Buttermilk BBQ chicken is the best way to have tender, juicy chicken for your cookout. The flavour is unmatched!
We love raising and eating chicken. The processing can be a bit long, but the flavour and knowing our birds were treated well? Makes for good eats!
Make it a true cookout by adding potatoes to the grill (or oven roasted if you prefer!) and a caesar salad. Raw veggies from the garden like carrots, cucumbers, and radishes are the perfect side. Then don't forget to make either a whole wheat sheet cake or an ice cream cake for a special occasion.
Key Ingredients
Chicken - Bone-in, skin-on parts are best here. You can use white or dark or a mix. Just remember that bone-in takes longer than boneless and dark longer than white.
Buttermilk - We're talking true cultured buttermilk here, no quick fixes of lemon juice or vinegar in water, please!
BBQ Sauce - I'll show you how to make a super quick one from scratch or if you have your favourite ready made, go ahead and grab that.
Ketchup - I mix BBQ sauce with ketchup because it adds the perfect sweetness to the coating!
How to Make Buttermilk BBQ Chicken
***See recipe card below for precise measurements and instructions.***
Step 1: Place the chicken in a large bowl and coat with buttermilk. Set in the fridge.
Step 2: When ready to cook, get coals heated up. Then go ahead and grill the chicken on the first side.
Step 3: Flip it over to get more grill marks going!
Step 4: Once beginning to brown, mix up the sauce and brush it on one side.
Step 5: Flip and add sauce on the second side. Grill until cooked through!
Tips and Tricks
- Truly, cultured buttermilk is best here as it is thick and will really stick to the chicken.
- Grill tongs and food tongs are different! You want to make sure and have proper grilling tools so you can easily and safely move the coals around if necessary.
- This method works with charcoal, coal, and propane. Basically it boils down to know how your equipment works so you can enjoy tasty chicken!
FAQs
Buttermilk is acidic, which helps break down the protein some, keeping it tender and juicy. You want to marinate the chicken in the fridge in the buttermilk for at least 4 hours, and you can go as long as overnight. Don't go over 24 hours or you will border on having mushing chicken!
You definitely don't; we just generally don't buy BBQ sauce. If you have a bottle, use ½ cup of it with ½ cup ketchup. I do think that many bottles aren't as oily as making from scratch, so you might not get quite the caramelization you are looking for.
Aim for 165°F with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest parts of the meat. Ensure you aren't hitting the bone with the probe which will make the temperature jump and give you a false reading. If using both thighs and breasts then start the thighs first as they take longer.
Photos by Dante from Shire by the Sea
More Summer Favourites
Hey friends, don't forget to follow me over on Instagram, cause if you like me here, I post there a LOT! I'm also on YouTube with tutorials and Facebook for all sorts of things.
If you like this recipe, I’d love if you reviewed it so others can find it easier. Sharing this recipe on Facebook or Pinterest is another way you can help us out at no cost to you. Thanks, xo Kate
Buttermilk BBQ Chicken
Equipment
- Grill, hibachi
- fire/charcoal (14-20 briquettes)
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 750 ml buttermilk about 25 ounces
- Salt to taste
Homemade sauce:
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Add chicken pieces to a large bowl and cover with buttermilk, turning to coat. Place in the fridge for at least 8 hours up to overnight.
- Start your fire and make a nice bed of hot coals. You can also use charcoal (14-20) or a combination of both fire and coals.
- Check on coals. It’s good to have a fire burning or other coals ready to add if heat is waning. Some coals put out more heat than others so working with fire and coals takes some practice. Don’t give up! If you are using a propane grill it is easier to control heat but also easy to overdo it!
- Place hot bed of coals evenly dispersed in BBQ, or under a grill in a fire pit, using coal tongs for safe placement.
- Take chicken out of fridge and carefully place pieces on the grill with food tongs. Lightly salt each piece. Placing foil under your coals will help with mess and reflecting heat back.
- Grill until lightly browned underneath. With food tongs turn each piece over with care. There will be drippings on the coals so be prepared for more smoke. Salt each piece lightly again.
- Cook again until each side is lightly browned.
- Meanwhile, mix up sauce.
- Baste chicken pieces generously and cook until underside is finished. Flip each piece and baste again, assuring each piece is getting enough heat and not burning.
- You can repeat this step until chicken is cooked to your liking and imparted with that BBQ goodness. Cooking times will vary so be patient and vigilant as the rewards of this BBQ chicken are worth the effort.
- When you are satisfied chicken is cooked and ready, plate with your favourite sides.
Notes
- Don't want to make your own sauce from scratch? Use ½ cup ketchup and ½ cup bbq sauce mixed together.
- Use a thermometer to check for doneness. You want to get 165°F in the thickest parts, not touching bone.
Leave a Reply