BBQ Chicken Marinade

BBQ Chicken Marinade make perfectly tender juicy chicken breast EVERY TIME! Your favorite Barbecue sauce is combined with a key ingredient to tenderize the chicken and make it mouthwateringly delicious. This BBQ chicken breast just can’t be beat!

this Recipe

BBQ Chicken Marinade

BBQ chicken is part art and part science! Most importantly, it is really delicious and super easy to make!

With only 5 ingredients you can have a BBQ chicken marinade that can be used for grilling, baking, or even cooking in the crock pot.

We eat a lot of chicken in our house, so we have so many different marinades like our classic Grilled Chicken Marinade, our Teriyaki Chicken Marinade, Chicken Fajita Marinade (my personal favorite) and our Apple Cider Vinegar Marinade. I love to use a large family pack of chicken, pop it in a few different marinades, cook it up, and have my protein cooked for the whole week!

One thing I think makes this BBQ chicken marinade the best grilled chicken marinade, is that it is family friendly (my kids LOVE it) and  you can easily scale up and use the chicken throughout the week to meal prep since the flavors go great in all kinds of chicken recipes.

BBQ Chicken Marinade Cooking SECRETS!

In my book the best grilled meats starts with the marinade. Here are a few additional tips to perfect grilled chicken every time.

BBQ Chicken Marinade Ingredients

At the beginning of this post I talked about how BBQ chicken is part art and part science.

For our marinade, we combine BBQ sauce with Italian dressing, apple cider vinegar and fresh garlic. Each plays a part in the science of making this marinade great!

• BBQ Sauce– This is what gives the chicken the majority of it’s flavor. You can choose your favorite barbecue sauce to use in this marinade. Don’t be afraid to try a few or experiment with different sauces to see what you like best.  The debate over which BBQ sauce is best is as old as time, because it is really a personal preference!
• Italian Dressing – Since BBQ sauce has a higher sugar content which can burn more easily, I like to combine it with a little Italian dressing to add some fat (and extra flavor!) The olive oil in the dressing helps the chicken cook more evenly without burning.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – Vinegar is an important part of any marinade because its acidic nature helps to break the proteins in the meat down to make it more tender. The Italian dressing has some acidity but this little addition gives it a touch more for the most tender chicken.
• Fresh garlic– I always recommend adding fresh garlic when using bottled ingredients because it gives the dish a fresh homemade flavor with almost no extra effort!

I like to use premade versions when I am in a hurry because then I don’t have to worry about measuring salt, pepper, and all of the sauces and spices individually, but you can absolutely make these from scratch as well. Find my Homemade BBQ Sauce here, and my Creamy Italian Dressing recipe here.

Cuts of Chicken

This is detailed as a BBQ chicken breast recipe (using boneless chicken breasts,) however you can use any cut of chicken including chicken thighs, wings, legs, and even whole chickens with this marinade.

Keep in mind:

• Any cut you choose can be cooked in any style you choose, ie Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs, Grilled BBQ Chicken Wings, Crockpot BBQ Chicken Breast. Times will vary based on cut and cooking method.
• Cuts with bones and skin (ie bone-in chicken) will take longer to cook than their boneless counterparts.
• When cooking chicken breasts, make sure they are a uniform size for so they will cook evenly. If you have areas that are thicker, you can butterfly the chicken breast, or use a meat mallet to pound the chicken to a uniform thickness.

How long should I marinate chicken?

I recommend marinating your chicken for at least 30 minutes, but I prefer my marinade to be on the chicken for at least 2 hours.

You can leave the chicken in the marinade for up to 24 hours. The longer the chicken marinates, the more flavor it will absorb and more tender it will be.

How to cook BBQ Chicken

I most often grill marinated BBQ chicken, but this marinade will work to produce tender and flavorful chicken in any way you want to cook it. Here are a couple of options for using this chicken marinade.

*Cooking times below are average for chicken breast, other cuts of meat will vary.

Baked BBQ Chicken

1. Let the chicken marinate for 2 hours.
2. Place chicken breast on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
3. Spread an additional layer of BBQ sauce over chicken breast
4. Continue to cook for 10+ more minutes or until chicken is cooked through (165˚F internal temp)

Grilled BBQ Chicken

1. Let the chicken marinate for 2 hours.
2. Place the chicken on a preheated grill over medium heat
3. Cook 4-6 minutes each side
4. Let rest 5 minutes

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

1. Place the chicken with marinade in a slow cooker
2. Cook on low for 2 hours
3. Remove chicken breast and shred
4. Mix shredded chicken back into juices and cook 30 more minutes
5. Add more BBQ sauce if desired.

For full, detailed instructions, check out our recipe for how to make Crockpot BBQ Chicken.

Skillet BBQ Chicken

1. Chop chicken into 1 in pieces or cut into thin fillets.
2. Marinate for 2 hours.
3. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil over medium high heat.
4. Add chicken pieces (without extra marinade)
5. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side

Dietary Restrictions

• Gluten Free– This marinade is naturally gluten free. Make sure to verify that your barbecue sauce and Italian dressing are gluten free.
• Dairy Free– This recipe is naturally dairy free. Make sure that the Italian dressing that you choose does not have cheese.
• Low Carb – Keto – This recipe can be made low carb by using sugar free Barbecue sauce in your marinade.

How to Avoid Tough Chicken Breast

This BBQ chicken marinade helps to keep chicken breast tender with the acidity it contains.

With that said, there are a few other things that can make or break how tender your chicken turns out.

1. The NUMBER 1 enemy of tender chicken is over-cooking!
2. Make sure your chicken is a uniform thickness. If the middle is super thick, it can take longer to cook and the outside of the chicken becomes overdone and tough.
3. I recommend using a meat thermometer so that  you can cook it just to the right temperature. They are inexpensive and easy to find at any super store or online.
4. When cooked perfectly, the thickest part of the chicken breast will be 165˚F.

BBQ Chicken Breast Leftovers

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 1-2 months.

You can give those leftovers a makeover to use later in the week, or month if frozen for a completely new and exciting dinner.

Leftover BBQ Chicken Ideas

• BBQ Chicken Pizza
• BBQ Chicken Stuffed Baked Potatoes
• BBQ Chicken Flautas
• BBQ Chicken Casserole
• BBQ Chicken Enchiladas
• BBQ Chicken Power Bowl

More EASY Marinade Recipes

• Grilled Chicken Marinade
• Apple Cider Vinegar Chicken Marinade
• Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
• Quick Steak Marinade