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If you’ve ever made grilled BBQ chicken and watched the sauce turn black before the chicken even cooks through, you’re not alone. The fix is simple: it’s all in the timing of when you apply the sauce. This grilled BBQ chicken recipe walks you through how to grill BBQ chicken without burning the sauce, plus a quick homemade BBQ sauce that comes together in about 5 minutes.
Fire up the grill, we’re making BBQ grilled chicken with a homemade sauce!
No burnt sauce today, thanks.
Back when I first started branching out from our gourmet meals of Hamburger Helper and frozen pizza, I tried my hand at grilled BBQ chicken and it was an utter disaster. I coated the chicken in bottled barbecue sauce, tossed it on the grill, and watched the sauce burn to a blackened crisp.
I’ve since learned how to grill BBQ chicken without burning the sauce and, honestly, not to brag, but am something of a master at it. I love the way it makes the whole neighborhood smell like delicious, smoky goodness. I love the juicy chicken with little bits of char and the sweet, tangy sauce. And I definitely love how easy it all is!
Follow along for all of our tips and tricks to perfecting your own barbecue chicken on the grill. No burnt sauce, promise. Just sweet, sticky goodness.
If you love homemade BBQ sauces give my Korean BBQ sauce a try next! My bourbon BBQ sauce is pretty tasty too!
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- The sauce is better than anything from a bottle. It uses pantry staples you likely already have and takes about 5 minutes to stir together. It’s also great for dipping, so make the full batch.
- No more burnt sauce. The basting technique here solves the most common grilling problem and once you know it, you’ll use it every time.
- On the table in 17 minutes. Quick prep, fast grill time, and a dinner that tastes like you put in way more effort than you did.
Ingredient Notes:
Chicken – We’re using boneless skinless chicken breasts. It’ll help to pound them out if they are very large, or even to slice them in half so they are thin cut. We just want them all the same thickness. Boneless chicken thighs will work for this grilled chicken too!
Ketchup & Mustard – You probably already have these and they make an excellent base for the homemade BBQ sauce we’re using to sauce the grilled chicken.
Brown Sugar – We like our sauce thick, sweet, and sticky and brown sugar helps makes it happen.
Vinegar – A little bit of distilled white vinegar adds tangy flavor to the sauce – just enough to balance out the sweetness.
Liquid Smoke – For smoky BBQ flavor!
Soy Sauce – It’ll add more savory flavor to the sauce and it’s great with chicken!
Espresso Powder – I promise this won’t make the sauce taste like coffee. The espresso powder really enhances all the flavors in the sauce and gives it great depth. We love it, but you can definitely skip it.
Hot Water – For preparing the sauce. You could replace this with some hot brewed coffee if you don’t have any espresso powder!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Homemade BBQ Sauce:
This homemade sauce is ready in minutes. Add some hot water to a bowl (straight from the tap is fine) and then add in some brown sugar and espresso powder. Stir that up to let it dissolve a bit.
Stir in the ketchup and mustard, liquid smoke, and soy sauce. That’s it for the sauce!
Add about 3/4 cup of the sauce to a small bowl for basting the chicken and reserve the rest for dipping.
How to Grill BBQ Chicken Without Burning the Sauce
The biggest mistake people make with BBQ chicken is saucing it too early. BBQ sauce is loaded with sugar, and sugar burns fast over high heat. Here’s the method that fixes that:
When your grill is hot, toss on the chicken breasts. Baste the top of your chicken with the sauce and cook about halfway through – 5-6 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken.
Flip the chicken and baste the other side. Continue cooking for 2 minutes and then start flipping and basting every 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Pro Tips!
Bottled sauce works fine. The homemade sauce is worth making, but if you’re short on time any store-bought BBQ sauce will work with this same basting method.
Add a dry rub for extra flavor. Coat the chicken in our BBQ dry rub before grilling for an extra layer of smoky flavor underneath the sauce.
Try a different sauce. Our Bourbon BBQ Sauce and Carolina BBQ Sauce are both great options with this same method.
Chicken thighs: Boneless thighs are a little fattier than breasts, which means they’re more forgiving if you leave them on the grill a minute too long. Great option if you’re still getting comfortable with grilling.
No liquid smoke? You can leave it out. The sauce will still be good, just less smoky.
Temp the chicken. For best results, use a meat thermometer to cook your chicken perfectly. No one wants dried out chicken.
My Favorite Thermometer!
I love using this meat thermometer for making sure the meat is fully cooked! Easy for beginners & absolutely worth the low cost.
What to Serve with Grilled Chicken:
- Crock Pot Corn on the Cob: The easiest way to cook corn.
- Cucumber Salad: So crisp and refreshing!
- Cauliflower Mac and Cheese: A low carb option that the kids will love too!
- Instant Pot Sweet Potato: Easier than baking and you don’t have to heat up the oven!
- Italian Pasta Salad: Loaded with good stuff!
- Blackberry Cobbler: My favorite summer dessert!
Storage
Leftover sauce: Store homemade BBQ sauce separately in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
Freezer: Cool completely, then freeze in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Recipe FAQs:
It depends on how hot the grill is, if you’ve closed the lid, and how thick the chicken is. On average, we cook our chicken breasts for around 12 minutes over medium heat. You’ll want to use a meat thermometer to make sure it has reached a safe temp of 165 degrees.
BBQ sauce is high in sugar, which burns quickly over direct heat. The fix is to wait until the chicken is partially cooked before adding any sauce, then flip and baste every couple of minutes rather than letting it sit in one spot.
Yes, boneless skinless thighs work great and are actually a little more forgiving on the grill thanks to the higher fat content.
Grilled BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional
- 1 1/4 cups ketchup
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded to an even thickness
- 3 tablespoons barbecue dry rub optional
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 350 degrees.
- Add the hot water, brown sugar, and espresso to a medium mixing bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar and espresso powder.
- Add the ketchup, mustard, vinegar, liquid smoke, and soy sauce to the bowl and whisk well to combine. Remove half of the sauce to a small bowl to serve as a dip for the chicken.
- Pound the chicken breasts into an even thickness so they cook evenly. If using the dry rub, generously coat the chicken in the rub, using your hands to rub it in well.
- Place the chicken on the grill and brush the tops with the sauce. Cover the grill and cook for 5 minutes.
- Flip the chicken and brush with the sauce. Continue cooking for 2 minutes and then flip and baste again. Repeat, basting and flipping every 2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Serve with the reserved dipping sauce.
Jess K says
I’m an amateur griller so have been looking for recipes to get my repertoire going. This chicken sounds so delish, can’t wait to try. Pinned!
Karly says
Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Dahn says
I have been grilling a LOOOT now that the sun is out. Every time I do this I wonder why I don’t just keep grilling throughout the year. I love smokey char-grilled food and I am especially partial to chicken. This looks great!
Karly says
I always wonder that too – then it snows and I’m like, oh…that’s why. 😉
Adina says
I love grilled chicken and this is definitely a new kind of marinade for me, I have never tried any with coffee. Sounds delicious and the chicken looks perfect!
Karly says
Hope you enjoy!
Meredith Brooks says
Looks yummy! Is there a sub for liquid smoke? Thanks!
Karly says
Not if you want that smoky flavor. You can leave it out if you like.