Carolina BBQ Chicken Recipe – sweet and tangy grilled chicken! Only 6 ingredients in the marinade – apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. So simple and bursting with great flavor. Perfect for a cookout! Everyone raves about this gluten-free chicken. There are never any leftovers!!
Grilled Chicken Marinade
This Grilled Carolina Chicken is a new favorite. We’ve made this two weeks in a row. We can’t get enough of it. It is sweet, spicy, and tangy all in one bite. Seriously delicious. I have to admit that I was actually a little worried about this marinade. I am not a fan of cider vinegar and was afraid this would be super vinegary. Thankfully it wasn’t. It also wasn’t super spicy despite all of the red pepper flakes. This got two thumbs up from us. Give it a try this weekend!! You won’t regret it!
How to Make Carolina BBQ Chicken
This marinade is effortless to make with only a few simple ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, vegetable oil or olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Place chicken in a large gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Pour the vinegar mixture over the chicken. Seal tightly and store in the fridge for 4-24 hours. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill/cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
- You can use this marinade on any cut of chicken you prefer – chicken tenders, chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or chicken drumsticks.
- Can use boneless or bone-in chicken. Adjust the cooking time to ensure an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- My #1 tip when grilling chicken is to pound the chicken breast to an even thickness. We put the chicken in a ziplock bag and use a flat meat mallet or rolling pin to carefully pound out the hump. This ensures that the chicken cooks evenly and you don’t have juicy chicken and half-dry chicken.
- Variations/Additions:
- hot sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- cayenne pepper
- dark brown sugar
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- brush chicken with a few tablespoons of your favorite BBQ sauce before removing it from the grill
- We cook the chicken over direct heat on a charcoal grill. Here are our tips for using a charcoal grill: https://www.plainchicken.com/grilling-101-how-to-use-charcoal-starter/
- No grill? No problem! You can cook the chicken inside. Pan-sear the chicken breasts in a skillet or grill pan on the stovetop for 3 to 4 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400ºF in the oven for 10 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- Can I freeze Grilled Chicken? Yes! You can freeze the chicken uncooked or cooked.
- Prepare the marinade. Place the chicken in a freezer bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag and freeze. When ready to cook, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and cook.
- To freeze cooked chicken, cool completely and place in a freezer bag and freeze. Thaw and reheat in the microwave.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
What to Serve with Carolina Chicken
This chicken has quickly earned a spot in our grilling rotation. Leftover chicken is equally delicious reheated. We use it in a quesadilla with some cheese, mushrooms, and BBQ sauce. Awesome!
When it comes to side dishes, there are so many great options. Our go-to sides are baked beans, coleslaw, and biscuits. For a lighter option, a green salad is a great choice. You can never go wrong with our favorite cheesy hash brown casserole and green beans. No matter what you serve this with, this chicken is sure to be the talk of the cookout!
Looking for more side dish ideas? Here are some popular recipes from the website:
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Carolina Chicken
Ingredients:
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or olive oil
- 3 Tbsp dried crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions:
- In a small bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
- Place chicken in a large gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Pour the vinegar mixture over the chicken. Seal tightly and store in the fridge for 4-24 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill/cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Notes:
- You can use this marinade on any cut of chicken you prefer – chicken tenders, chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or chicken drumsticks.
- Can use boneless or bone-in chicken. Adjust the cooking time to ensure an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- We like to let the chicken marinate overnight to achieve maximum flavor. If you don’t have that much time, let the chicken marinate as long as possible.
- My #1 tip when grilling chicken is to pound the chicken breast to an even thickness. We put the chicken in a ziplock bag and use a flat meat mallet or rolling pin to carefully pound out the hump. This ensures that the chicken cooks evenly and you don’t have juicy chicken and half-dry chicken.
- No grill? No problem! You can cook the chicken inside. Pan-sear the chicken breasts in a skillet or grill pan on the stovetop for 3 to 4 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400ºF in the oven for 10 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- Can I freeze Grilled Chicken? Yes! You can freeze the chicken uncooked or cooked.
- Prepare the marinade. Place the chicken in a freezer bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag and freeze. When ready to cook, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and cook.
- To freeze cooked chicken, cool completely and place in a freezer bag and freeze. Thaw and reheat in the microwave.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Steph
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I made this yesterday. I used boneless chicken breasts. Just not big on chicken thighs. Marinated about 4 hours. Grilled about 20 minutes, turning about every 5. I actually followed the recipe (I often don’t…) Anyway, it was delicious. The cider vinegar gives it just a nice hint of tanginess and the pepper flakes provide a subtle heat that is just right. Served with grilled pineapple slices, corn on the cob, salad, and French bread. Definitely a keeper recipe. BTW, the name is what caught my eye…
I've made this for my family a few times and they love it every time!! Just curious why you call this Lexington Grilled Chicken?