Orange Barbecue Grilled Chicken Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you put BBQ sauce on chicken before or after grilling? ›

Barbecue sauce typically contains sugar that will brown faster than the meat. This can make it difficult to tell when the chicken is done. To ensure you don't pull the chicken off too soon, add the BBQ sauce when you're nearly done cooking the meat.

Most grillers will apply the sauce first and then continue to baste the chicken with sauce while it cooks. This is a common practice, but it can lead to burning your chicken. You want the chicken to slowly cook to perfection and then add the sauce during the final 10 to 15 minutes of cooking.

How to make the orange chicken sauce. The orange sauce is made from a mixture of the orange juice and zest, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and rice vinegar. This is bubbled up in the wok until slightly thickened. The chicken is then added back in, and tossed in the sauce until fully coated.

Cook your chicken breast on the grill for 6-8 minutes on one side. Flip your chicken. After 6-8 minutes open your grill lid and flip your chicken breast with tongs. A great tip is to only flip your chicken breast once so that it stays nice and juicy (and creates delicious grill marks!)

Grilled BBQ Chicken Recipe FAQs

I always marinate chicken before grilling because it keeps it moist and infuses it with flavor. Is it good to marinate chicken in BBQ sauce? Yes! I use BBQ sauce in this recipe because it helps tenderize the meat and infuse every bite with flavor.

The key to the most flavorful BBQ chicken:

It's all in the marinade. Marinating the chicken in your BBQ sauce before grilling infuses every bite with flavor. At least two hours will do the trick, though the longer the chicken gets cozy with the marinade, the better it will be.

Jake's Famous Foods explains that sugar burns at between 265 and 275 degrees Fahrenheit. So if you're barbecuing at a temperature higher than this, you should avoid adding the barbecue sauce early on. If you do, even barbecue sauce that isn't high in sugar will eventually burn.

Adding fruit juices like apple, pineapple, mango, or any citrus (orange, lemon, lime, or grapefruit) can lighten and add freshness to a sauce and will cut any greasiness with bright acidity. Brown sugar can also help when you find a sauce that is too tangy or vinegary.

Adding garlic or onion powder are standard flavors for barbecue, but get a little creative and try out different chile powders, peppers, cumin, or dried herbs to add body to the sauce.

To thicken the sauce, remix the cornstarch slurry to remix any cornstarch that has sunk to the bottom, then add it straight into the orange sauce. Mix until thickened (about 30 seconds). The consistency should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

How do you thicken orange chicken sauce without cornstarch? ›

Arrowroot powder: Arrowroot powder is a fine, gluten-free powder you can use in place of cornstarch as a thickening agent because it has a similar thickening power. Substitute arrowroot powder one-to-one for cornstarch.

In most countries in the western hemisphere, the names "orange chicken", "orange peel chicken", "orange-flavored chicken", and "tangerine chicken" are typically used for this particular dish. This dish may have originally come from the "tangerine chicken" dish from Hunan, China.

Olive oil helps to brown the outside of the chicken, bringing it to a beautiful golden color, while still maintaining the meat's internal moistness. This is especially important when grilling, as chicken can quickly become dried out when cooked directly over the grill's heat.

Cover the grill and cook undisturbed for 20 to 30 minutes. Turn over, baste, and cook until done: Turn the chicken pieces over and baste them with your favorite barbecue sauce. Cover the grill again and allow to cook for another 15 to 20 minutes.

It is recommended to brown the chicken first before adding it to the sauce. Browning the chicken adds flavor and helps it retain moisture during the cooking process. You can pan-sear the chicken in a little oil until it develops a golden brown crust before transferring it to the sauce.

BBQ sauce can be used as a cooking ingredient, especially in slow-cooked dishes like stews, soups, and chili. It adds flavor and depth to the dish while helping to tenderize the meats.

That would be when the meat is about 10 minutes away from being done. You want to give the sauce enough heat to begin to caramelize, adding rich flavor, but not enough heat where it will reach the burning stage. Begin brushing on the sauce, adding two or three more coats until you remove the meat from the grill.