Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This BBQ chicken marinade is tangy but slightly sweet, with smoky undertones, and it’s incredibly easy to whisk together. It infuses chicken with big flavor and keeps it juicy on the grill, but also in the oven or air fryer.
How long it takes: about 1 hour
Equipment you’ll need: medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk, zip-top bag or shallow dish
Servings: 6 (enough for 2 to 4 pounds of chicken)
Perfect BBQ Chicken
Chicken is one of those things that is easy to get wrong. It can be dry, chewy, or bland.
This BBQ marinade is super easy and perfect for summer grilling (but I provide instructions for other cooking methods, too).
It’s a quick marinade that gives you that sweet, tangy BBQ flavor before the chicken even hits the grill (or oven, or air fryer), so you’re not relying on sauce at the end to fix it.
What makes it special:
- Balanced sweet and tangy flavor. BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard create that classic sweet-smoky-tangy profile without being cloying or leaning too sweet.
- Juicy chicken, guaranteed! This marinade both tenderizes and adds richness (hat tip to the olive oil!) so your chicken stays moist on the grill.
- Versatile cooking options. Grill it, bake it, or air fry it—this BBQ chicken marinade works beautifully with all three methods.
- Use it for any cut of chicken: Boneless skinless breasts, thighs, bone-in pieces, you name it. You can even use it with pork!
Ingredient Notes
You’ll find the complete list of ingredients for this BBQ chicken marinade in the recipe card, but here’s a quick breakdown of what you’ll need.
- Barbecue sauce: Use your favorite store-bought brand or homemade BBQ sauce. This is the backbone of the marinade, so choose one you love. Use a classic tomato-based BBQ sauce; other regional sauces such as vinegar-based, mustard-based, or mayonnaise-based sauces won’t work here.
- Olive oil: Oil makes for tender chicken, but it also helps carry the flavor of the marinade deeper into the meat.
- Apple cider vinegar: I like to use apple cider vinegar because it’s tangy with a hint of sweetness. It brightens everything up.
- Brown sugar: Sugar encourages caramelization when the chicken cooks, and brown sugar is especially flavorful. Use dark brown sugar for even more molasses flavor.
- Dijon mustard: Mustard gives your marinade some sass.
- Worcestershire sauce: I like to use Worcestershire because it’s a ready-made flavorful sauce, and it gives the marinade a umami boost.
- BBQ spices: Smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder each play an important role in the sauce. Be sure to use smoked paprika; regular paprika won’t impart that smoky flavor.
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts are perfect for grilling, but thighs (boneless or bone-in) work beautifully too. This marinade recipe makes enough to marinate two to four pounds of chicken.
How to Make & Use This Marinade
Mix the marinade ingredients. In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients until smooth and well combined. (If you’d like to use some marinade for basting or serving as a sauce later, reserve a portion now before adding it to the raw chicken.)
Marinate the chicken. Place the chicken in a zip-top bag or shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken and turn it a few times to coat evenly. Seal the bag or cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours. The longer it marinates, the more it will flavor the chicken.
Recipe Tip
Don’t let your chicken get mushy! Avoid marinating longer than 12 hours, especially with boneless cuts, as the vinegar can begin to affect the texture.
Prepare to cook. When you’re ready to cook, remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the used marinade.
Cook the chicken. Grilling is my favorite method for this BBQ chicken marinade, especially with boneless skinless chicken breasts, but the oven and air fryer produce fantastic results too. You’ll find the instructions for each method in the recipe card below. Note: The grilled chicken that’s pictured has been brushed with extra BBQ sauce in the final minutes of cooking.
Cooking Tips
- Make more chicken if you’d like. Although the recipe below is for 2 pounds of chicken, the marinade makes about 1 cup, which is enough for up to 4 pounds. (Plan on about ⅓ pound of chicken per person, depending on appetites and what sides you’re serving.)
- Don’t reuse the marinade. Always discard BBQ chicken marinade that has touched raw chicken. This is important for food safety! If you want to use some of the marinade for basting or for a sauce, set aside up to a half cup before you pour the remainder on the chicken as a marinade.
- Use an instant reader thermometer, not the clock. For best results, use a meat thermometer instead of relying solely on cooking time. Different cuts and even variations in thickness with the same cut will change the amount of time chicken needs to reach a safe internal temperature.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve as a main dish. Slice grilled chicken breasts and serve with extra BBQ sauce. Pair with sides like crockpot mac and cheese or Instant Pot baked potatoes. The flavors of the marinated chicken go really well with oven roasted sweet potatoes or air fryer sweet potato fries, too. If you have your grill on, try grilled zucchini or grilled Brussels sprouts.
- Make it a bowl. Serve it with Instant Pot brown rice, healthy coleslaw, and sweet corn for a Southern-style meal bowl.
- Add to salads. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add it to a green salad with healthy ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing. I like to whisk up extra marinade and use it for salad dressing! BBQ marinated chicken is perfect for this BBQ chicken chopped salad.
- Make sandwiches. Pile sliced chicken onto toasted buns with creamy coleslaw.
Refrigerate/Freeze: Cooked BBQ chicken should be refrigerated in a covered container, where it will keep for 3 to 4 days. The chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat: Warm gently in the microwave in short intervals, or cover with foil and heat in a 300°F oven until warmed through. Adding a small brush of BBQ sauce before reheating helps keep it moist.
More Chicken Recipes
BBQ Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- ½ cup barbecue sauce (your favorite brand or homemade)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 pounds chicken (or up to 4 pounds, see note)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together all marinade ingredients until smooth.½ cup barbecue sauce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Place chicken in a resealable bag or shallow dish. If you want to use some of the marinade for basting or as a sauce, reserve a portion of it and set aside (see note). Pour the marinade over the chicken and make sure the entire surface of the chicken is coated with marinade.2 pounds chicken
- Seal the bag or cover the dish. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but ideally for 2 to 8 hours. Avoid marinating longer than 12 hours, especially for boneless cuts.
- Remove chicken from marinade and discard excess. Grill, bake, or air fry until the internal temperature reaches 165°F for breasts or 175°F for thighs. If you want, brush your favorite BBQ sauce or reserved marinade on the chicken during the last few minutes of cooking for a sticky glaze (as pictured).
- To Grill: Grill chicken over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping once, until cooked through. If you want, brush your favorite BBQ sauce or reserved marinade on the chicken during the last few minutes of cooking for a sticky glaze. Cooking time will vary depending on thickness of meat and grill temperature. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
- To Bake: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken in greased baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Baking time depends on what type of chicken you use and the thickness of chicken pieces.
- To Air Fry: Preheat air fryer at 375°F for five minutes. Place chicken in air fryer in a single layer and cook for 10 minutes. Flip, and continue to cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is done. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve the marinated chicken as is, or with your favorite BBQ sauce.
Notes
- Chicken: Makes enough marinade for 2 to 4 pounds of chicken. Choose any cut of chicken you like. The marinade works well for pork, too.
- Reserved marinade: If you want, reserve a portion (up to a ½ cup) of the marinade before adding it to the chicken. You can use it to baste the chicken as you grill it, or use it as a sauce after the chicken has cooked. Never re-use marinade that’s been in contact with raw chicken, either to baste with or as a sauce.
- Nutrition guesstimate: Nutrition information is difficult to calculate because it depends on the amount and type of chicken you use. Also, consider that much of the marinade is discarded after marinating the chicken. The information below was calculated using 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts with the entire amount of marinade.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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