Fire up the grill and get ready for a true Southern classic! This grilled whole chicken is seasoned with a dry rub and basted in sweet and tangy BBQ sauce for smoky, juicy perfection. The easy, crowd-pleasing recipe brings big flavor to your backyard table.
Whole Grilled Chicken is an Affordable and Tasty Summer Meal
Keith has been working on and perfecting this grilled whole chicken recipe for years, so we’re excited to finally share it with you here! While the process is simple and the ingredients are minimal, there are a few tips and tricks that will guarantee success every single time. Follow these directions for smoky, crispy, tender, and juicy meat that will disappear fast! Our boys love this meal so much that we always grill at least 2 chickens at a time. After all, if you’ve got leftovers, the meat is delicious on sandwiches, in this Southern chicken salad recipe, or in quesadillas throughout the week!
If you love grilled chicken, be sure to try this simple grilled chicken marinade, bbq chicken breast, chicken souvlaki, and this 5-ingredient Italian dressing chicken, too!
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- We prefer using smaller “young chickens,” which typically weigh between 4 ½ and 5 lbs. You can certainly use smaller or larger birds; you’ll just need to adjust the total grilling time accordingly.
- An instant-read thermometer is your friend! The total cooking time will vary depending on a number of factors (the size of your chicken, the temperature of the chicken when it goes on the grill, and the temperature of your grill, for instance). As a result, the meat thermometer is the best way to know when your chicken is perfectly done. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 160-165°F when inserted into the thickest part of a breast.
- This recipe is really about the process, since the ingredients themselves are quite flexible. Adjust the seasoning depending on your preferences. We like a bbq dry rub (store-bought or homemade), our all-purpose seasoning, or even just kosher salt, ground black pepper, and some garlic powder. Keith often uses this SuckleBusters Clucker Dust for a bit of sweet heat.
- I’ve shown the chicken with bbq sauce, which we use for basting at the end. This is totally optional! If you don’t want bbq chicken, just skip that step. Without the bbq sauce, you’ll have a flavorful, juicy chicken with crispy skin.
- While it’s optional, a chunk of fruit wood in the charcoal briquets (we’ve shown apple wood here, but peach wood is also good) adds great smoked flavor to the meat. If you’re using a gas grill, try these applewood smoke pellets with a pellet smoker tube.
The Grill Set Up
Whether you’re using a charcoal grill (shown here) or a gas grill, it’s important that you cook the whole chicken over indirect heat. This allows the meat to cook through without burning the exterior.
In order to set up a charcoal grill for indirect heat, you can place the charcoal in two charcoal briquet holders on either side of the grill, leaving the center open. If you don’t have briquet holders, just bank the coals to one side to create a hot zone and a cooler indirect zone. Add a chunk of apple wood to the charcoal (shown here) for smoky flavor. Keith also likes to place foil drip pans in the middle of the grill below the grates, which help catch the juice and drippings as the chicken cooks. Use this chimney starter to light the charcoal.
If you’re using a gas grill, set up an indirect zone of heat by turning one side of the burners to medium-high, leaving the other side off. Use the applewood smoke pellets with a pellet smoker tube to achieve that smoked flavor.
How to Grill a Whole Chicken
As I mentioned above, we typically throw at least 2 whole chickens on the grill when preparing this meal, since our teenage boys love it. In the printable recipe card below, you’ll find directions for 1 chicken. Feel free to scale it to suit your needs, though. Leftovers are delicious! Here’s the overview:
- Let the chicken sit on the counter and come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. This will help to ensure even cooking.
- Meanwhile, preheat a gas or charcoal grill for indirect medium-high heat.
- Pat the chicken dry, rub with olive oil, and season with your desired spices.
- Place the chicken over indirect heat. Close the lid of the grill.
- Grill the chicken until the breast meat reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Remember, the temperature of the chicken will continue to rise slightly as it rests. For bbq chicken (shown here), baste the chicken with your favorite barbecue sauce during the final 10 minutes. Any sooner and the sugars in the sauce will cause the skin to burn.
- Remove the chicken from the grill. Tent loosely with foil and let the meat rest on a cutting board for at least 10-15 minutes before carving and serving.
Serving Suggestions
Pair this chicken with any of your favorite picnic, cookout, and potluck sides. Good options include creamy pasta salad, seasoned potatoes, an apple Snickers salad, ramen noodle coleslaw, stick of butter rice, red rice, grilled potatoes, baked ratatouille, a bagged coleslaw mix with this homemade coleslaw dressing, a green salad with honey mustard dressing, cowboy baked beans, and Hawaiian pasta salad. Then, finish your meal with peanut butter rice krispie treats, Bisquick peach cobbler, one bowl brownies, or a plum crisp!
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Grilled Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 (4 ½ – 5 lb.) whole chicken, giblets removed
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons bbq rub seasoning, rotisserie chicken seasoning, all-purpose seasoning, or other seasoning of choice (we often use this SuckleBusters Clucker Dust for sweet heat as well)
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce (optional, for bbq chicken) (use store-bought or this homemade maple bbq sauce), plus extra for serving
- Optional, for grilling: charcoal briquet holders; foil drip pans; chunk of apple wood (for a charcoal grill) or applewood smoke pellets with a pellet smoker tube (for a gas grill)
Instructions
- Allow the chicken to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for about 30 minutes while you prepare the grill. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill over indirect medium-high heat (about 375–400°F). To do so with a charcoal grill, place the charcoal in the briquet holders on either side of the grill, leaving the center open. If you don’t have briquet holders, you can just bank the coals to one side to create a hot zone and a cooler indirect zone. Place foil drip pans in the middle of the grill below the grates (these help to catch the drippings from the meat as it cooks). With a gas grill, turn one side of the burners to medium-high, leave the other side off. Whether you’re using a charcoal grill or a gas grill, this two-zone set up is essential for cooking the chicken over indirect heat so that you don’t burn the chicken before it’s cooked through.
- Add a chunk of apple wood (or other fruit wood) to the charcoal briquets, or use applewood smoke pellets with a pellet smoker tube in a gas grill, if desired. This is optional, but it gives the chicken a nice, subtle smoked flavor.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub on all sides with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning of choice.
- Place the chicken on the grill grates (over the foil drip pan, if using).
- Close the lid of the grill and cook over indirect heat until the internal temperature of the chicken breast reaches 160-165°F, about 1 hour, 15 minutes to 1 hour, 30 minutes.
- Baste with the barbecue sauce during the final 10 minutes, if desired.
- Allow the chicken to rest for at least 10-15 minutes before carving and serving. Serve with additional bbq sauce, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Storage Tips
- How to Store: Leftover chicken will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be aware, however, that the skin will not be as crispy when thawed.
- How to Reheat: Allow the chicken to come to room temperature on the counter for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet or roasting pan and place (uncovered) in the oven until the skin is crisp and the chicken is warmed through. Be careful not to leave the chicken in the oven for too long or it will dry out.
- How to Use Leftovers: Shred or chop the leftover meat and use the cooked chicken in casseroles (like chicken spaghetti, chicken noodle casserole, or chicken and stuffing casserole); in soups (like chicken vegetable soup or Virginia Brunswick stew); in stuffed potatoes; in this Greek yogurt chicken salad; in these easy chicken enchiladas; in a bbq chicken wrap; for homemade chicken pot pie; or on top of a Southern Caesar salad.
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GlandoreFoods.ie
This grilled whole chicken looks absolutely mouthwatering! The perfect blend of smoky, sweet, and tangy—just reading the recipe has our taste buds tingling. At Glandore Foods, we’re all about wholesome, crowd-pleasing meals, and this Southern-style classic is just the kind of dish that brings people together. Can’t wait to try this on our next team BBQ!
We hope you enjoy!