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Whether you’re entertaining friends for a cookout or just preparing a quick weeknight dinner, this bbq chicken breast always wins rave reviews. Season the boneless, skinless chicken breast with a simple rub, grill it outside or bake it in the oven, and finish it off with barbecue sauce. Served with pasta salad, mac and cheese, cornbread, or coleslaw, it’s a picnic favorite!
Table of Contents
If you love grilled chicken as much as we do, be sure to try this garlic and herb grilled chicken breast, these marinated chicken thighs, a batch of golden chicken, and this chicken shawarma, too!
How to Make BBQ Chicken Breast | 1-Minute Video
A Few Tips Before You Get Started
- Quick and Easy. This simple meal is fast! You only need about 10 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes to cook the meat, so the entire dinner is ready in 20 minutes.
- Versatile. Grill the chicken outside or roast it in the oven — whatever suits your schedule. Pair it with your favorite sides, slice it on top of a crisp green salad, or tuck it into a sandwich.
- We always use this simple homemade BBQ seasoning blend, which we keep in a big jar in our pantry for easy access. It includes brown sugar, smoked paprika, kosher salt, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder. If you prefer, you can substitute with your favorite store-bought BBQ rub or just use kosher salt and ground black pepper (the chicken will get a lot of flavor from the BBQ sauce).
- Use your favorite homemade bbq sauce or pick a high-quality store-bought sauce. We like Stubb’s sauce (which has a vinegary tang) or Sweet Baby Ray’s (a sweeter, thicker option).
- If you don’t have a meat mallet to thin out the chicken breasts into even pieces, check out this list of the best meat tenderizers. It includes the one I own, the Oxo Good Grips, which is a mallet-style pounder and is available on Amazon for $26.
- The total grilling time will vary depending on a number of different factors, such as the temperature of your grill, the temperature of your chicken when it goes on the grill, and the size and thickness of your chicken. As a result, it’s always best to use a meat thermometer to know exactly when your chicken is done. You’re looking for an internal temp of 165°F for chicken breast perfection!
Directions
Detailed instructions for both a charcoal and a gas grill, as well as the oven, are included in the recipe card below. An indoor grill pan on the stovetop will also work, but you can’t beat the smoky char from a classic outdoor grill! Here’s the overview:
- Pound chicken breasts until ½-inch thick. You don’t want them as thin as cutlets, but pounding them to an even thickness will help the chicken cook quickly and evenly. This ensures that you don’t end up with half of a breast that’s too dry, while the other half is still raw.
- Rub chicken with olive oil and season with bbq rub.
- Get the grill nice and hot. Chicken breast is a very lean meat, so it stays juiciest when cooked quickly over high heat.
- Grill the chicken until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Be sure to oil the grill grate so that the meat doesn’t stick.
- Baste the chicken with the bbq sauce towards the end. Waiting to brush on the barbecue sauce prevents the chicken from burning on the grill. Serve additional sauce on the side.
- Allow the meat to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. The juices will redistribute throughout the meat so that the chicken breast stays tender and juicy.
Serving Suggestions
This bbq chicken recipe is delicious when served on top of a green salad or when tucked inside a grilled bbq chicken sandwich. You can also pair the meat with your favorite side dish. For instance, try vinegar coleslaw, Southern potato salad, corn on the cob in the oven, tomato cucumber onion salad, calico beans, and Southern succotash.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Prep ahead: pound the chicken and rub with seasoning up to 24 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to grill.
- Wrapped tightly, the chicken breast will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also store the chicken in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheat leftovers in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, or until warmed through. The leftover chicken is great on sandwiches, on salads, on pizza, or in wraps for easy lunches or dinners throughout the week.
More BBQ Chicken Recipes to Try
Crockpot BBQ Chicken
3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
30 minutes mins
Oven BBQ Chicken
1 hour hr
BBQ Chicken Breast (Grilled or Oven Baked)
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Grilled outdoors or baked in the oven, this BBQ chicken breast is a quick and easy summer meal!
Ingredients
- 4 (6-8 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed (or substitute with about 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons BBQ rub seasoning (or substitute with a store-bought rub or just use kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste)
- ½ cup barbecue sauce, plus extra for serving
Instructions
- Cover chicken breast with plastic wrap and pound gently with meat mallet or rolling pin until ½-inch thick.
- Rub each piece of chicken with olive oil; season on all sides with BBQ rub (or kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste).
CHARCOAL GRILL:
- Open the bottom vent completely. Light the large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes. When the top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
GAS GRILL:
- Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
- Oil the cooking grate. Place the chicken on the grill and cook (covered if using gas) until the chicken has nice grill marks, about 3-5 minutes. Flip the chicken over and continue to cook until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 3-5 more minutes. Baste with barbecue sauce during the final 3 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with additional sauce on the side.
ALTERNATE OVEN METHOD:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup, if desired. Place the seasoned chicken on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 15 minutes. Baste with barbecue sauce during the final 3 minutes. For more of a char on the outside, place the chicken under the broiler for the final 1-2 minutes. If the chicken's under the broiler, keep a close eye on it because it can burn quickly.
Video
Notes
- Get the grill nice and hot. Chicken breast is a very lean meat, so it stays juiciest when cooked quickly over high heat.
- The total grilling time will vary depending on a number of different factors, such as the temperature of your grill, the temperature of your chicken when it goes on the grill, and the size and thickness of your chicken. As a result, it’s always best to use a meat thermometer to know exactly when your chicken is done. You’re looking for an internal temp of 165°F for chicken breast perfection!
- If using boneless, skinless chicken thighs, you don’t need to pound them flat. Grill them for about 3-5 minutes per side, or roast in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 20-25 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1chicken breastCalories: 317kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 36gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 565mgPotassium: 712mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 131IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
This recipe was originally published in May, 2021. It was updated in July, 2024.
