Carolina BBQ Chicken Recipe - sweet and tangy grilled chicken! Only 6 ingredients in the marinade - 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 chicken. There are never any leftovers!!
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.