Spicy Orange BBQ Chicken – only 6 ingredients! SO good!!! We actually made it twice in one week. Orange juice, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, chili powder, red pepper flakes, and chicken. Such an easy weeknight meal. Leftovers are great in a wrap or on top of a salad! #chicken #grill #grilling #grilledchicken #bbq
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Pin This RecipeEasy BBQ Chicken on the Grill
Grilled chicken is a favorite at our house. We eat it at least twice a week. It is great for dinner and leftover for lunch. This Spicy Orange BBQ Chicken has been on repeat. We just can’t seem to get enough of this 5 ingredient marinade. It is a little sweet, a little spicy, and a whole lotta yummy!
How to Make Spicy Orange BBQ Chicken
There are only 5 ingredients in this chicken marinade – orange juice, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, chili powder, and red pepper flakes. This isn’t a super spicy dish even though it has red pepper flakes in it. The red pepper flakes are just in the marinade, so they don’t really give off a lot of heat.
My number one tip for cooking chicken on the grill is to pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness. Place the chicken in a ziplock freezer bag and gently pound it until it is all the same thickness. We use a flat meat mallet to pound the thick part of the breast. Having the chicken breast the same thickness throughout will ensure the chicken cooks evenly. No more half dry, half juicy chicken breasts!
How to Grill Chicken without a Grill
No grill? No problem! You can cook this chicken inside. Pan sear the chicken breasts on both sides for 3 or 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a rimmed baking sheet or dish. Bake at 400ºF for 10 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
If you are cooking the chicken inside, add a splash of liquid smoke to the marinade to give the chicken a nice smoky grilled flavor!
What to Serve with BBQ Chicken
We LOVE this easy grilled chicken recipe. We’ve made it several times over the past few months and enjoy it every time. Last time we made the chicken, we doubled the recipe. We like to eat the leftovers on top of a salad or in a sandwich wrap. YUM.
We like to serve this chicken with some green beans, potatoes, and a roll. Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this yummy chicken:
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Spicy Orange BBQ Chicken
Ingredients:
- 1 cup orange juice
- 6 Tbsp brown sugar
- 6 Tbsp BBQ sauce
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions:
- Whisk together orange juice, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, chili powder, and red pepper flakes.
- Place chicken in a gallon ziplock bag. Pour marinade over chicken. Seal bag and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.
- Remove chicken from marinade. Grill until done, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Brush chicken on both sides with additional BBQ sauce before removing from grill, if desired.
Notes:
My favorite BBQ sauces are G. Hughes, Sweet Baby Rays, Stubbs, and Williamson Brothers.
The chicken isn’t overly spicy since the red pepper flakes are only in the marinade, but feel free to reduce the red pepper flakes to your personal preference.
Can use any cut of chicken – tenders, thighs, or breast. Can use boneless or bone-in. Make sure to adjust the cooking time to cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.Steph
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I’m heading to Orange Beach next week!!! can you mix this marinade and chicken and freeze it ? Trying to come up with some meals to prepare at home and bring in our yeti. I’m trying to limit going to restaurants 🙁 But, I’ll have access to a grill at our condo and a gulf view 🙂
Sure. I think it would be fine to throw everything in a ziplock bag and freeze it. Have fun! I am dying to get back down there.
Thank you! Wish I was going to all the restaurants you’ve recommended.
Amazing recipe. I made this with chicken thighs, so good. I used fresh squeezed oj. Best chicken I ever grilled.
Stephanie,
This is so good. I made it today and I am making it again for the 4th of July! (I have an abundance of chicken breasts in my freezer.)
Thank you again for all the great recipes you share with us.
Claudine in Fort Worth, TX
SO glad you enjoyed it!