Mouthwatering BBQ Recipe For Chicken

BBQ season is one of the most wonderful times of the year. Whenever I walk out the door and smell the charcoal and smoked meats my neighbors are cooking, I can’t help but smile. It’s the smell of summer. We don’t have to rely on our neighbors though! Today I’m sharing my mouthwatering BBQ recipe for chicken.

This is a true BBQ recipe for chicken, not just a grilled chicken recipe. I have written about the difference between grilling and BBQ before, but to give a quick refresher, BBQ is generally low and slow cooking, while grilling is fast with high heat. This recipe will be done low and slow, but you can do it on a grill if you lower the temp. A smoker is preferred, but not required.

Ingredients

• Chicken Leg Quarters
• Weber’s Kick’n Chicken Seasoning
• Kosher salt
• Paprika – 1 tbsp
• Red Pepper – 1 tsp
• Garlic Powder – 1 tbsp
• Onion Powder – 1tbsp
• Your Favorite BBQ Sauce
• Hickory Wood Chips

Prepping BBQ Chicken

The first step in prepping this mouthwatering BBQ chicken is to make a brine. For those not familiar with the technique, brining involves covering meat in a saltwater solution to increase tenderness and juiciness. You can also add other seasonings to impart flavors to the meat.

Since the chicken will be smoked, I’m not looking to add a bunch of flavor through the brine, I just want to keep it tender. I use a super simple brine for the chicken, just Kosher salt and water.

The ratio of salt to water is generally a tablespoon of salt for every cup of water. Scale this to the amount of chicken you are cooking. You want all of your chicken covered by the brine solution.

Speaking of the chicken, you don’t have to use leg quarters. This recipe will work for any cut of chicken and still knock your socks off. Leg quarters are my personal favorite, so that is what I choose for this demonstration, but you can use chicken breasts, tenders, wings, you name it.

The chicken needs to brine for at least 12 hours. That means prep needs to begin the day before cooking. You can get away with shorter brine times if you are using boneless meat such as chicken tenders, but I highly recommend getting the 12 hours for leg quarters or bone-in chicken breasts.

Cooking My BBQ Recipe For Chicken

Once the chicken has been properly brined, it’s time to BBQ! Remove the chicken from the brine and give it a quick rinse. You generally don’t need to rinse chicken off, but it is a good idea after brining. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and grab your seasonings.

Mix your paprika, red pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder in a bowl. Note that the portions listed can be scaled up if you are cooking larger batches. If you want spicier chicken, add more red pepper. Once the spice mix is homogenous, spread it all over the chicken. This gives it some base flavor.

Next up, break out the Kick’N Chicken seasoning and spread it generously on the chicken. You don’t have to go nuts, as we will be adding more once we sauce the chicken.

I like to cook my chicken in a smoker at 250 degrees for 2-3 hours using hickory wood chips, but mesquite is pretty good too. I let the chicken cook low and slow for a couple of hours and then finish it on the grill. Finishing with high heat renders any stubborn chicken fat that didn’t melt in the smoker.

If you don’t have a smoker, you can completely cook the chicken on a grill. Just keep the heat low. If you don’t have a wood chip box for your grill, you can tent wood chips in aluminum foil to get a similar effect.

The chicken is cooked at 350 degrees on the grill. It is at this stage that I add the BBQ sauce. I mix Kick’N Chicken seasoning in with the BBQ sauce before covering the chicken. The chicken only needs 5 to 10 minutes on the grill and it is done!

What To Serve With BBQ Chicken

BBQ Chicken is an amazing main dish for a BBQ meal. Most classic BBQ sides go well with it. Two of my personal favorites are BBQ baked beans and potato salad. My ridiculously simple BBQ baked beans recipe and easy potato salad recipe will turn your BBQ into a can’t miss event.

There are countless other options as well. You can’t go wrong with mac and cheese. Coleslaw is a cold side that can help counter the heat of the BBQ. You are only limited by your imagination.

I have a ton of other BBQ recipes for you to explore as well. Start off by checking out the 5 best types of meat for your summer BBQ!

Related posts:

Simple Chicken Salad Recipe How To Cook Ribs For Your Summer BBQ Southern Style Chicken And Rice Recipe What’s The Difference Between Grilling And BBQ?