4 Best Chicken For BBQ: What Type Of Chicken Is Best For BBQ?
In this article, we are going to figure out what chicken to buy the next time you want to have a BBQ party in your backyard.
I'm an experienced food writer and passionate cook. My website, Cookindocs.com, features accessible, informative, and engaging content with quality recipes and articles that are thoroughly researched and enjoyable to read. You can trust my expertise with 8 years of experience in the field. Learn more about me and my work on this website, and check out my featured articles on TastingTable, Mashed, and 5-Minute Crafts. Read more about me HERE.
We will also show you how to pick out the perfect bird so that your BBQ will never fail.
How to choose chicken for BBQ?
[amazon fields=”B07QK7KQJG” value=”thumb” image=”1″ image_size=”large” image_align=”center”]
[amazon fields=”B07QK7KQJG” value=”button”]
Choosing the right type of chicken is essential if you want a successful BBQ party.
So what are the tips to having the best chicken for BBQ? Check below:
1. Use cut-up chicken instead of the whole bird
BBQ means cooking chicken on the grill. Therefore, you cannot cook the whole chicken in this case, so use cut-up chicken instead.
There are some primal cuts of chicken available on the market, including chicken breast, chicken thighs, chicken wings, chicken drumsticks, or chicken legs.
These cuts are easier and quicker to be cooked evenly on the grill.
2. Skin-on, bone-in chicken works better for a BBQ
One more thing to keep in mind when choosing chicken for BBQ is that skin-on, bone-in chicken will work better than the skinless, boneless version in this case.
The bones and skin help add flavor and moisture to your meat dish, making it much more flavorful and juicier.
Moreover, keeping the skin and bones intact will not require much effort and technique from the butcher, so the price of these cuts is also more affordable.
3. Marinate chicken before grilling it
Another tip to have the best BBQ chicken is to marinate the chicken well before barbecuing it.
You can marinate your chicken with a dry rub or sauce at least half an hour before cooking so that all the flavors can penetrate into meat and result in a flavorful dish.
Best chicken for BBQ
If you are wondering what cut of chicken is perfect for a BBQ, here are our suggestions that you can try the next time planning to have a BBQ party:
1. Bone-in, skin-on chicken breast
[amazon fields=”B0787WZS2C” value=”thumb” image=”1″ image_size=”large” image_align=”center”]
[amazon fields=”B0787WZS2C” value=”button”]
Bone-in, skin-on chicken breast is a perfect option for a BBQ.
Although chicken breast is a lean cut that is considered relatively bland and dry, keeping the bones and skin on will help it be juicier and more flavorful.
Moreover, bone-in, skin-on chicken breast is also more economical than a boneless, skinless version.
However, normally, chicken breast sold on the market has the skin and bones already removed.
- 7 Best Wines To Accompany Chicken Tamales
- 7 Side Dishes To Elevate Your Creamy Tuscan Chicken
- The Results Will Shock You: Is Boneless Chicken Really Better Than Bone In? We Put It To The Test!
- 13 Delicious and Simple Chicken Corn Soup Side Dishes
- 5 Best Side Dishes For Chicken Scarpariello That Are A Perfect Match For The Main Dish
Therefore, to have skin-on, bone-in chicken breast, it is best to make friends with your local butchers and ask them to have this cut per your desire.
2. Chicken wings
[amazon fields=”B07PPPRP5L” value=”thumb” image=”1″ image_size=”large” image_align=”center”]
[amazon fields=”B07PPPRP5L” value=”button”]
Chicken wings are an economical and delicious way to add to your BBQ.
Chicken wings are always sold with the bones and skin intact because it is hard to remove these parts out of the wing cut without messing up the meat.
Chicken wings are quite small and quick to be fully cooked, resulting in juicy, flavorful meat, and crispy skin.
3. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
[amazon fields=”B094BZRBBY” value=”thumb” image=”1″ image_size=”large” image_align=”center”]
[amazon fields=”B094BZRBBY” value=”button”]
Chicken thighs are also a great option for BBQ.
Chicken thighs can be sold without the bones and skin, but the bone-in, skin-on version is more delicious for a BBQ.
The skin will help moisten the meat with the rendered fat during cooking.
These fats, along with the bones, also add flavor to your dish so that you will never end up with a bland dish even if you forgot to marinate your chicken.
Just serve it with some kind of sauce.
4. Bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks
[amazon fields=”B094C7TD68″ value=”thumb” image=”1″ image_size=”large” image_align=”center”]
[amazon fields=”B094C7TD68″ value=”button”]
Chicken drumsticks are the bottom part of the chicken legs, below the chicken thighs.
They are also dark meat chicken with more flavor and moisture.
Bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks are often used in a deep-frying recipe to achieve a crispy crust and juicy meat inside.
They also work well in a BBQ party thanks to the higher fat content from both the meat and the skin compared to white meat chicken like chicken breast.
The bottom line
When you are ready to start planning your next BBQ party, it is important that you know which type of chicken will be the best for your guests.
You want something great tasting and easy to prepare.
Do not worry because we have done all the research for you!
The perfect bird should be free-range or organic and a good cut can be a chicken breast, wings, or legs.
So which one will you pick?
