A not-too-sweet, not-too-tangy barbecue sauce that everyone loves. Finishes in almost a glaze and would also be great on pork chops or ribs.

Favorite Barbecue Chicken

olive oil

onion

garlic,

ketchup

honey

brown sugar

apple cider vinegar

Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

chicken breast

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until tender. Stir in ketchup, honey, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Cook for a few minutes to thicken sauce. Remove from heat, and allow to cool.


Lightly oil the grill grate. Dip chicken in sauce, and turn to coat. Cook on grill for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once. Move chicken to the skillet with sauce. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side.


Since it's freezing outside, I decided not to grill, but baked the chicken instead.  I just put the chicken pieces in a baking dish and covered them with sauce.  I also added one tablespoon of prepared mustard to the sauce as well.  I won't be going back to the bottled stuff again, this sauce was delicious.

I doubled this recipe to feed four. To the sauce I did add a squirt dijon mustard and a touch of Liquid Smoke. This was a quick and easy chicken recipe.

Love to grill but had no time. Doubled the sauce recipe and put four frozen chicken breasts in crock pot, dumped the sauce on top - slow cooked about eight hours. House smelled so good when we got home. Serve with a bagged green salad and microwave baked potatoes with a little extra sauce and some shredded cheese on top. Delicious! Felt like someone had been home cooking dinner for us!

Wonderful recipe - I doubled it and used chili sauce instead of ketchup and put the chicken in the sauce to marinate all day reserving some for basting.  We did the whole thing on the grill and it was very good.

I made this for holiday dinner a few weeks ago.  I didn't have a grill, so I baked it, first covered, then uncovered to get a nice color.  It got very good feedback.

This is a great recipe.  I got quite a few compliments on this one.  I doubled the recipe and it was enough marinade and brushing sauce for 4 medium sized chicken breasts.  I stuck to the recipe as written except for one extra ingredient.  I mixed in a Tablespoon of Louisiana hot sauce to give it a little kick.  It actually didn’t taste all that hot to me, even after adding the hot sauce, but it added just enough heat to offset the sweetness of the sauce.  I used a red onion which gave the sauce a bolder flavor.  Next time I’ll add a little cayenne pepper because I like spiciness, but the recipe is fine the way it is.  After the sauce cooled I marinated the chicken for about 2 hours, then put the chicken breasts on a hot lightly oiled grill, and brushed the rest of the sauce on them as they cooked.  Delicious.

This chicken was a hit at our dinner party! I used a whole cut up chicken instead of chicken breasts, and it turned out wonderful!  I increased the sauce 4X, since we like extra sauce on the side.  This is a definite keeper!  Everyone wanted the recipe!

THIS WAS THE BEST CHICKEN EVER!! THE SAUCE WAS TO DIE FOR!! I SERVED IT WITH BUTTERY GLAZED CARROTS FROM THIS SITE AND BAKED POTATOES!! AMANDA KEEP THE GREAT RECIPES COMIN!

Excellent recipe. I cut the chicken into strips, doubled the sauce without doubling the brown sugar and honey, and added a little chilli powder, marinated them for 5 hours in the fridge, and grilled them on a stovetop grilling pan. My kids love them. Thank you for posting.

Quick and yummy! I didn't do the grilling part and cut the chick into strips. I simply added the chicken after heating the ingredients together. I thought this was really good over rice. Had a sweet flavor. Would definitely make again.

Delicious!  I baked the chicken breasts instead of grilling &amp; it was still a 5 star recipe!  I just poured the cooled sauce over the breasts in a 8x8 dish &amp; threw them in the oven.  No doubts that grilling would be stellar (no outdoor grill here in the city), but baking covered at 350 for 35 minutes turned out moist &amp; flavorful chicken breasts with that flavorful barbecue sauce glazed over the top.  We loved it!  Wouldn't change a thing!  Thanks for the recipe!

Very tasty if you have the time to marinate it overnight.  I didn't have honey so I did without, but it still tasted great!  Used wings and thighs instead of chicken breast cause we're red meat eaters... terrific!

WE like garlic, so I added extra garlic.  marinate a whole chicken cut-up over night. I had to quickly make another batch of the sauce after putting chicken on the grill,there just wasn't enought to baste with.  We will use this recipe again, only next time I will double the recipe.  will definately use it again.

Seriously delicious.  I was a bit worried when I was making the sauce... it smelled and tasted a lot like sweet and sour sauce.  I ended up marinating overnight, and threw them on the grill.  A giant fire ensued so I took them off the grill, and threw them in the oven with sauce.  Didn't end up tasting like sweet and sour at all! Perfectly balanced and tasty! Thank you!

Firt the picture shows chicken legs and the recipe calls for chicken breast.  While the sauce may be be, i have not tried it yet, any good BBQ knows hat anything BBQed is verslowed cooked.  It takes me about 2+ hours to cook.  Like most Southern cooks I have my own BBQ sauce recipe which is a family secret.  Meat, for the seasoning to be absorbed  must me applied 2-3 hours prior, or over night  I like to brag that when I BBQ chciken and ribs, hens and pigs line up to voulenteer to be my final product!

My family thought this was so good.  Followed directions to a "T".  Outstanding.  Thanks

I'm giving this a 4 because I needed to add something to really give this a barbecue taste.  I followed the directions and tasted the sauce before putting on the chicken and I knew it was missing something.  I added a few drops (maybe 1/2 teaspoon) of liquid smoke.  That was it.  Now it tastes like barbecue sauce and is 5 stars!  Yummy!  Will make this again.

This is so good! I left out the vinegar because I didn't have any but added a little Dale's sauce and a splash of Jack Daniel's whiskey. Baked it in the oven and it turned out great. Maybe next time will coat the chicken lightly with flour so the sauce will stick better. I'm thinking about shredding chicken &amp; putting this on baked potatoes--yum. Thanks for the great recipe!

My family loves my slightly altered version:  I use half the sugar and honey, and add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.  Yesterday I cooked 8 chicken drumsticks in the slow cooker with this marinade; 8 hours on low.  Absolutely delicious!

Holy cow, this chicken is AMAZING!  I've tried quite a few bbq chicken recipes from this site and this is the first that really blew my tastebuds away.  My bf, who really isn't a fan of bbq chicken but is a good sport and eats it when I make it anyway, took one bite of this chicken and said, "We're having this one again, right?"  I didn't change a thing and followed the recipe exactly.  It will now be the ONLY bbq sauce we use in our house.  Thanks so much Amanda!

Yum, yum, yum!  The only changes I made were using garlic olive oil and cutting back a bit on the brown sugar &amp; honey.  Definitely a keeper!  Thanks!

Marinated the chicken for about 8 hours in the sauce before grilling them up.  Great flavor and the sauce is easy to make.  Thanks for the recipe!

Hubby gave this a 2, said it was too bland.  I doubled the recipe and kept the honey and brown sugar at 1/4 cup.  I added a few shakes of hot sauce. I thought it was pretty good and worth trying again.

I served this at a BBQ this weekend and everybody raved about this chicken and what a great cook I am.  I marinated it overnight, but I think all day would be enough.  I was concerned that it would be too sweet but it wasn't.  It was very tender and tasty.

I, too, was concerned that it would be too sweet, but it was perfect.  Every picky eater in my family cleaned their plate, including my one-year-old.  This one's a keeper!

This is a good recipe. I gave it 4 stars because it did not taste much like barbecue sauce. It tastes more like a sweet and sour sauce. Although it is still good it was just not what I was expecting. I am still looking for a good homemade barbecue sauce.

This makes an excellent sauce for chicken.  It's almost like a cross between sticky and BBQ chicken.  Very easy, and had all of the ingredients on hand; this will become a staple in my house.

Not too sweet, fast, easy - not to mention very tasty!  I make it a lot!

Boy did we enjoy this barbecue chicken.  I followed and doubled the recipe except used legs and thighs.  Flavor was excellent and enjoyed by all.  Thank you for sharing.

I like this recipe because it doesn't have all that chili powder or cumin flavoring, that most BBQ sauces do.

I believe this was the best chicken my wife and I've ever eaten.  The amount used to feed four fed my wife and I just fine.  We used three breasts weighing about a 1LB.  

I did add a pinch more garlic, some additional honey and some Essence by Emeril - Fantastic!!

I've made this several times. The first time, I didn't include the worcestershire sauce because I didn't think I'd like it. The result was too sweet and really felt like it was missing something- so I tried it with the worcestershire and cut back a bit on the brown sugar and it was just perfect!
I love this especially because unlike store bought sauces, this is gluten free!

I made these in the oven since I don't own a grill and they were still pretty good.  I quadrupled the recipe and found that it was way too much sauce for cooking in the oven.  The chicken tasted great, but like I said, sauce overload.  The sauce was a little on the sweet side.  I added a couple of shakes of chili powder because it tasted too sweet with not enough tang, but I guess I needed more chili powder for it to really make a difference.  All in all, it was pretty good.  I'll make it again and see what I can do to make it a little less sweet.  My 2 1/2 year old ate it all up and my 11 month old begged for more (can't really talk, but he stood by my side begging for more...I think he ate more than I did!).  I served it with the "Perfect Baked Potato" (and those were out of this world fantatic...just like a steak house would do a baked potato) and a green salad.  Thanks for the recipe...it hit the spot for my craving of BBQ chicken.

Delicious though a little sweet for our tastes. (I'll delete the honey and sugar next time and increase the garlic)

Yum!!!!!!!  This barbecue sauce is excellent.  Very yummy.  Store-bought barbecue sauce will never live up to this!  Thanks for the share!

I wouldn't rate it if I hadn't followed the recipe exactly. I cannot figure out why everyone thinks it's so good. Even my son said the kitchen smelled bad. It seemed fine until I added the Worcestershire sauce. Then it really seemed unappetizing. We went through with it thinking cooking would help. Luckily, we had some store-bought sauce to mask the chicken when it was done.

This is amazing bbq Sauce.  Perfectly, sweet.  The only problem, is I didint make enough. Next time I will double the recipe.

This was really, really good.  Following the advice of other reviewers, I decreased the sweet ingredients - only used about 2 tbsp honey and 3/4 cup brown sugar - and thought the flavors were wonderful.  I liked the touch of putting the chicken back in the sauce after the grill.  We used bone-in chicken breasts and drumsticks for two generous servings plus leftovers.  This one will definitely be in the regular rotation, despite the mess it made on the grill!

I followed the recipe and think it is wonderful. Taking it to a pot luck tonight and I know it will be a big hit with the group of Mexican Train Dominoe players.  Hope I get some !!!

A nice chicken dish. I used this over chicken pieces. I baked them for one hour covered and then twenty minutes uncovered. It came out flavorful and tender.

This recipe was great. Rather than use a bbq, I made the sauce, poured it over chicken pieces and baked it in the oven for 1 hour at 350. Then I thickened the sauce and served it over rice. We absolutely loved it! This is a keeper!!

This was yummy! I did the recipe as is and it was easy and delicious. Next time I will add some celery seed,or a celery leaf to the sauce,I think that will enhance it.Thanks for sharing!

If it weren't for the onion pieces I'd drink this through a straw right out of the pan!!!  Made it exactly as stated only used canola oil instead of olive oil (didn't have it).  Can't wait for dinner.  Thanks for the great recipe!

Didn't grille instead cooked in a skillet...the recipe is good b/c you can tweak it to make it taste how you like...very easy and tasty!

This tasted terrific! I didn't have any cloves of garlic so I added garlic salt instead of the regular salt. I also added just a little less of the worcestershire sauce. I quadrupled the amount but didn't need to add as much olive oil as it called for making that much. My husband was impressed, and the kids loved it!

So yummy - and so much better than the bottled stuff from the store.  This is the first time that I have made my own BBQ sauce, and it was so simple, and so worth it.  The only mistake I made was not making enough.  My kids don't usually go nuts for BBQ chicken, but when they finished their piece, they were looking for more!

I used the sauce to marinate the chicken breasts throughout the day, reserving some for basting sauce. I made a large batch since I was making 4# of chicken and it didn't go to waste. My husband grilled the chicken thoroughly instead of brining it in and simmering it in the sauce as the recipe states. The chicken is wonderful and very tender. Received compliments by all. My 2 1/2 year old loved it.

We really enjoyed this sauce and the chicken was very moist. I made this with less sugar by using sugar free ketchup, Splenda brown sugar and didn't add the honey. It was plenty sweet enough without the added honey. I also put in 1/2 tsp of an oriental chili/garlic sauce and that added a little bit of heat to it.

This was a really nice bbq sauce/ sweet-sour sauce. Shakespeare said "a rose by any name would smell as sweet"! Doesn't matter what you call it, it tastes good, and a definite keeper. Some slight changes i made: I used soy sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce (because I didn't have any of the latter) and regular white spirit vinegar and a dash of brown vinegar, because that's what I had. I also added a Tbsp of bbq sauce in a bottle, it was the last dollop left so I didn't want it to waste, but it made a good difference. All else stayed the same. I marinated chicken breasts for half an hour, pan fried them and simmered with the sauce. It was lovely and saucy. Good recipe!

GREAT RECIPE! I absolutely love this recipe! It was really easy to make, and turned out great! My whole family loved it. It wasn't too sweet or to tangy. Just perfect. :)

A very good, very easy chicken recipe that I will definitely be repeating.  I made it two days in a row- once for my boyfriend and I, and once for my family.  Both had rave reviews!  I doubled the recipe and used chili sauce instead of ketchup.  I also used garlic oil instead of olive oil and garlic.  Doubled the recipe to make four breasts.  It turned out wonderful!

Just finished dinner and the best  chicken I have had in ages! It was so moist and tender...this recipe is a keeper, printed and in my files. I doubled the recipe, and had lots left over. I had no vinegar so had to get creative and used Italian dressing! I also substitued chopped dried garlic for the minced clove of garlic. It worked great. Barbequed on the grill this is definately a family and company dish.  Thanks, Amanda Anne!

this was good, almost a little too sweet though. my partner really loved it.
the honey/brown sugar loves to make the bbq flame up so make sure to watch the grill closely.

My family thought this recipe was wonderful.  It turned out perfect and I plan to use this recipe for when we have guests.  

Very easy and quick. Tangy, yet not overbearing. Well worth the effort.

I made this as written, although I grilled them for 30 min.  I put the sauce on first, and then again for the last 5.  My family ate twice the amount of chicken they normally do... the kids requested thirds.

This was very good. I did it with pork ribs. I simmered the ribs on low heat for one hour in the sauce, then cooled the ribs and sauce. I then marinated them overnight in the fridge in the sauce. The next day I put them on the BBQ, basting with the sauce as they cooked. They were so tender and juicy.

It's a favorite alright.  My son said, 
"You need to make this again!"  It will definitely go into the rotation. Like another reviewer, I baked it instead of grilling.  I live in apartments that don't allow the use of outside grills :(  I sprinkled 3 breasts w/ cajun seasoning and baked for about 10 minutes on 375. Then I poured the sauce over the breasts (I doubled the sauce), covered with foil and cooked until done. Not sure how long it was, I just kept checking them. Then I took the foil off and let the sauce get just a little thick then served with rice and veggies.  Yummy yummy yummy **Update** I made this again, this time with drumsticks and I put them in the slowcooker on low while I was at work, about 6 hours. Then I put them in the oven on 300 until the skin was slightly crisp. Yummy again - my husband liked this version more than the baked breasts.

Overall I just didn't think this was anything great, and it was also too much on the sweet side for me.  Once cooked down, things are never quite as strong so it was hard to say how sweet it would be until done.  I pretty much did cook it as is, except that I could tell the chicken would burn before getting done, so I put it in the microwave for just a bit and then returned it to the grill to finish. There was plenty of sauce for that amount of chicken.  I have to wonder how many people didn't notice it's only for 2 chicken breast halves and only 2 servings as well... it wasn't meant to be enough for a whole chicken.

I left out the garlic as it does not agree with me, and I added the mustard with some smoked paprika and chipotle oil.   Put chicken thighs into a baking tray and covered them with the sauce.  Baked in the oven for 15 minutes.  Delicious!

Great sauce for grilled chicken! Very easy to put together...and my kids even liked it! A super plus for me!!! This recipe is sure to be repeated throughout the grilling season!!!

excellent! i made 1.5 times the amount of sauce to make sure we had enough for 3 large boneless breasts. the barbeque flavor is just about perfect where it is however you can get it where you like by increasing the cider vinegar a notch for tartness or increase the brown sugar a tad for a sweetness. many thanks amanda!

My favorite marinade!!! I will never use another as long as I live, and I've tried them all. I always double the recipe because my family requests extra sauce on their plates everytime I make it. The sauce or glaze rather reminds me of the Jack Daniels sauce served at TGIF's. Thank you for sharing this.

Very bland! My husband nor I was impressed!

I am giving this 5 stars with a caveat.... First, there is no question that this is a great recipe!  My kids gave it 5 stars and then some. 
I used the bottled chili sauce instead of the ketchup but thought it could still use a little more zip.  Not sure what I would do to bump it up a notch.  Overall it was still really good and like I said my boys really loved it.

This was a great recipe!  I used chicken tenders (because that is what I had) and doubled the recipe.  I used some of the sauce to marinate the chicken put in the frig for about 30 min. and then while grilling the chicken added sauce to both sides (cooked on treated aluminum foil to keep down the mess).  Liked the taste so much that with remainder sauce used as a dip for the chicken.  Will definately make this again.

Loved this recipe.  I too don't like hot BBQ sauce or Mexican spices in mine, so this really fit the bill.  It is great on pork chops in the crock pot and I have put it on pork in the pressure cooker and it was wonderful.

I give this a 4 because hubby loved it...I didn't.  There was something about the taste of the sauce that just didn't work for me.

Sweet saucy and goes great with smokey baked beans and pasta salad

add cornstarch to thicken the sauce.  no need to heat the sauce.   just pour over the chicken and bake

I pan-fried chicken, then poured the sauce over and simmered.  Very good flavor, will be eating this lots more.

We were so excited to try this after reading the reveiws, but ended up really disappointed. Living in KC, my family is used to some pretty good barbecue.  No one liked this at all. It tasted like chinese chicken with the heavy glaze. Way to sweet for us. 

Really a great barbeque sauce!  I thought it might be too sweet but once the chicken was cooked with it on it was perfect!  Only thing I did different was add about 1 tsp liquid smoke and marinade the chicken in the cooled sauce for about 2 hours before grilling.  Will definitely make again.........and often!

Good, but waaay too sweet! I added more vinegar, some red pepper flakes and a little smoked paprika.  This made the sauce much more palatable for someone raised on Carolina-style barbecue but who also likes a "sticky" sauce every now and then!

Absolutely delicious!!! All 3 of my picky eaters ate dinner in silence as they gobbled it right up!! A new family favorite for us!! Thanks!

I LOVED IT BUT MY HUSBAND WASNT TO SURE. BUT THE PICKY EATING KIDS LOVED IT AS WELL,BUT YOU COULD TASTE THE K.U. 
MIGHT OF JUST OVER MEASURED

This recipe was okay, I still think its missing something to give it that umph!

Very Very Yummy.  Didn't have apple cider vinegar so used regular vinegar.  Still turned out great.  Thanks so much for the post.

Excellent recipe!  We added a little liquid smoke to it and it was great!! And by the way, it is great on ribs.  Thanks for the recipe!

This was really good! A tad sweet, so next time I may cut down the brown sugar by 1 T.  But I will be making this one again!  Served with brown rice and steamed asparagus.

I doubled the amount of sauce and put it on a whole chicken. I don't have a grill so I popped it in the oven. My boyfriend really liked it but I thought it had just a hint too much of vinegar. Still, this one's a keeper.

Very tasty. However, I advise not following the exact directions. Dipping uncooked chicken in the same sauce as cooked chicken is a good way to get salmonella.

Great recipe!  This was a hit with both my husband and and I.  Will make again soon.

GREAT recipe---friends and family kept raving about it.  I will definitely pass it on with no problem----I've always thought that those that won't give out their recipes are just snobs.  Life is short!!  Share, for Pete's sake!!!!

I'm giving this 5 stars even though my grill burned the chicken! The parts that didn't burn were delicious &amp; even my picky husband enjoyed it. Thank you so much.

The sauce never thickened enough to stick to the chicken-I simmered 30 min. I did marinate the chicken for about 7 hrs. The ketchup &amp; vinegar were the only flavors that stuck out in this-otherwise pretty blah. Sorry:(

Oh MAN was that good! I don't have a grill so I just made the sauce in a skillet, poured it into a saucepan, lightly boiled it while I sauteed my chicken breasts, then poured it over the breasts and simmered (covered) for about 5 minutes. I served it with plain brown rice and we scarfed it down. We were practically licking our plates! One note: it made enough sauce for at least 3 pieces of chicken. It would also make a great dipping sauce for chicken nuggets!

My family liked this chicken but I thought it had a bit to much vinegar for my liking.

This was a big hit in my house.  I am not a fan of barbecue sauce, but, I thought this one was pretty good because it had a nice tang and didn't use molasses.  My husband loved it though!   It was quick and easy to get together.  I did have to simmer my sauce for about 15 minutes to get the consistency I wanted.   I also didn't add the chicken back to the pan because I didn't have a pan that could go on the grill.  Very tasty!

Made this for friends tonight and everyone loved it. I wouldn't change the recipe at all. I cooked 8 chicken breast and tripled the sauce recipe. It was enough to baste a couple of additional times as I turned the chicken while cooking. Already emailed the recipe to our friends.

This is my family's new favorite for grilled chicken!  I did make one small change; used bone-in chicken thighs, drumsticks and wings, but I didn't touch the recipe otherwise.  Will make often.

I also just baked this. I was worried about the sauce because of other reviews and when I tasted it prior to putting on the chicken, I choked because of the strong vinegar presence. But somehow when it baked, it didn't bug me anymore. The chicken was moist all the way through and my 3 year old (who refuses to eat meat usually) ate a whole breast all on her own! I will make it again, it's not a lot of work and we don't eat bottled BBQ sauce... but few can top this one anyway.

This is my new favorite sauce! It was amazing on boneless thin cut porkchops. I didn't have honey or vinegar or worcestire, but I thought I'd try it anyway! I skipped the honey &amp; vinegar, and used 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce. (I had to double the sauce to cover 6 chops). I dipped the chops in the glaze and grilled them for about 15 minutes without returning them to the skillet because they were perfect...a little overdone, if anything. We will be making this again for sure!

favorite barbecue chicken

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total: 40 minutes

Servings: 2

Author : Allrecipes

Ingredients

Instructions

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