Grilled Sriracha Barbecue Chicken — EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the chicken is just spicy enough with that perfect BBQ chicken flavor! Grilled peppers on the side makes for the PERFECT summer meal that’s accidentally HEALTHY but oh so DELICIOUS!
Spicy BBQ Chicken on The Grill
The chicken is spicy enough but not too spicy with the perfect amount of barbecue sauce flavor. There’s just nothing like the flavor of chicken on the grill.
If you like things extra spicy, I would add extra sriracha sauce to kick things up a few notches.
And then give this Grilled Sriracha Lime Chicken recipe a try too since it’s got plenty of firepower and with lime too!
Red and orange bell peppers and red onion are lightly charred to crisp-tender perfection and are easily grilled alongside the chicken in a grill basket.
Whether you want to use this recipe to kick off summer and Memorial Day Weekend, for Father’s Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, or use it to please all your hungry fans for tailgating or game day parties, those heat-seekers will be thrilled with how amazing this grilled chicken recipe is!
Spicy BBQ Chicken Ingredients
To make the spicy bbq marinade, I started off using nearly a full bottle of this Sriracha Barbecue Sauce.
I doctored it up by adding a bit more:
- Sriracha
- Olive oil
- Lime juice
You can really start with most any barbecue sauce and then add sriracha, to taste.
As with any chicken marinade, there’s a lot of flexibility.
How Long to Marinate Chicken Before Grilling?
I like to marinate my chicken overnight for the full and tenderizing effects, but if you’re running short on time, even 30 to 60 minutes will do.
How to Make Spicy BBQ Chicken on the Grill
This spicy bbq chicken recipe is so easy to make! Here are the basic steps:
- To a large ziptop plastic bag, add the chicken, sriracha barbecue sauce, sriracha, lime juice, olive oil, and black pepper. Seal and smoosh around to evenly coat the chicken.
- Place bag in fridge for at least 30 minutes, or overnight, to marinate.
- Lightly oil grill grates and preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken to one side of the grill, discard the bag with the marinade, and grill the chicken for about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side with lid closed.
- Flip over the chicken and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on the second side with lid closed.
- Optionally garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
Other Veggies to Grill
As long as I had the grill fired up, I also threw some veggies into my grill basket for a complete all-in-one meal on the grill. I used a red and orange red bell pepper as well as a red onion.
As alternatives, try:
Tips for the Best Grilled Spicy BBQ Chicken
Chicken cuts: As a shortcut, I used thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts. Their thinner size makes for faster grilling times and much more even cooking.
This recipe would be even faster with chicken breast tenders or sometimes called breast cutlets or medallions, but as it is with the thin-sliced breasts I only needed to grill them for about 4 minutes per side and they were done.
Many times with large chicken breasts on the grill, I struggle to keep the outside from becoming overly dark before the interior is fully cooked through but with either thin-sliced or breast tenders, you don’t have to worry about that.
Pound your chicken: If you are going to use “normal” chicken breasts, which tend to be thick on one side and thinner on the other, I highly recommend pounding the chicken with a meat tenderizer to make them uniform for even cooking.
Grilling the veggies: I highly recommend a grill basket for the peppers and onion. Trying to grill peppers directly on the grill grates is always tricky because they like to fall through and you really have to flip them one-by-one and babysit them which is no fun.
Throw them in a grill basket, douse with olive oil, salt and pepper, and just stir it with your grill tongs a few times while the chicken is grilling. So easy!
What To Serve with The Best Grilled Sriracha Barbecue Chicken
Whether you’re making this easy grilled chicken for Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, tailgating, or for a casual backyard barbecue, you’ll need some sides, right!
I’ve got you covered with these family favorite sides:
- Classic Macaroni Salad – This fast and easy pasta salad recipe with tender elbow macaroni, bell peppers, carrots, celery, ham, and a super creamy dressing is a family FAVORITE! You can add cubed cheddar cheese, too.
- Bacon Potato Salad – This no mayonnaise Potato Salad with Bacon is ready in just 30 minutes! It’s a vinegar potato salad the whole family will love!
- German Potato Salad – A classic potato salad made with tender red potatoes, bacon, onions, and a tangy vinegar dressing! This no-mayo potato salad is a family favorite side dish that’s perfect for parties, picnics, and potlucks!
- Taco Pasta Salad — EASY, ready in 20 minutes, and loaded with great Mexican-inspired ingredients including corn, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado, and more!! Perfect for picnics, parties, and potlucks!
- Watermelon Margarita – This tropical and refreshing Watermelon Margarita recipe is perfect with its bright red color and fresh flavor! A must-make to wash down the spicy chicken!
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Additional Time
30 minutes
Total Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 1/2 pounds thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts (I had 4 breasts)
- 16 ounces Sriracha Barbecue Sauce (or use your favorite barbecue sauce)
- 1/4 cup sriracha, or to taste (if using a regular barbecue sauce, add more to get the full flavor and heat if desired)
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Vegetables
- 1 large red bell pepper, sliced into 1/2-inch wide strips
- 1 large orange bell pepper, sliced into 1/2-inch wide strips
- 1 medium red onion, diced into wide wedges or segments
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- To a large ziptop plastic bag, add the chicken, sriracha barbecue sauce, sriracha, lime juice, olive oil, black pepper, seal, and smoosh around to evenly coat chicken.
- Place bag in fridge for at least 30 minutes, or overnight, to marinate.
- Lightly oil grill grates and preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Add the peppers and onions to a grill basket, evenly drizzle with olive oil, evenly season with salt and pepper, and toss with your grilling tongs to evenly coat.
- Add the chicken to one side of the grill, place the grill basket on the other side of the grill, discard the bag with the marinade, and grill chicken for about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side with lid closed, flip, and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on the second side with lid closed, or until chicken is cooked through and as done as desired.
- While chicken cooks, intermittently stir the peppers and onions with your tongs and cook as long as desired noting they may finish a minute or two faster than the chicken.
- Optionally garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
Chicken
Vegetables
Notes
Chicken is best fresh but extra will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 661Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 3568mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 4gSugar: 27gProtein: 56g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate and in this case, there is plenty of marinade that is discarded which is artificially inflating the calories, sodium, sugar, and fat that’s in the discarded portion of the marinade.
More Easy Grilled Chicken Recipes:
Grilled Sriracha Lime Chicken – EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the chicken is SPICY, tender, and juicy!! Put this HEALTHY chicken recipe on your summer menu when you want to kick things up a notch!!
Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken – EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the chicken is so TENDER, juicy, and full of Mexican-inspired flavor!! Put this HEALTHY chicken recipe on your summer menu rotation and it’ll be a hit with everyone!!
Spicy Garlic Grilled Chicken – An EASY homemade marinade made with everyday ingredients that produces super FLAVORFUL, juicy chicken!! If you’re looking for a NEW marinade to jazz up grilled chicken, this is the one!!
Grilled Honey BBQ Chicken — Tender, juicy, full of FLAVOR, and a great recipe to jazz up grilled bbq chicken. EASY, healthy, ready in 10 minutes, zero cleanup, perfect for backyard barbecues or easy weeknight dinners!
Grilled Sweet and Spicy Basil Chicken — EASY, amazing, PERFECTLY grilled chicken that’s sweet-and-spicy with tons of FRESH basil flavor! Learn how to make the BEST grilled chicken and serve it with a side of lightly charred grilled vegetables! Perfect for summer barbecues, picnics, potlucks, and grilling season!
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken with Guacamole — EASY, ready minutes, and the chicken is tender, juicy, and full of Mexican-inspired flavors!! Chunky guacamole pairs PERFECTLY with this grilled chicken! A family favorite recipe everyone loves!!
Grilled Pineapple Chicken — EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the flavor of the juicy chicken makes you feel like you’re on a TROPICAL island!! Grilled peppers on the side makes for the PERFECT summer meal that’s HEALTHY and DELICIOUS!!
Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Skewers — Fast, easy, and loaded with sweet-and-savory pineapple teriyaki flavor! Made with just a handful of basic ingredients, these grilled chicken skewers will be a family FAVORITE!
Hawaiian Grilled Chicken and Pineapple — Transports you to Hawaii with every bite of this tender, juicy chicken and the grilled pineapple seals the deal!!
Grilled Lemon Chicken – EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the chicken is so TENDER, juicy, and full of LEMON flavor!! With grilled broccoli on the side, this is a HEALTHY recipe perfect for swimsuit season that tastes AMAZING!!
Sweet Chili Grilled Chicken – Tender, juicy, and full of flavor from the sweet chili sauce! Easy, healthy, ready in 10 minutes, zero cleanup, perfect for backyard barbecues or easy weeknight dinners!
Peach Chili Grilled Chicken – Tender, juicy, and full of flavor from the sweet peach preserves and chili garlic sauce! The perfect contrast! Easy, healthy, ready in 10 minutes, zero cleanup, perfect for backyard barbecues or easy weeknight dinners!
Foil Pack Barbecue Chicken – Ready in 15 minutes and such an easy way to enjoy barbecue chicken on the grill! A delish and healthy meal made in a foil pack with zero cleanup!
Grilled Chicken With Watermelon Mango Mint Salsa – The chicken is tender, juicy, and the EASY salsa made with watermelon, mango, and mint adds so much fresh FLAVOR!! Healthy, FAST, EASY, zero cleanup, perfect for backyard barbecues or easy weeknight dinners!!
Grilled Tandoori Chicken – Recreate this Indian favorite QUICKLY and EASILY at home!! If you’re looking for a new spin on grilled chicken, this is THE recipe to try! Super juicy, flavorful, and you’ll LOVE IT!!
Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Kabobs – Juicy chicken and crisp vegetables coated in a sweet-and-tangy sauce! Great for parties or easy weeknight dinners! Everything tastes better grilled!
Originally posted June 22, 2020 and reposting September 1, 2023 with updated text.
