BBQ Split Chicken Breasts
These BBQ Split Chicken Breasts are marinated overnight and then brushed with a barbecue basting sauce while on the grill. They are tender, juicy and full of summer flavor!
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Where has this summer gone? I feel like I spent hours staring at the snow last winter and wishing that Old Man Winter would head back to his home. Then summer finally arrived, and now it’s already mid-September. I’m just a little bit surprised at how fast these past months have flown by! Am I the only one?
I guess I can’t complain too much because my wife and I have certainly made the most of this summer! A couple of months ago, we went down to Nashville, TN to visit my sister and her family (including our brand new niece, Blakely). While we were there, my sis took us out to a restaurant in a small town about 30 minutes outside of Nashville. When I say small town, I mean small town. I don’t recall any stoplights, and the entire town was about 2 blocks long. But what makes this town awesome is they had a full replica of The General Lee as well as Boss Hogg’s patrol car from The Dukes of Hazzard. Did anyone else watch that show? I loved that show when I was a kid, and I always imagined that I would be best friends with Bo and Luke Duke. (And I may or may not have had a teenage crush on Daisy Duke…just sayin’)
Anyhoo, this town also had an awesome little restaurant that was half-country store and half-restaurant. They served down home Southern food, and there was a country band up on a small stage playing while we ate. (It is Nashville, after all…you knew country music had to work it’s way in somehow!)
My wife ordered some delicious fried chicken, and I opted for grilled barbecue chicken. Needless to say, our food was amazing! I was recently thinking back to our trip to Tennessee, and I decided I needed some delicious BBQ chicken. And so these BBQ Split Chicken Breasts were born. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
BBQ Split Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 2 pounds split chicken breasts bone-in and skin-on
For the Marinade
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp hot sauce
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the BBQ Basting Sauce
- ¼ cup favorite barbecue sauce
- ¼ cup apple juice
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp mustard
- 1½ Tbsp hot sauce
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
For the Marinade
- Combine all of the Marinade ingredients in a medium bowl, and whisk together until well mixed.
- Place Marinade in a large re-sealable plastic bag. (If necessary, split the marinade and chicken into two bags.) Add the split chicken breasts and squeeze any air out of the bag; refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
For the BBQ Basting Sauce
- Combine all of the BBQ Basting Sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk together until well mixed; set aside.
For the BBQ Chicken
- Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat.
- Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off any excess liquid.
- Place the split chicken breasts on the grill bone side down, and cook for 13-15 minutes.
- Flip chicken breasts and cook skin side down for 5-7 more minutes.
- Flip chicken breasts over and brush generously with the BBQ Basting Sauce. (Discard any remaining Basting Sauce.)
- Continue cooking bone side down for another 5-7 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.
Popie would have approved this chicken – yum!
That’s right! I totally forgot that he’d always grill split chicken breasts in the backyard!
YUM. You forgot to mention the 45 minute rendition of…well.. I don’t know WHAT song it was.. but the old man certainly rocked it.
Haha! I totally thought about that, but I had no idea where to begin…or end. Kinda like that guy. Although he definitely rocked it out in his mind. Good times!!
Yes, I’m commenting on a non-dessert or sweet post. LOL! I couldn’t pass by these beautiful chicken breasts without saying how delicious they look. I’m a SC girl so I love some good BBQ chicken. Now I want chicken. Is it too early? 🙂
Thank you, Tamara! I mean you can’t eat ONLY sweets, right? Haha! I actually grew up in Charleston and then spent many summers in upstate SC with my grandparents when I was a kid. I love SC! Oh, and it’s never too early for BBQ chicken! 🙂
That’s cool. I’m from the Pee Dee area, Florence specifically. We spent many summers and weekends in Myrtle Beach and a lot of time in Charleston as well. Charleston is a beautiful city!
Buttermilk, rosemary and BBQ sauce make everything better, and that is just one of the facts of life. You do some fabulous things on the grill, David! I just want to grab one and bite into it! Mmmm weakness for BBQ chicken. Pinned!
Well, I would argue that there are a couple of other things on that “make everything better” list, Lindsey…starting with maple syrup! Ohhh, how about a maple BBQ sauce? That might need to happen.
Buttermilk is the perfect marinade! I’m all ready to fire up the grill with your recipe 🙂
Thanks, Becca! We still got a little bit longer with our grills before the snow takes over. These would be perfect for gameday!
I am fascinated by this little town – no stoplights anywhere??? Sounds definitely like my kinda place!!! I might have to move…but – the way I drive – they might end up putting in some stoplights!! 🙂
Summer went by way way too quick – it was in the 50s down here this morning -I had to crank on my car heater! I am gonna hope chicken like this helps me hold onto summer – or at least pretend to! I mean – nothing wrong with grilling with gloves on right? Apple juice and hot sauce in the BBQ sauce has me so intrigued!
I know! I’m guessing this is the kind of town where everyone literally knows everyone else. There’s something kind of charming about that, though. Until you realize that the grocery store is just the corner of a gas station. Haha!
50’s in Atlanta already? Wow, now that is chilly! And this BBQ basting sauce is legit…I can’t say it’ll make the summer come back, but we can at least pretend. And I have zero problem grilling with gloves on, too. 🙂
I bet the flavour of this is amazing. Marinating it over night makes such a difference, doesn’t it.
I think marinating chicken is really the best way to go on the grill. It always seems to be so dry if you don’t. This marinade is pretty amazing…the buttermilk is the key!
Man, I love Nashville, it’s such a great city. The music, the food, the people, I love it.
My friend Kelly is originally from there, and one time he took me and a couple of other friends to his family house for a weekend. We had such a blast, I can’t wait to go back.
Next time I’m going, you must to tell me where this little town is. I need to take a picture with General Lee, it’s my dream car since I was 6. For real.
BTW that Basting BBQ sauce is to die for, which brand of hot sauce did you use? Frank’s Red Hot?
Haha. Wouldn’t you love to get a pic with the General Lee? Next time you head to Nashville, let me know and I’ll get you the directions. We grabbed lunch at a fun, little general store…definitely worth stopping in! I agree with you about Nashville, too…it’s an awesome city. Oh, and yes, I did use Frank’s Red Hot for the BBQ basting sauce.