grill or a charcoal grill is great), you can even make it on a grill pan (best for boneless, skinless thighs and breasts).

To me, no matter how I make it or when I make it, BBQ chicken speaks of summer, and that’s probably another reason why we all love it so—it takes us mentally to outdoor get-togethers, evenings where it stays light for hours, and a slower warm weather pace—even if we are eating it in November straight from the oven. Try this with a cut-up whole chicken, chicken breasts, thighs, drumsticks, or even whole chicken legs.

In the summer, serve BBQ Chicken with Potato Salad, Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Pasta Salad, Chili Crunch Coleslaw, or Grilled Corn on the Cob. In cooler months, try it with homemade stovetop macaroni and cheese.

How to Make Barbecued Chicken

This barbecued chicken recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces. You can, of course, you can use boneless, skinless breasts or thighs, or even pull off the skin from the bone-in chicken before cooking. It’s all good.

You’ll see that the chicken starts off without sauce on the grill. That’s because bone-in pieces take a while to cook, and the sugar in the sauce will start to caramelize/brown (possibly burn) before the chicken is fully cooked if you baste the chicken with the sauce from the get-go. Just let it start cooking, and then hit it with the sauce.

1. Grill the chicken: Place the chicken on the preheated grill, and cook covered for about 10 minutes on each side, until the chicken is about 2/3 cooked.
2. Coat in sauce: Baste the chicken with the barbecue sauce and give it another 5 minutes or so on each side. When the outside looks the way you like it, and it’s cooked throughout, let it sit for a few minutes off the heat and serve. It should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees; check with an instant-read thermometer.

Variations

Making Barbecued Chicken in the Oven

So, the recipe below is for the grill, but you can also bake your chicken in the oven. Because there is no live fire involved, you can sauce it before baking. Just set the oven for 350 degrees F (no higher), slather up your chicken with the sauce, and bake it on a rimmed baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray or lined with foil or parchment. Bone-in pieces will take about 40 to 50 minutes.

Barbecued Chicken on a Grill Pan

For boneless, skinless chicken, you can also use a grill pan. Brush your chicken with the barbecue sauce and cook it for about 6 to 8 minutes on each side for boneless breasts (more if they are very thick), and about 8 to 10 minutes on each side for boneless thighs.

What to Serve With Barbecued Chicken

BLT Pasta Salad

Cowboy Caviar

Classic Caesar Salad

More Grilled Chicken Recipes

• Grilled Chicken Breasts
• Grilled Chicken Thighs with Indian Curry Yogurt Marinade
• Grilled Jamaican Jerk-Style Chicken Breasts
• Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Vegetables