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This is my sister’s famous juicy BBQ chicken breast recipe. The marinade is simple with just 3 ingredients. She made this chicken recipe for a great big family gathering (I’m talkin’ ’bout 35+ people) and everyone was smitten. It was the most tender and juicy barbecued chicken breast I’ve tried.
I’m sharing all of my sister, Sveta’s, tips and tricks for her scrumptious grilled chicken. You know what’s awesome? Since it marinates overnight, all of your prep is done in advance! I love that I can just toss it on the grill (more like have my husband throw it on the grill) before my party starts; giving me time to focus on other details.
Ingredients for the Best BBQ Chicken:
3-4 lbs whole, boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup ranch
6-8 medium cloves of garlic, pressed
*1 1/2 Tbsp Johnny’s seasoning, added to taste (store-bought or make your own with recipe below)
1/2 cup your favorite BBQ sauce + more to serve
*You can make your own Johnny’s seasoning easily:
1 ½ Tbsp sea salt
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
How to Make the best BBQ Chicken breast:
1. Rinse chicken in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a casserole dish (no need to get extra dishes dirty), combine 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 cup ranch and press in 6-8 garlic cloves.
3. Add chicken and turn several times to coat generously in the marinade.
4. Season each individual side of the marinated chicken breasts with Johnny’s seasoning to taste (I used about 1 1/2 Tbsp or half of the seasoning mix recipe above). Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to marinate. Marinate 10 hours or up to 24 hours.
5. Preheat your grill to 400˚F. Brush the grates with oil. Place chicken on the grill then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook approximately 10 minutes per side (rotating the chicken 90˚ after 5 minutes to create criss-cross grill marks). When you turn your chicken over, generously brush the grilled side of the chicken with BBQ sauce. Repeat; grilling your second side, rotating 90˚ after 5 minutes. Brush the second grilled side generously with BBQ sauce.
Notes:
When done, chicken breast should have an internal temp of 165˚ and should be firm but still soft. Juices will run clear when you cut into it. Our chicken breasts were pretty large and took about 25 minutes total on the grill. Don’t overcook them or they will turn rubbery and keep in mind they will continue cooking even off the grill.
6. Remove from grill, place on a platter and immediately cover tightly with foil. Let chicken rest under foil for 15 minutes before cutting into it.
Serve with more BBQ sauce, these mashed potatoes and this cucumber tomato salad (or this creamy cucumber & tomato salad), and you’ll want this to drink. Over and out. Enjoy! It really was amazing.
Juiciest Barbecued Chicken Breast
Ingredients
Ingredients for Juicy BBQ Chicken Breast:
- 3-4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup ranch
- 6-8 medium cloves of garlic, pressed
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Johnny's seasoning, store-bought or make your own with recipe below, added to taste*
- 1/2 cup your favorite BBQ sauce + more to serve
Homemade Johnny’s Seasoning:
- 1 ½ Tbsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Rinse chicken in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- In a casserole dish (no need to get extra dishes dirty), combine 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 cup ranch and press in 6-8 garlic cloves.
- Add chicken and turn it several times to coat generously in the marinade.
- Season each individual side of the marinated chicken breasts with Johnny's seasoning, adding it to taste - I used about 1 1/2 Tbsp or half of the seasoning mix. Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to marinate. Marinate 10 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat your grill to 400˚F. Brush the grates with oil. Place chicken on the grill then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook approximately 10 minutes per side (rotating the chicken 90˚ after 5 minutes to create criss-cross grill marks). When you turn your chicken over, generously brush the grilled side of the chicken with BBQ sauce. Repeat grilling your second side, rotating 90˚ after 5 minutes. Brush the second grilled side generously with BBQ sauce.
- Remove from grill, place on a platter and immediately cover with foil. Let chicken rest under foil for 15 minutes before cutting into it. Serve with more BBQ sauce, these mashed potatoes and this salad (or this salad), and you'll want this to drink.
Notes
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Hello! I would LOVE to make this chicken, but need a dairy free recipe. Is there a good substitute for the ranch dressing? Thanks so much!
Hello Amy! I have not tried any dairy free substitution for the ranch dressing. Let’s see if others here have tried it out and can recommend something.
I have a quick question. How do you oil a hot grill as it calls for in this recipe?
Hi Cindy, we dip a wadded paper towel in a little oil and, using tongs, wipe the oil evenly over the grate. I hope this helps!
Thank you so much, Natasha. I am excited to make this for a big Father’s Day BBQ!
You’re welcome! I hope it’s a hit!
It was a hit! Everyone thought this was fantastic. Thank you so much for your recipes.
I’m so happy you loved this recipe, Cindy! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This recipe was phenomenal!! I paired it with roasted butternut squash with rosemary, onions and pine nuts. So good! Thank you!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Nancy!
Just love all your recipes!
Wondering if you could use chicken drumsticks as well as chicken breasts in your recipe for Juicy BBQ chicken breasts as some prefer dark meat?
Hi Carol! Thank you, I’m glad you enjoy my recipes. I would recommend this recipe for barbecued chicken thighs. I also have some baked chicken drumstick recipes on here, just use the search bar above. 🙂
This seriously is the BEST grilled chicken. My picky eating kids devour this chicken. My oldest who is seven ate so much of this and then stated he wanted the leftovers for lunch. 😍 I had to stop my husband from finishing it.
Love it when kids enjoy my recipes too. Thanks a lot for the great feedback!
Has anyone ever tried this method with pork chops? Seems like it would work well but I’m definitely no expert on food!!
Hi Shannon. I think it could work with pork chops with some slight adjustments. They would just need to be cooked long enough to reach an internal temperature of 145 ℉. You can also view some of my pork recipes here.
I love all of your recipes, Natasha, and thank you for them. I want to make your really delicious Bake Feta Pasta for my daughters’s birthday and want to serve grilled chicken with it. would your grilled chicken breast be just as good without the bbq sauce?
Hi Margaret, yes, I think this chicken would work great.
This is amazing! Super juicy amd so easy. My boyfriend usually dumps texas pete on everything I cook but not with this recipe!
I’m so happy to hear this was a hit, Hilary!
Really good. I let it marinade for 24hrs. Family loved it. Used Stubb’s bbq sauce. Will definitely make this again.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Paul!