Name: Chef John's Barbecue Chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, cut into halves; 0.25 cup rice vinegar; 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 tablespoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 0.5 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 0.5 cup barbecue sauce, or as needed

Chef John's Barbecue Chicken

Chef John's grilled barbecue chicken is perfect every time. Say goodbye to a burned BBQ coating and hello to a thick, sticky glaze that permeates the meat.

2 hr total 20 min prep 40 min cook 6 464 cal

Instructions

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1 Cut 1/2-inch deep slashes in the skin-side of each chicken half: two cuts in each breast, two in each thigh, and one in each leg. Remove wing tips.
2 Whisk vinegar, 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, and garlic together in a large bowl. Place chicken in the bowl and turn to coat. Arrange chicken halves in the bottom of the bowl with the cut sides down; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3 Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
4 Remove chicken from the bowl and pat dry with paper towels; discard any remaining marinade. Place chicken halves, skin-side up, on a plate and season with salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.
5 Cook chicken, skin-side down, on the preheated grill until grill marks appear, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn chicken over, close the grill lid, and cook, basting with remaining barbecue sauce every 6 minutes, until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 35 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).