Smell that? It’s the unmistakable fragrance of a barbecue chicken filling the summer air. Chicken often gets a bad rap for being an uninspiring choice of meat, but when thrown on the barbecue or grill, it transforms into something else. And there’s no denying Australians’ love affair with a barbecued chicken when the sun is warm and the days are long. So, we’ve pulled together our best barbecue chicken recipes that work as well for backyard get-togethers as they do quick and easy dinners.
We take inspiration from Japan and Korea with chicken yakitori and ssäm skewers; Indonesia with fast chicken satays and Balinese curried chicken; the Caribbean with Jamaican chicken wings and spiced chicken thighs with corn, avocado and lime; Greece with Hellenika’s excellent chicken souvlaki; and the US with our Southern-style bbq chicken recipe. Plus, in these recipes you’ll find a few tips and tricks for throwing a chicken on the barbecue and keeping it moist.
Sun’s out, tongs out. It’s time to barbecue some chook with our best barbecue chicken recipes.
Ben Williamson’s harissa chicken, smoked labne and charred lime
The smoke-kissed chook from Brisbane’s Agnes restaurant.
Hellenika’s chicken souvlaki
You’ve never had chicken souvlaki this good. This recipe, courtesy of Brisbane’s Hellenika, is sure to become your new go-to.
Tony Tan’s golden rules to making chicken satay
The superstar of South East Asian street food, satay is an ideal dish for the barbecue.
Fragrant chicken with sumac onions
The list of spices here may seem overwhelming, but rest assured they combine to create the most fragrant chicken you’ll come across.
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Yakitori Yurippi’s chicken and spring onion skewers
A simple side dish or starter that requires a handful of ingredients.
Bar Totti’s chicken wings with honey, lemon and rosemary
Let that sweet-sour glaze take you away.
Charred chicken wings in hot ancho and honey
Spice up your next barbecue with these fiery chicken wing skewers balanced with sweet honey.
JoyBird’s Balinese curried chicken
A whole chicken, slathered in yellow curry paste, and grilled over coals. Prepare for the flavour onslaught.
Chaco Bar’s chicken thigh skewers
A must for your at-home yakitori.
Barbecued spiced chicken with corn, avocado and lime
A sure-fire summer hit.
Barbecued chicken with blackened okra
This BBQ dish can be whipped up super quickly and is the ultimate crowd pleaser.
Chicken wings with adjika
Adjika, a paste of herbs, spices, capsicum and tomato, hails from Georgia and is a delicious way to add flavour to meat at the start or end of cooking. Here we use it as a marinade on chicken wings.
Chicken teriyaki with wasabi slaw
To add that hibachi flavour without the fuss, char the marinated chicken on a wire rack set over a gas flame instead of in a pan before you roast it (it will need a little longer in the oven).
Southern barbecue chicken drumsticks with mop sauce and potato salad
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Southern barbecue chicken drumsticks with mop sauce and potato salad.
Spiced chicken skewers
Classic chicken-on-a-stick with a spicy upgrade.
Paul Farag’s shawarma-spiced chicken with toum
Though you need to start this recipe a day ahead, it truly is minimal effort. Brined overnight, the chicken is moist and tender, elevated by the shawarma spice rub. This dish is a true show stopper.
Char-grilled palm-sugar chicken
Australian Gourmet Traveller Thai-style recipe for char-grilled palm-sugar chicken.
Grilled lemongrass chicken with tomato rice
Australian Gourmet Traveller fast recipe for grilled lemongrass chicken with tomato rice.
Grilled turmeric chicken with kohlrabi and pineapple
Australian Gourmet Traveller fast recipe for grilled turmeric chicken with kohlrabi and pineapple.
Thai-style grilled chicken (Gai yang)
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Thai-style grilled chicken (gai yang) by Tony Tan.
Char-grilled chicken with corn salad and buttermilk dressing
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for char-grilled chicken with corn salad and buttermilk dressing.
Aaron Turner’s sambal grilled chicken wings
You’ll want to cook extra wings – trust us, after one bite you’ll know why.
Charcoal-grilled chicken with aji (Pollo a la Brasa)
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for charcoal-grilled chicken with aji (Pollo a la Brasa).
Korean-style grilled chicken
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Korean-style grilled chicken.
Jerk chicken legs with rice and peas
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for jerk chicken legs with rice and peas.
Grilled chicken with salmoriglio
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for grilled chicken with salmoriglio.
Grilled chicken wings with nahm jim
Thai-style chicken wings with a punchy dipping sauce.
Duncan Welgemoed’s peri peri chicken
Africola chef Duncan Welgemoed shares his recipe for a spicy, smoked and juicy peri peri chicken. Smoking the chicken at the end with bay branches for a great perfume to the meat.
Como Shambhala’s spiced chicken skewers with barley, fruit and nut salad
Como Shambhala shares their recipe for spiced chicken skewers, served with a grainy barley salad.
Chicken ssäm skewers
Chicken ssäm skewers recipe – For chicken ssäm, combine all ingredients except chicken in a large bowl, then add chicken and mix well to coat. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight to marinate.
Grilled chicken sticks in chicken fat and sesame
These moreish chicken skewers, grilled over hot coals until crisp and charry, are perfect drinking food: convenient, compact and full of big flavours.
Smoky chilli chicken with barbecued corn, crushed avocado and soft tacos
A chicken taco never goes astray.
Fast chicken satay
Fire up the grill and keep the good times rolling.
Chicken skewers with carrot skordalia
Slightly charred and made for sharing, these chicken skewers will up your barbecue game.
Shawarma-spiced chicken with pomegranate tabbouleh
Labanieh takes this sharwarma dish to a luxurious new level. Begin this recipe a day ahead.
Spanish chicken and potato skewers with mojo verde
Spiced chicken and potato skewers are brightened with a zingy mojo sauce.
Barbecued oregano chicken with tzatziki and warm pita bread
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for barbecued oregano chicken with tzatziki and warm pita bread.
Barbecued lemongrass chicken with green mango salad
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for barbecued lemongrass chicken with green mango salad.
Tony Tan’s Malaysian barbecued chicken with kerabu rice salad
Malaysia’s favourite barbecued chicken, served with a savoury coconut sauce, is quite possibly the most fragrant bird you’ll meet and a cinch to make to boot.
Pancetta-wrapped barbecue chicken
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for pancetta-wrapped barbecue chicken.
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