Orange Barbecue Grilled Chicken Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you put BBQ sauce on chicken before or after grilling? ›

Barbecue sauce typically contains sugar that will brown faster than the meat. This can make it difficult to tell when the chicken is done. To ensure you don't pull the chicken off too soon, add the BBQ sauce when you're nearly done cooking the meat.

Grill over indirect or direct heat but keep the lid closed

If you're cooking a larger or thicker piece of chicken breast, grill over indirect heat before or after charring, especially if you want to be sure that it's cooked all the way through.

Whether you're working with breasts, thighs, drumsticks, or wings, pat the meat dry. This is especially important for skin-on chicken or marinated pieces, as this can help sauce to stay put. Applying a rub can also be useful, much like working with a thicker sauce.

The key to the most flavorful BBQ chicken:

It's all in the marinade. Marinating the chicken in your BBQ sauce before grilling infuses every bite with flavor. At least two hours will do the trick, though the longer the chicken gets cozy with the marinade, the better it will be.

You can either baste the chicken with sauce every fifteen minutes till it's done, or grill the chicken for about 45 minutes, then start basting with sauce every ten minutes or so. If you have a rotisserie, use that.

Uncovered Grilling

Even removing the lid too often from the grill results in heat escaping and the temperature dropping. This may lead to uneven cooking of the chicken. Keeping the lid closed on the grill to cook the chicken more evenly.

Cover the grill and cook undisturbed for 20 to 30 minutes. Turn over, baste, and cook until done: Turn the chicken pieces over and baste them with your favorite barbecue sauce. Cover the grill again and allow to cook for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Olive oil helps to brown the outside of the chicken, bringing it to a beautiful golden color, while still maintaining the meat's internal moistness. This is especially important when grilling, as chicken can quickly become dried out when cooked directly over the grill's heat.

Focus on searing the meat and then cooking it until it reaches a safe inside temperature at the thickest part. Sauces are best applied near the end of cooking to prevent burning. Only baste it with sauce during the final five minutes of cooking. The taste will blow you away without any burned mess on your grill.

Bull's-Eye has a formidable sweetness but gets great balance from mustard, garlic and natural hickory smoke. If you go through sauce like water, this is a great sauce to stock up on for ribs, chicken and burgers.

Do you put BBQ sauce on both sides of chicken? ›

Steps to BBQ Saucing Chicken

You want to baste the chicken with just enough sauce to cover it, but not too much that it is drenched in BBQ sauce. Coat one side and then allow the chicken to cook for 4 to 5 minutes before turning the meat over and coating the other side. Choose a thick sauce.

Quick and easy side dishes for BBQ chicken

Baked beans are a classic BBQ side dish that's easy to make and always a hit. You can also make a simple potato salad by mixing boiled potatoes with mayonnaise, mustard, and some chopped herbs. Another quick and easy option is watermelon salad.

This easy BBQ sauce imparts moisture and flavor to grilled chicken, and it can be used on beef, pork, and even tofu or tempeh. With the perfect combination of tang and sweetness, the sauce isn't overpowering and won't drown the charred and smoky profile of your grilled meats.

The best time to put the BBQ sauce on is when the chicken is almost ready. If you do it when the chicken is raw, the sugar in the sauce will cause it to brown faster than the meat, and the outside of the chicken can burn. I brush the sauce on the chicken during the last few minutes of cooking.

It is recommended to brown the chicken first before adding it to the sauce. Browning the chicken adds flavor and helps it retain moisture during the cooking process. You can pan-sear the chicken in a little oil until it develops a golden brown crust before transferring it to the sauce.

To accomplish this, simply use a BBQ basting brush to apply the sauce toward the end of the cook (aim to have it on for about 10 minutes). Don't be afraid to add a few extra coats of sauce as the clock winds down if you like a really sticky outer layer.

Jake's Famous Foods explains that sugar burns at between 265 and 275 degrees Fahrenheit. So if you're barbecuing at a temperature higher than this, you should avoid adding the barbecue sauce early on. If you do, even barbecue sauce that isn't high in sugar will eventually burn.