What’s your favourite thing to throw on the BBQ? Whenever it’s hot out, cooking out of doors is so fun and so much nicer than heating up the kitchen. Of all the BBQ meats, chicken is certainly one of the most popular. There are so many ways to cook it up, and if you do it well, you’ll get nice, tender, flavourful meat that’s dripping with juice and oh-so-delicious.
But not all barbecue recipes are equally good. Some BBQ recipes are far too complicated or leave you with sad, dry chicken. That’s where we come in. With our list of easy BBQ chicken recipes, you’ll be cooking that chook like a pro in no time at all.
Chicken Kebabs
This easy recipe is light and features a flavourful marinade. You can swap out the capsicums for other veggies if you want. This quantity serves around 4 people and is very easy to scale up or down as necessary.
Ingredients
500g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red capsicum, cut into chunks
1 green capsicum, cut into chunks
1 onion, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
20 ml olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes OR metal skewers, no soaking required
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken: In a bowl, combine the minced garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Add the pieces and toss to coat them evenly in the marinade. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or longer for more flavour).
Prepare the Skewers: While the chicken is marinating, prepare your wooden skewers by soaking them in water for at least 30 minutes. This prevents them from burning on the grill.
Assemble the Kebabs: Thread the marinated chicken pieces, red bell pepper chunks, green bell pepper chunks, and red onion chunks onto the skewers in alternating order. Leave a little space between each piece for even cooking.
Preheat the BBQ: Preheat your BBQ grill to medium-high heat, around 180-200°C. If you're using charcoal, make sure the coals are ashed over and glowing.
Grill the Kebabs: Place the assembled kebabs on the preheated grill. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally and brushing with any leftover marinade, until the bird is cooked through and has a nice char. Keep an eye on them to prevent overcooking.
Serve: Once the chicken is cooked through and has absorbed the zesty lemon and oregano flavours, remove the kebabs from the grill. Serve them hot with your choice of side dishes, such as a fresh Greek salad, couscous, or grilled vegetables.
Spatchcocked BBQ Chicken
“Spatchcock” is a funny-sounding word that means you cut the chicken down the middle, remove the backbone, and cook it flat. The reason you do this is to ensure the whole bird cooks evenly– instead of the breast getting dry first. You’ll need a whole chicken for this one, and if you aren’t comfortable cutting it down the back, your butcher will be happy to do it for you.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, approximately 1.5 kg, spatchcocked (backbone removed and flattened)
120 ml of sweet chilli marinade
20 ml olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
3-4 green onions, finely chopped
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken: Start by spatchcocking the chicken. To do this, place it breast side down on a cutting board. Use kitchen shears or a sharp knife to cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it. Flip the chicken over and press down on the breastbone to flatten it. This allows for more cooking.
Prepare the Marinade: In a bowl, combine your pre-bought marinade, olive oil, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. You can add other spices and seasonings to taste; doctoring a tinned sauce is a great way to add liveliness and personality to the dish without the effort and mess of making one from scratch.
Marinate the Chicken: Place the spatchcocked chicken in a large resealable plastic bag or a shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the meat, making sure it's well coated. Seal the bag or cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight, to let the flavours infuse.
Preheat the BBQ: Preheat your barbecue grill to medium-high heat, around 180-200°C. If using charcoal, ensure the coals are ashed over and hot.
Grill the Chicken: Remove the marinated chicken from the bag or dish and place it on the preheated grill, skin-side down. Grill for about 15-20 minutes per side, basting occasionally with the remaining marinade until it is cooked through and has a beautiful shiny glaze. Use a meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 75°C.
Garnish: During the last few minutes of grilling, sprinkle the finely chopped green onions over the chicken. The heat will slightly wilt the onions and infuse them with a lovely flavour.
Rest and Serve: Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for a few minutes. This allows the juices to be redistributed, ensuring a moist and tender result. Slice the spatchcocked chicken into portions and serve with your favourite barbecue sides.
BBQ Chicken Wings
Chicken wings are delicious on the barbecue, soaked in the rich, sweet, smokey flavour of American-style BBQ sauce. Chicken wings have two parts: the triangular flat section and the drumette, the part that looks like a little drumstick. You can use either or both for this recipe. A kilo of chicken wings serves around six people– maybe more, depending on how hungry people are!
Ingredients
1 kg chicken wings
60 ml American-style BBQ sauce
20 ml olive oil
Garlic powder to taste
Smoked paprika to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon wedges and fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Flour and baking powder (optional)
Instructions
Season the Chicken: Add salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder to the chicken. Make sure that the meat is well-seasoned! You can add other favourite spices, too, like chilli powder or red pepper flakes. If you really want the sauce to stick, you can make a mix of flour, baking powder, and your spices and coat the chicken in that.
Grill the Chicken: Grill the wings over moderate heat, turning frequently, until golden. You don’t want the wings to char at all, so keep a close eye on them.
Brush on Sauce: When the wings are just about done, brush on the sauce. Flip the wings and brush on more so that you have a shiny glaze on both sides.
Serve: Dip the wings in the sauce or pour it over top of them. You can add lemon wedges and parsley for garnish. Don’t forget to provide extra sauce for dipping!
Grilled Chicken Burger
These burger-style sangers are delightful fresh off the grill. Instead of a beef burger, you can lighten things up with tender, juicy grilled chicken that uses the breast meat of the bird. This recipe gives the quantities for two chicken burgers; simply multiply them for however many people you need. This is also a very versatile recipe; you can marinate the meat in whatever you want. We’ve provided a basic citrusy cilantro recipe, but you can use your favourite salad dressing, store-bought marinade, or your favourite homemade marinade recipe.
Ingredients
2 boneless chicken breast fillets
60 ml olive oil
Chopped cilantro to taste
2 limes, zested and juiced (about 60 mls juice)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 slices of cheese (your choice of cheese)
2 burger buns
Salad mix
Butter for toasting buns
Instructions
Pound the Chicken: If the chicken breast fillets seem overly thick in places, pound them with a meat mallet until they’re about 3-4 centimetres thick. This ensures that they’ll cook evenly.
Marinate the Chicken: In a bowl, combine the olive oil, spices, lime juice, and cilantro. Mix well to create a simple marinade. Coat the chicken breast fillets with this marinade, ensuring they are well covered. Allow them to marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge; let them sit overnight if possible.
Preheat the BBQ: Preheat your BBQ to medium-high heat, about 180-200°C. If using charcoal, ensure the coals are hot and have a nice layer of ash.
Grill the Chicken: Place the marinated chicken breast fillets on the preheated grill. Grill for approximately 6-7 minutes on each side or until it is cooked through and has beautiful grill marks. In the last minute of cooking, add a slice of cheese on top of each chicken breast to melt it slightly.
Toast the Buns: While the chicken is grilling, spread a little butter on the inside of each burger bun. Place them on the grill, cut side down, for about 1-2 minutes or until they are lightly toasted and have a nice crunch.
Assemble the Burgers: Once the chicken is done and the cheese has melted, remove them from the grill. Build your burgers by placing a handful of salad mix on the bottom bun, then top with the grilled chicken breast. You can also add additional toppings like sliced tomato, cucumber, or any other favourite veggies, as well as condiments, of course!
Serve: Place the top half of the buns on the sandwiches, press them gently, and serve your delicious Grilled Chicken Sandwiches immediately.
There’s never been a better time to get a barbecue, and there’s nowhere better to get it than The Outdoor Chef. We’re Perth’s home of all your outdoor cookery needs. From a sturdy barbecue to a custom outdoor kitchen, The Outdoor Chef has what you need. Call us today at (08) 9217-7473 or visit our Joondalup or Osborne Park stores to get started with the BBQ of your dreams.