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Chef John's Barbecue Chicken

4

120 min

Chef John's Barbecue Chicken

Chef John's Barbecue Chicken Photo 1

Time

120 min

Serving

6 persons

Calories

464

Rating

4.00★ (159)

Cuisine

Author: Victoria Buriak
When it comes to grilled barbecue chicken, everyone wants a nice thick barbecue glaze attached to the skin, and the only way to do it is to brush it on as it cooks. But because barbecue sauce has such a high sugar content, it only takes a minute for it to go from brick red to solid black — so you have to be careful! To ensure a sticky, sweet glaze that's not burnt, I sear the skin quickly, then cook it skin-side up on a covered grill, brushing on the glaze while it cooks. Because the glaze never touches the grilling surface, it doesn't burn.

Ingredients

  • whole chicken, cut into halves: 1 piece
  • rice vinegar: 0.25 cup
  • barbecue sauce: 2 Tbsp
  • garlic: 2 clove (crushed)
  • salt: 1 Tbsp
  • ground black pepper: 1 tsp
  • paprika: 1 tsp
  • onion powder: 1 tsp
  • cayenne pepper: 0.5 tsp
  • barbecue sauce: 0.5 cup (or as needed)

Metric Conversion

Stages of cooking

Chef John's Barbecue Chicken Photo 2 1
Chef John's Barbecue Chicken Photo 3 2
Chef John's Barbecue Chicken Photo 43
Chef John's Barbecue Chicken Photo 5 4
Chef John's Barbecue Chicken Photo 6 5
  1. Cut 1/2-inch deep slashes in the skin-side of each chicken half: two cuts in each breast, two in each thigh, and one in each leg. Remove wing tips. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
    Chef John's Barbecue Chicken Photo 2
  2. Whisk vinegar, 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, and garlic together in a large bowl. Place chicken in the bowl and turn to coat. Arrange chicken halves in the bottom of the bowl with the cut sides down; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
    Chef John's Barbecue Chicken Photo 3
  3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
    Chef John's Barbecue Chicken Photo 4
  4. Remove chicken from the bowl and pat dry with paper towels; discard any remaining marinade. Place chicken halves, skin-side up, on a plate and season with salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
    Chef John's Barbecue Chicken Photo 5
  5. Cook chicken, skin-side down, on the preheated grill until grill marks appear, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn chicken over, close the grill lid, and cook, basting with remaining barbecue sauce every 6 minutes, until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 35 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
    Chef John's Barbecue Chicken Photo 6

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