This Asian BBQ Chicken recipe is always on my most-requested list. I often make it for company because it’s such a reliable hit. If you haven’t discovered this one, then definitely put it on your to-make list! Chicken thighs soak up a great marinade with flavors including soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, garlic and ginger. Make sure to check out my recommendations for side dishes at the end of this post, because it’s especially great with some of our coordinating rice sides.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Marinade
- Brown Sugar – This adds the perfect balance of sweetness. Use light or dark.
- Soy Sauce – My favorite brand is Aloha, but feel free to use any brand you like. With the exception of Aloha brand, I suggest a low-sodium soy sauce.
- Lime Juice – I recommend using a fresh lime, as opposed to bottled lime juice. If you don’t have fresh lime juice, I would recommend True Lime crystals. I always have a big shaker jar of True Lime in my cupboard!
- Cayenne pepper – This marinade is not spicy. The Cayenne just adds a little kick of flavor.
- Curry powder
- Fresh garlic
- Ginger – This recipe calls for fresh ginger, which I think is especially great. I’ve also used powdered dry ginger in a pinch and that will work as well, if you don’t have fresh.
Chicken
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs – I highly recommend chicken thighs for this recipe because they stay tender on the grill and soak up the marinade beautifully. If you’d rather use chicken breasts, I recommend cutting them in half or pounding them thin before marinating so they will cook through quickly on the high heat of the grill before the sugar in the marinade burns.
- Green onions – For garnish.
How to Make Asian BBQ Chicken
- This couldn’t be easier: combine all of the marinate ingredients in a zip-top bag and and add the chicken thighs. Let those hang out in the fridge for a few hours.
- When dinner time rolls around, grill those babies up in just a few minutes!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover cooled chicken in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- I actually like to make 1.5 times the marinade and reserve a little (before adding the raw chicken) to brush on in the last few minutes of cooking and/or drizzle over the top before serving.
- One of the reasons I love this chicken is that it can be served with so many things. You can go Asian-ish, or Thai-ish, or Polynesian-ish. I love it with this Lime-Cilantro Rice with Pineapple, and it’s also great with Sweet and Savory Coconut Rice, or even Fried Rice. When I made it for these photos I made some Jasmine rice and when it was done cooking I added a few pats of butter, a handful of both sliced green onions and cilantro, some diced mango and salt and pepper.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, just make sure they are cut or pounded thin before marinating. Chicken thighs are much more forgiving on the grill and full of flavor, so I definitely prefer them here!
You can definitely get these chicken thighs marinating early. They can marinate up to 12 hours. If you want to plan ahead even more, make the marinade and pop it in the fridge the day before. Once ready to grill, these cook up super fast!
We have had readers report that they have had success putting the marinade and chicken directly into the slow cooker or pressure cooker without marinading. Keep in mind if you try either of these that the marinade may be quite salty when essentially turned into a sauce. I would probably dilute it a little with chicken broth if using it in this way. Cooking this recipe in either of these manners will change the texture of the chicken (think shreddable and saucy) and will not result in the delicious outer layer the barbecue provides, but the delicious flavors will all still be there.
Asian BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice about 1 lime
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon curry powder
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, fresh grated
Chicken
- 8 chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- green onions, sliced for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Combine everything but the chicken and optional green onions in a small bowl. (See note.) Whisk to dissolve brown sugar. Place marinade and chicken in a zip-lock bag. Pop that bag in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, or longer if you have it (even overnight).
- Preheat a grill (or an indoor grill pan or broiler). Spray cooking surface with cooking spray and place chicken on it to cook. Cook for 5-10 minutes on each side depending on the thickness. Using a digital thermometer, cook chicken until it is a minimum temperature of 165°F. However, you’ll want to aim for between 170-175°F for improved flavor and texture.
- Optional: garnish with sliced green onions.
Notes
- Store leftover cooled chicken in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- I actually like to make 1.5 times the marinade and reserve a little (before adding the raw chicken) to brush on in the last few minutes of cooking and/or drizzle over the top before serving.
- One of the reasons I love this chicken is that it can be served with so many things. You can go Asian-ish, or Thai-ish, or Polynesian-ish. I love it with this Lime-Cilantro Rice with Pineapple, and it’s also great with Sweet and Savory Coconut Rice, or even Fried Rice. When I made it for these photos I made some Jasmine rice and when it was done cooking I added a few pats of butter, a handful of both sliced gre
Nutrition
Questions & Reviews
I’m making this tonight!
Just one comment: your link to Lime-Cilantro Rice with Pineapple doesn’t go to the right page. Just FYI.
Feel free to delete this comment.
Sarah, any of those will work! If you use the Foreman, don’t put the top down on it, just use it like a grill pan (like you said) and flip the chicken. You could also use your broiler. I would coat your pan in foil first because the sugar might burn and make a mess, but the chicken should turn out just fine, just cook a few minutes on each side. Enjoy!
ok I live in an apartment and don’t have a grill so I was wondering what the best cooking method would be — I have a george foreman grill so I didn’t know if that would be okay but I seem to always overcook the meat when I use that (maybe just use it but without putting the top down, and flip the chicken like I’m using a regular grill?), I have a stove-top skillet, and obviously an oven with a broil option as well.
I made this tonight with your coconut rice and some grilled pineapple and my husband and I loved it!! He said it was the best new recipe I’ve tried in a while!! Will definitely make again!!
We just had this chicken for dinner and is was great! We made it with chicken breast though. Thanks for sharing!
My husband made this for dinner last night and I almost died and went to heaven! I was browsing your site the other day and when he spotted the picture he decided it had to get done. We both LOVED LOVED LOVED it, just like everything else we make from your blog, but especially this one. He decided to add some sesame seeds which worked really well. Thank you for inspiring him to cook!
Do you have any ideas for substitutes for soy sauce? My husband has soy allergies.
I really don’t Sally- sorry!
Just found your blog! Can’t believe what I have been missing. We made the BBQ Asian Chicken and Fried Rice last night. It was a hit. I thought my husband and I were going to be eating leftovers for a week, but we had to fight with the kids on who got to finish everything off. Both recipes are going in my favorites. I also ordered your cook book right away. I can’t wait to try everything.
YUM!!! I made this the other night along with the mango rice and they were both SO good! I especially loved that mango rice. My husband said he likes it even better than your pineapple rice. (Which he likes a lot.) I didn’t have chicken things so I just used chicken breasts and they were great. Thanks for the awesome recipes- as always!
Love this! One question…the recipe calls for cayenne pepper but the instructions show crushed red pepper…which one?! I went with the crushed red pepper and it was a HUGE it with my husband and 4 kids. After removing the chicken from the ziplock bag to put it on the grill, I put another round of chicken thighs into the marinade and tossed it in the freezer for later use.
Ha, I didn’t even realized I did that! So the answer is, it doesn’t really matter 🙂 Either or…