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ALABAMA WHITE SAUCE CHICKEN is a quick, flavorful grilled chicken that has two types of barbecue – a dry rub and a white barbecue sauce! So much flavor packed in these juicy chicken breasts!
Grilled chicken is a must for us, all summer long and you know we don’t want boring chicken around here! This sauce for grilled chicken seriously makes for the best summer meal!
Ever heard of Alabama White Sauce before? It’s a type of barbecue sauce, but instead of being tomato based, it’s mayo based!
And no, friends. It’s not ranch dressing. Someone inevitably LOOKS at it and thinks that. But when you TASTE it, you’ll see the differences.
This goes great with our crock pot corn on the cob or some ramen salad!
Make the white sauce first:
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Alabama White Sauce has a handful of ingredients, but they mix together quickly and easily.
Put the buttermilk, mayo, yellow mustard and vinegar in your bowl and stir them all together. Feeling fancy? Try this with homemade mayonnaise!
Now add your pepper, salt, sugar, and garlic salt and stir again.
Boom, your sauce is done! Now put it in one of your mason jars or cover the bowl and put it in the fridge while you start working on the chicken. Full sauce recipe at the link above or down in the recipe card!
How to cook the chicken
As always preheat your grill. In this case try to get it up to 400 degrees F.
Now but a barbecue dry rub on your chicken. We highly recommend using our barbecue dry rub. It’s so simple to throw together.
Just rub the seasoning all over the chicken. You want to coat it good.
Place your chicken on the grill and cook for 3 minutes, then flip.
Once you’ve flipped the chicken, you’ll brush it with a bit of the white sauce.
Keep cooking, flipping, and basting every 2-3 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
You can tell the chicken is done when the internal temp is 165 deg F. I find this thermopen super easy to use.
Recipe Hacks
You can mix all your sauce ingredients directly in the jar if you are careful while stirring. No need to mix them in a bowl first.
Use a store bought dry rub if you’re in a rush.
If you don’t have buttermilk, regular milk will work fine, just add an extra splash of vinegar.
We haven’t tried using Miracle Whip in place of mayo, but I think it’d work. Just skip the sugar in the recipe.
Helpful Tip!
Alabama Chicken Tips
- Be sure to pour just enough white sauce to baste the chicken into a separate jar or bowl for basting, so as not to contaminate the entire container of white sauce with raw chicken.
- Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- This makes the perfect sauce for grilled chicken, but it’s also delicious drizzled over pulled pork or for dipping French fries.
More grilled chicken recipes:
Need some other tasty chicken recipes?
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
- Chicken and Dumplings
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Oven Fried Chicken Strips
- Buffalo Chicken Burgers with Ranch Slaw
Alabama White Sauce Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
For the white sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
For the chicken:
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup barbecue dry rub
Instructions
- To prepare the white sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl or mason jar. Stir to combine and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.
- To make the chicken, preheat the grill to 400 degrees.
- Coat the chicken in the barbecue dry rub. Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 3 minutes.
- Turn and brush with the white sauce. Cook for 3 more minutes. Turn and brush with the sauce again.
- Continue turning and coating every 3 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes total.
- Serve the extra sauce on the side.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was originally published in June 2014. It was updated with new photos in May 2020.
Wanda says
This was totally new to me…but it looked so good…made it today and I don’t think I have ever had ANY better grilled chicken…the dry rub was on spot, but that white sauce brushed over it each time was fantabulouso! Thank you SOOO much for this recipe…it’s gonna be one of my favorites. Served it with roasted asparagus and roasted fingerling potatoes and it was DELICIOUS…thanks again 🙂 And I have leftovers 🙂
Karly says
Wow! What a great comment to have pop up in my email. So glad to hear you liked this so much. 🙂
Shannon says
This white sauce is amazing. We use it all the time now. Thanks for introducing us to this sauce!
Karly says
Glad you like it, Shannon!
Tami says
Any substitutions for the buttermilk?
Karly says
Use regular milk and add some vinegar to sour it. Real buttermilk is better here though. 🙂
kristina says
I think I’d try to sub out the mayo for Greek yogurt. Anyone else done this?
Karly says
I haven’t done it, but it would work just fine. The taste will be different, of course, but same idea. 🙂
stephanie says
Have you tried this on wings?
Jenn says
Hi, looks yummy. Just wondering what you mean by prepared mustard. Is that just regular store bought yellow mustard? Thanks. Gonna try it tonight.
Karly says
@Jenn,
Yep! Store bought yellow mustard. 🙂
Amy Cruce says
Throw in some celery seed….nice addition 😉
Karly says
@Amy Cruce,
Sounds delicious!
E'Lisa says
So I just made this tonight and my family and I LOVED it!!! This white sauce.. so amazing! Thank you for a new family favorite.. 🙂
Karly says
@E’Lisa,
So happy to hear that! 🙂
Martha says
Big Bob Gibson’s in Decatur, AL originated the white sauce and they are famous for it. I’ve made their recipe for years and put it over rotisserie chicken I buy at the grocery store.
Karly says
@Martha,
Sounds amazing! I’ll have to try that.
Cliff Jones says
I just received chills reading your msg. I’m from Indiana and got stranded in Decatur Alabama and tried Big Bob Gipsons white bbq sauce. I ended up living in Decatur for almost 4 years being an electrical foreman for The Perry Company in Decatur. It’s great to read a text about something that has been an experience from my life!
Amanda says
I’m from Alabama and LOVE white sauce, especially from Saw’s BBQ! I’ve never found a recipe worth trying before, but will definitely try this. When you make it and keep it in the fridge, how long will it keep?
Karly says
@Amanda,
I haven’t kept it more than a week or so. I’m weird about mayo-based sauces, though.
dawn says
in the recipe it says vinegar I was wondering what kind of vinegar?
Karly says
@dawn,
I just use distilled white vinegar.
Karissa says
Amazing. I had two servings and I could eat more, even though I’m stuffed!
Kevin @ Closet Cooking says
The white sauce sounds good and the chicken looks great!
Lindsay Ann @ Lindsay Ann Bakes says
oooh, never tried WHITE bbq sauce, must try… and it is easy?! YUM!! PS And all I could think of was how you waited until photos were done to eat this amazing looking dinner, haha 😉 #foodbloggerproblems
Medeja says
Sounds soooo.. yummy!