🍯🍗🔥 This Grilled Honey BBQ Chicken recipe is tender, juicy, full of flavor, and a great recipe to jazz up grilled bbq chicken! EASY, healthy, and ready in minutes with zero cleanup, it’s perfect for backyard barbecues or easy weeknight dinners! When you’re looking for fantastic tasting chicken but a low-maintenance and EASY recipe, this is THE ONE!
Table of Contents
- Grilled Honey BBQ Chicken Recipe
- Recipe Ingredients
- Buy When It’s On Sale & Freeze
- How to Make Grilled Honey BBQ Chicken
- Considering Purchasing a Grill?
- What to Serve with Honey Barbecue Chicken
- Recipe FAQs
- Tips for the Best Grilled BBQ Chicken
- More Grilled Chicken Recipes:
- Grilled Honey BBQ Chicken Recipe Recipe
- Even More Easy Chicken Recipes:
Grilled Honey BBQ Chicken Recipe
Chicken on the grill is always a winner because it’s so tender, juicy, and full of flavor from the grill. With summer grilling season in full swing, this recipe will come in handy when you want to jazz up your usual grilled bbq chicken.
I used chicken tenders for this honey bbq chicken recipe (more on why I did that below), but you can make this bbq grilled chicken recipe with any cuts of chicken you have on hand.
Just keep in mind that you might need to grill the chicken for more or less time than my recipe says — it really just depends on how thick your chicken is and whether it’s boneless or not.
I made this recipe as written, and it was a winner with my husband! He normally prefers breasts over thighs and NEVER wants a dipping sauce. However, he said the chicken tenders were still moist, and next time, he wants me to make extra for a dipping sauce. :) He said to add this to our regular rotation. Thanks, Averie!
Taylor
Make sure to also check out my new posts for Grilled Honey Chipotle Chicken and Grilled Honey BBQ Beer Chicken Skewers!
Recipe Ingredients
Believe it or not, you don’t need a million ingredients to create bold flavor. This honey barbecue chicken recipe comes together with a handful of staples I always have on hand.
- Barbecue sauce – I use store-bought bbq sauce to save time. Any kind you like best will work. Also, if you want to have extra honey bbq sauce on hand to dip your grilled chicken tenders into, make a little extra in a separate bowl and store in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
- Honey
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice – You can also use apple cider vinegar if you have that on hand
- Sriracha – This is optional but adds a delicious kick of spice. Add more or less to taste
- Garlic
- Black pepper
- Chicken – As a shortcut for this recipe, I use chicken breast tenders (sometimes called breast cutlets or medallions) for this honey bbq chicken recipe. Their smaller size makes for faster grilling times and much more even cooking. 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 using chicken tenders solves that issue! If preferred, chicken thighs work well, too
- Fresh herbs – I like to include a bit of fresh parsley or cilantro for a bright taste when serving
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Grilled Honey BBQ Chicken
This recipe requires a bit of planning, because you’ll want to marinate the chicken for the best flavor. However, once marinated, the chicken cooks in no time! Here’s an overview of the process:
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large ziptop plastic bag or large bowl.
- Add the chicken, seal the bag, and squish it around to coat it evenly. Marinate in the fridge or at least an hour or up to overnight for an even stronger flavor.
- Preheat an outdoor grill (or grill pan if making inside) to medium-high heat
- Grill the chicken on both sides until the chicken is golden brown and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll need to flip the chicken a few times during the grilling process to ensure it cooks evenly throughout. But don’t flip the chicken too often, because you want those lovely grill marks!
- Rest for at least five minutes. Then, garnish with fresh herbs, and enjoy!
What to Serve with Honey Barbecue Chicken
Recipe FAQs
I like to marinate my bbq chicken overnight for the full flavor effect, but if you’re running short on time, 30 to 60 minutes will do.
What I love about this bbq chicken marinade is that I don’t find the chicken sticks to the grill at all, which is really nice.
There’s nothing worse than seeing your chicken (and your time, money, and energy) sticking to the grill! Not the case with this marinade at all.
Feel free ot add more seasonings, or make your own honey barbecue sauce, infusing it with ketchup, garlic powder, salt, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, molasses, hot sauce, onion powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, etc. as desired.
No, if needed, you can bake this recipe or even air fry it instead. Marinate as usual. Then, arrange the chicken in an even layer on a greased baking or parchment-paper-lined baking sheet or air fryer, and cook at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chicken is best fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can freeze leftovers for up to 4 months.
Tips for the Best Grilled BBQ Chicken
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The Best 35 Grilling Recipes 📖🔥 – Unlock the full potential of your grill with my ebook! From juicy steaks to flavorful veggies, this cookbook is your guide to mastering outdoor cooking. With expert tips and mouthwatering recipes, elevate your grilling game and create unforgettable meals every time.
More Grilled Chicken Recipes:
- 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!
- Spicy Garlic Grilled Chicken – An EASY homemade marinade made with everyday ingredients that produces super FLAVORFUL, juicy chicken! If you’re looking for a NEW marinade to jazz up grilled chicken, this is the one!
- 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!
- Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Kabobs – Juicy chicken and crisp vegetables coated in a sweet-and-tangy sauce! Great for parties or easy weeknight dinners! Everything tastes better grilled!
Grilled Honey BBQ Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- ½ cup honey
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1 to 3 tablespoons sriracha, optional and to taste
- 2 to 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts tenders
- fresh cilantro or parsley, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- To a large ziptop plastic bag, add all ingredients except the optional fresh herbs. Seal bag and squish the contents around so chicken is evenly coated.
- Place bag in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour (overnight is great if you can plan ahead).*
- Preheat an outdoor grill (or grill pan if making inside) to medium-high heat and grill the chicken for about 7 minutes, or until done; flip intermittently to ensure even cooking. Optionally garnish with fresh herbs and serve immediately.
- Chicken is best fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Even More Easy Chicken Recipes:
15 Chicken Dinners Ready in 15 Minutes – Easy dinners that are ready in a flash and perfect for busy weeknights! Delish, healthy, and guaranteed to please your toughest dinner critics!
Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Kabobs – Juicy chicken and crisp vegetables coated in a sweet-and-tangy sauce! Great for parties or easy weeknight dinners! Everything tastes better grilled!
Spicy Garlic Grilled Chicken – An EASY homemade marinade made with everyday ingredients that produces super FLAVORFUL, juicy chicken! If you’re looking for a NEW marinade to jazz up grilled chicken, this is the one!
Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken — EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the cilantro chicken is so TENDER, juicy, and full of Mexican-inspired flavor! Put this HEALTHY chicken recipe on your summer menu rotation and it’ll be a hit with everyone!
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!
Grilled Chicken With Watermelon Mango Mint Salsa – The chicken is tender, juicy, and the EASY salsa made with watermelon, mango, and mint adds so much fresh FLAVOR! Healthy, FAST, EASY, zero cleanup, perfect for backyard barbecues or easy weeknight dinners!
Chicken Avocado Black Bean Salad — A Mexican-inspired salad with tender chicken, black beans, creamy avocado, juicy tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and more!
Grilled Tandoori Chicken — Recreate this Indian favorite QUICKLY and EASILY at home! If you’re looking for a new spin on grilled chicken, this is THE recipe to try. It’s super juicy, flavorful, and you’ll LOVE IT!
Easy Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce — The chicken is so tender and juicy and there’s plenty of homemade PEANUT SAUCE to dip it into!
15-Minute Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe — This sweet and sour chicken recipe takes just 15 minutes to make and tastes way better than takeout. Perfect for a weeknight dinner!
Originally posted July 23, 2018 and republished August 19, 2022 with updated text.
This was absolutely delicious. I used with bone-in thighs since that’s what I had on hand. I also used barbecue sauce that I made for a different recipe. I’d like to try this on boneless thighs too.
This was absolutely delicious. I used with bone-in thighs since that’s what I had on hand. I also used barbecue sauce that I made for a different recipe. I’d like to try this on boneless thighs too.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad this was absolutely delish and worked great with the chicken you had on hand!
great
Could you cook this on the stove top? Or do you think it might get dried up?
I think you could, just don’t overcook. However obviously it’s going to have a much different flavor not being grilled and being cooked on the stove.
great
I made this with some chicken thighs and it was really good! Definitely a keeper! Thanks
I made this with some chicken thighs and it was really good! Definitely a keeper! Thanks
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this came out great with chicken thighs!
Hello Averie – just popping in to let you know that we are featuring this recipe on the RUBY blog in the month of July, of course with just one image and a link right back here to your blog. We will also include it in a recipe roundup for the July issue of our online women’s magazine, RUBY. We will promote your blog to all of our readers and encourage them to visit you to see all your other great recipes. Please let me know if this will be OK with you for us to feature this recipe and link back during the month of July. Thanks so much! Nina @ RUBY magazine and community
Yes thanks for checking and for link back to my site for the recipe. Thanks much!
I made this recipe as written, and it was a winner with my husband! He normally prefers breasts over thighs and NEVER wants a dipping sauce. However, he said the chicken tenders were still moist, and next time, he wants me to make extra for a dipping sauce. :) He said to add this to our regular rotation. Thanks, Averie!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was such a hit that it’ll be in your regular rotation!
I made the marinade this morning and my husband grilled the chicken tonight for dinner. Awesome, easy, delicious / definitely a “keeper” recipe :) Thanks Averie!!!
I love the add ins to the barbecue sauce for this marinade!
Can’t go wrong with barbecue chicken in the summer!