Kickin Coca-Cola Chicken – easy chicken marinade that is a little sweet, a little spicy, and a whole lotta good! Super easy to make and tastes great! Chicken marinated in Coke, hot sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and lime juice. Let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator as long as possible and grill. Leftovers are great on a salad or in a sandwich wrap. #marinade #chicken #grill #grilled
Grilled Coca-Cola Chicken Recipe
Grilled chicken is a staple at our house. We grill chicken at least twice a week. This Kickin Coca-Cola Chicken is a new favorite. Chicken marinated in coke, brown sugar, and hot sauce. A little sweet, a little spicy, and a whole lotta yummy! We liked this chicken so much that we actually made it twice last week. I doubled the recipe the second time we made it. Leftovers are great chopped up on top of a salad or in a sandwich wrap. YUM!
How to Make Spicy Coca-Cola Chicken Marinade
This chicken marinade is super easy to make. Simply whisk together Coke, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, and hot sauce. Place the chicken in a gallon ziplock bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate until ready to grill. I like to let the chicken marinate overnight for maximum flavor. If you don’t have that much time, just let the chicken marinate as long as you can.
- Can use Coca-Cola or Pepsi soda.
- What kind of hot sauce is used? I used Frank’s Hot Sauce. You can use Frank’s Wing Sauce or another brand of hot sauce such as Crystals.
- Is the chicken really spicy? No. Despite being marinated in hot sauce, this chicken isn’t super spicy. It does have a little kick, but it isn’t overwhelming. Feel free to reduce the amount of hot sauce to your personal preference.
- Use gluten-free soy sauce and Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce for a gluten-free marinade.
- You can use this marinade on any cut of chicken – breasts, tenders, thighs, wings, or drumsticks/legs.
- You can use boneless or bone-in chicken. Adjust the cooking time to ensure an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- I don’t have a grill. Can I cook the chicken in the oven or skillet? Yes! To cook the chicken breasts inside, pan sear it for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400ºF for 10 minutes.
What to Serve with Grilled Coca-Cola Chicken
This chicken has been on repeat at our house. It is so easy to make and it is packed full of great flavor. We usually serve this hot off the grill with some rice and BBQ green beans. Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this easy grilled chicken:
Million Dollar Potato Casserole
Million Dollar Potato Casserole – We are obsessed with this casserole! SO creamy & delicious! Frozen hash browns, cream of…
Italian Green Beans
Amazing Italian Green Beans Recipe – These are THE BEST green beans you will ever eat. I got the recipe…
Asparagus Au Gratin
Asparagus and Mushroom Au Gratin – so easy and tastes great! Asparagus and mushrooms topped with an easy cheese sauce…
Au Jus Mushroom Rice
Au Jus Mushroom Rice – seriously delicious! Rice slow cooked in butter, onion, oregano, salt, pepper, beef broth, au jus…
Kickin Coca-Cola Chicken
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Coca-Cola soda
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp Worcestershire
- 3 Tbsp garlic minced
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1½ Tbsp lime juice
- 1 cup hot sauce
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions:
- Whisk together Coke, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, brown sugar, and hot sauce.
- Place chicken in a ziplock bag. Pour marinade over chicken and refrigerate a few hours to overnight.
- Remove chicken from marinade. Discard marinade. Grill chicken 12 to 15 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Notes:
Steph
I have not tried your recipes yet, but am looking forward to trying them. I have a question regarding cooking chicken. I seem to often have tough chicken. Will the marinade overnight take care of that? I do marinade chicken sometimes, but have never done it overnight. Also, are there specifics about temp or length of time that is more likely to allow the chicken to be less tough?
Putting in the grill tomorrow! Can’t wait!
I would like to know if Pepsi zero sugar can be used instead of regular Pepsi? I need to watch what I eat at my age. I do not want to ever have diabetes or anything else…..just making sure .
you can try it. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Can you do this in a cast iron skillet in oven ? If so shold you sear first?
I give instructions on cooking it in a skillet/oven in the recipe notes – Last line.
This looks great…..is the 3 tabsp garlic chopped or minced or is that garlic powder?
chopped or minced
Thanks trying this tonight to put on the grill tomorrow!
Recipe says minced.