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Grilled BBQ Chicken is perfect for any summer dinner or get together! We brush a simple, homemade BBQ sauce over chicken breasts while grilling for the perfect sweet and sticky BBQ chicken!
Fire up the grill, we’re making BBQ grilled chicken with a homemade sauce!
BBQ Grilled Chicken All Summer Long!
Back when I first started branching out from our gourmet meals of Hamburger Helper and frozen pizza, I tried my hand at grilled BBQ chicken and it was an utter disaster. I coated the chicken in bottled barbecue sauce, tossed it on the grill, and watched the sauce burn to a blackened crisp.
I’ve since mastered Grilled BBQ Chicken and it’s something that we make all summer long. I love the way it makes the whole neighborhood smell like delicious, smoky goodness. I love the succulent chicken and the sweet, tangy sauce. And I definitely love how easy it all is!
Follow along for all of our tips and tricks to perfecting your own barbecue chicken on the grill. No burnt sauce, promise. Just sweet, sticky goodness.
If you love homemade BBQ sauces give my Korean BBQ sauce a try next! My bourbon BBQ sauce is pretty tasty too!
♥ What We Love About This Recipe:
- Sauce: The homemade BBQ sauce is the star of this recipe! It’s easy to make with ingredients you likely already have and it can be used in pretty much any other recipe that requires BBQ sauce! Of course, you can use a bottle of sauce if you’re in a rush, too.
- Basting: The secret to making great BBQ chicken is to baste the chicken while it cooks rather than saucing it right up at the start. No burnt sauce here – just sticky sweet goodness.
Ingredient Notes:
Chicken – We’re using boneless skinless chicken breasts. It’ll help to pound them out if they are very large, or even to slice them in half so they are thin cut. We just want them all the same thickness. Boneless chicken thighs will work for this grilled chicken too!
Ketchup & Mustard – You probably already have these and they make an excellent base for the homemade BBQ sauce we’re using to sauce the grilled chicken.
Brown Sugar – We like our sauce thick, sweet, and sticky and brown sugar helps makes it happen.
Vinegar – A little bit of distilled white vinegar adds tangy flavor to the sauce – just enough to balance out the sweetness.
Liquid Smoke – For smoky BBQ flavor!
Soy Sauce – It’ll add more savory flavor to the sauce and it’s great with chicken!
Espresso Powder – I promise this won’t make the sauce taste like coffee. The espresso powder really enhances all the flavors in the sauce and gives it great depth. We love it, but you can definitely skip it.
Hot Water – For preparing the sauce. You could replace this with some hot brewed coffee if you don’t have any espresso powder!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Homemade BBQ Sauce:
Combine: We’re going to start by whipping up this easy homemade barbecue sauce. Add some hot water to a bowl and then add in some brown sugar and espresso powder. Stir that up to let it dissolve a bit.
Stir in the ketchup and mustard, liquid smoke, and soy sauce. That’s it for the sauce!
Add about 3/4 cup of the sauce to a small bowl for basting the chicken and reserve the rest for dipping.
How to Grill BBQ Chicken:
When your grill is hot, toss on the chicken breasts. Baste the top of your chicken with the sauce and cook about halfway through – 5-6 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken.
Flip the chicken and baste the other side. Continue cooking for 2 minutes and then start flipping and basting every 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Pro Tips!
Secrets to Perfect BBQ Grilled Chicken
- Don’t coat your chicken in the sauce before grilling. BBQ sauce tends to have a good amount of sugar in it and sugar burns quickly.
- Cook your chicken without sauce on one side before flipping and basting, flipping and basting. You’ll keep flipping and basting to prevent the sauce from burning.
- Your chicken will cook through without burning the sauce. Once the chicken hits 165, it’s ready to serve!
- Take it a step further and coat your chicken breasts in our BBQ dry rub recipe! This will add an extra layer of flavor.
- Don’t double dip! You’ll want to reserve some of the sauce for serving. Any leftover sauce from the basting should be considered contaminated from the undercooked chicken and discarded.
My Favorite Thermometer!
I love using this meat thermometer for making sure the meat is fully cooked! Easy for beginners & absolutely worth the low cost.
What to Serve with Grilled Chicken:
- Crock Pot Corn on the Cob: The easiest way to cook corn.
- Cucumber Salad: So crisp and refreshing!
- Cauliflower Mac and Cheese: A low carb option that the kids will love too!
- Instant Pot Sweet Potato: Easier than baking and you don’t have to heat up the oven!
- Italian Pasta Salad: Loaded with good stuff!
- Blackberry Cobbler: My favorite summer dessert!
Freezing & Storage Instructions:
You can keep any leftover grilled BBQ chicken stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for about 3 days. If you’ve got extra homemade BBQ sauce you can also store it in the fridge for up to a week in a mason jar or other container.
The BBQ chicken can be frozen for up to a few months. Store in a freezer safe bag or container and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Recipe FAQs:
It depends on how hot the grill is, if you’ve closed the lid, and how thick the chicken is. On average, we cook our chicken breasts for around 12 minutes over medium heat. You’ll want to use a meat thermometer to make sure it has reached a safe temp of 165 degrees.
The trick to not burning the sauce on this chicken is to baste it while cooking. Start by just brushing the tops with sauce, cooking for 5 minutes, then flipping and saucing every 2 minutes. This will get the chicken well coated in sauce without it burning.
Grilled BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 1/4 cups ketchup
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded to an even thickness
- 3 tablespoons barbecue dry rub optional
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 350 degrees.
- Add the hot water, brown sugar, and espresso to a medium mixing bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar and espresso powder.
- Add the ketchup, mustard, vinegar, liquid smoke, and soy sauce to the bowl and whisk well to combine. Remove half of the sauce to a small bowl to serve as a dip for the chicken.
- Pound the chicken breasts into an even thickness so they cook evenly. If using the dry rub, generously coat the chicken in the rub, using your hands to rub it in well.
- Place the chicken on the grill and brush the tops with the sauce. Cover the grill and cook for 5 minutes.
- Flip the chicken and brush with the sauce. Continue cooking for 2 minutes and then flip and baste again. Repeat, basting and flipping every 2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Serve with the reserved dipping sauce.
Jess K says
I’m an amateur griller so have been looking for recipes to get my repertoire going. This chicken sounds so delish, can’t wait to try. Pinned!
Karly says
Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Dahn says
I have been grilling a LOOOT now that the sun is out. Every time I do this I wonder why I don’t just keep grilling throughout the year. I love smokey char-grilled food and I am especially partial to chicken. This looks great!
Karly says
I always wonder that too – then it snows and I’m like, oh…that’s why. 😉
Adina says
I love grilled chicken and this is definitely a new kind of marinade for me, I have never tried any with coffee. Sounds delicious and the chicken looks perfect!
Karly says
Hope you enjoy!
Meredith Brooks says
Looks yummy! Is there a sub for liquid smoke? Thanks!
Karly says
Not if you want that smoky flavor. You can leave it out if you like.