🌶️🍗 Grilled Barbecue Sriracha Chicken is EASY, and the chicken is just spicy enough with that perfect BBQ chicken flavor! Grilled peppers on the side make for the PERFECT summer meal that’s packed with protein, fiber, and tastes incredible!
Spicy BBQ Chicken on The Grill
This has been one of my go-to recipes for years and is always a favorite with friends and family.
- The chicken is spicy enough but not too spicy, with the perfect amount of barbecue sauce flavor. There’s just nothing like the flavor of chicken on the grill. If you like things extra spicy, I would add extra sriracha sauce to kick things up a few notches.
- Whether you want to use this recipe to kick off summer and Memorial Day Weekend, for Father’s Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, or use it to please all your hungry fans for tailgating or game day parties, those heat-seekers will be thrilled with how amazing this grilled chicken recipe is!
- And then give this Grilled Sriracha Lime Chicken recipe a try, too, since it’s got plenty of firepower and lime, too! Or, keep the spicy theme going with my spicy garlic grilled chicken or grilled sweet and spicy basil chicken.
Ingredients You’ll Need For Barbecue Chicken
- Chicken: I prefer boneless, skinless chicken breast, finding they take on the flavor of the sauce nicely. But you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- BBQ sauce: I start off using nearly a full bottle of this Sriracha Barbecue Sauce.
- Sriracha: Add more or less to suit your spice preferences.
- Olive oil
- Lime juice: Freshly squeezed is best! The acidity adds brightness to the marinade and helps tenderize the chicken.
- Veggies: I grill the chicken alongside red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, and red onion seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Feel free to use any veggies you have on hand. I love mushrooms, zucchini, yellow summer squash, Brussels sprouts, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, and corn.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Making Your Own BBQ Sauce
To keep this spicy sriracha chicken recipe easy, I use a pre-made BBQ sauce, but you can make the sauce from scratch if preferred.
Use the BBQ sauce from my oven baked BBQ beef short ribs, combining ketchup, light brown sugar, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, liquid smoke, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl.
How to Make Spicy BBQ Chicken on the Grill
This spicy BBQ chicken recipe is so easy to make! Here are the basic steps:
- To a large ziptop plastic bag or large bowl, add the chicken, sriracha barbecue sauce (I use Trader Joe’s or this Japanese spicy bbq sauce is amazing) sriracha (or chili garlic sauce) lime juice, olive oil, and black pepper. Seal and smoosh around to evenly coat the chicken.
- Place the bag in the fridge to marinate. I like to marinate my chicken overnight for the full and tenderizing effects, but if you’re running short on time, even 30 to 60 minutes will do. Lightly oil grill grates and preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken to one side of the grill; discard the bag with the marinade. Add the veggies to the other side of the grill. Grill the chicken for about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side with the lid closed.
- If you’re making veggies, add them to a grill basket with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and grill over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes total, flipping intermittently.
- Flip over the chicken and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on the second side with the lid closed. You’ll know your chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165F. Optionally garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
Tips for the Best Grilled Spicy BBQ Chicken
- Chicken cuts: As a shortcut, I used thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts. Their thinner size makes for faster grilling times and much more even cooking. This recipe would be even faster with chicken breast tenders, or sometimes called breast cutlets or medallions, but as it is with the thin-sliced breasts, I only needed to grill them for about 4 minutes per side, and they were done. Many times with large chicken breasts on the grill, I struggle to keep the outside from becoming overly dark before the interior is fully cooked through, but with either thin-sliced or breast tenders, you don’t have to worry about that.
- Pound your chicken: If you are going to use “normal” chicken breasts, which tend to be thick on one side and thinner on the other, I highly recommend pounding the chicken with a meat tenderizer to make them uniform for even cooking.
- Grilling the veggies: I highly recommend a grill basket for the peppers and onion. Trying to grill peppers directly on the grill grates is always tricky because they like to fall through, and you really have to flip them one-by-one and babysit them, which is no fun. Throw them in a grill basket, douse with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and just stir it with your grill tongs a few times while the chicken is grilling. So easy!
What To Serve with Spicy BBQ Chicken
Grilled Sriracha Spicy BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts or pounded to an even thickness, (about 4 breasts depending on their size; boneless skinless chicken thighs may be substituted)
- 1 cup spicy barbecue sauce, (my two favorites are this spicy-sweet Japanese BBQ sauce and this Trader Joe's spicy sriracha garlic bbq sauce)
- ¼ cup sriracha, or to taste (if using a regular barbecue sauce, add more to get the full flavor and heat if desired; chili garlic sauce may be substituted to taste)
- 2-3 tablespoons lime juice, (lemon juice or apple cider vinegar may be substituted; always use a bit of an acid to help tenderize the chicken)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Vegetables
- 1 large red bell pepper, sliced into 1/2-inch wide strips
- 1 large orange bell pepper, sliced into 1/2-inch wide strips
- 1 medium red onion, diced into wide wedges or segments
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- Chicken: To a large ziptop plastic bag or large bowl, add the chicken, barbecue sauce, sriracha, lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, seal, and smoosh around to evenly coat chicken.
- Place bag in fridge for at least 30-45 minutes (the longer the better), or overnight, to marinate.Tip: I usually do this first thing in the morning so the chicken has a good 6-8 hours to marinate in the fridge all day before I grill for dinner.
- Lightly oil grill grates and preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Vegetables: Add the peppers and onions to a grill basket, evenly drizzle with olive oil, evenly season with salt and pepper, and toss with your grilling tongs to evenly coat.
- Grilling: Add the chicken to one side of the grill, place the grill basket on the other side of the grill, discard the bag with the marinade, and grill chicken for about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side with lid closed.Flip, and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on the second side with lid closed, or until chicken is cooked through and as done as desired. Chicken is done when it's 165F; don't guess – take the temperature!
- While chicken cooks, intermittently stir the peppers and onions with your tongs and cook as long as desired noting they may finish a minute or two faster than the chicken.
- Optionally garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
I have an Ebook dedicated to all things BBQ and grilling! Please check out my Best 35 Grilling Recipes ebook available for immediate download!
More Easy Grilled Chicken Recipes:
Grilled Honey BBQ Chicken — Tender, juicy, full of FLAVOR, and a great recipe to jazz up grilled bbq chicken. EASY, healthy, ready in 10 minutes, zero cleanup, perfect for backyard barbecues or easy weeknight dinners!
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken with Guacamole — EASY, ready minutes, and the chicken is tender, juicy, and full of Mexican-inspired flavors! Chunky guacamole pairs PERFECTLY with this grilled chicken! A family favorite recipe everyone loves!
Grilled Pineapple Chicken — EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the flavor of the juicy chicken makes you feel like you’re on a TROPICAL island! Grilled peppers on the side makes for the PERFECT summer meal that’s HEALTHY and DELICIOUS!
Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Skewers — Fast, easy, and loaded with sweet-and-savory pineapple teriyaki flavor! Made with just a handful of basic ingredients, these grilled chicken skewers will be a family FAVORITE!
Hawaiian Grilled Chicken and Pineapple — Transports you to Hawaii with every bite of this tender, juicy chicken, and the grilled pineapple seals the deal!
Grilled Lemon Chicken – EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the chicken is so TENDER, juicy, and full of LEMON flavor! With grilled broccoli on the side, this is a HEALTHY recipe perfect for swimsuit season that tastes AMAZING!
Sweet Chili Grilled Chicken – Tender, juicy, and full of flavor from the sweet chili sauce! Easy, healthy, ready in 10 minutes, zero cleanup, perfect for backyard barbecues or easy weeknight dinners!
Peach Chili Grilled Chicken – Tender, juicy, and full of flavor from the sweet peach preserves and chili garlic sauce! The perfect contrast! Easy, healthy, ready in 10 minutes, zero cleanup, perfect for backyard barbecues or easy weeknight dinners!
Foil Pack Barbecue Chicken – Ready in 15 minutes and such an easy way to enjoy barbecue chicken on the grill! A delish and healthy meal made in a foil pack with zero cleanup!
Originally posted June 22, 2020 and reposting September 1, 2023 with updated text.
great
Wow….This is an amazing recipe and it perfect dish for me…….it looks sooo yummy & more delicious….Thanks for sharing…!
thank you! I like bbq chicken best, and siracha spiced even better, lime is a nice touch too, all of these flavors are just what I’m in the mood to eat
It is loaded with so many great strong flavors!
I am always looking for a new or different marinade for chicken….we seem to grill it quite often and this looks like a winner!
It’s really flavorful, not too spicy for me at least, and just gives tons of flavor. Summer is grilling season so I figured may as well post some new grilled chicken recipes!
I made this on my stove in a grill pan & then transferred to my broiler for 2 minutes. It was delicious. I know the effect is different than cooking on an outside grill with charcoal or wood chips, but my way made the clean up faster than the cook time. AND most important; It was yummy!
I made this on my stove in a grill pan & then transferred to my broiler for 2 minutes. It was delicious. I know the effect is different than cooking on an outside grill with charcoal or wood chips, but my way made the clean up faster than the cook time. AND most important; It was yummy!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am super impressed that you were making chicken in what would have been the middle of the night between the time I posted this recipe and a few hours later, you made it overnight! Bravo to you. Glad it was yummy!