Barbecue chicken

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Marinated chicken on a barbecue Chicken BBQ.jpg
Marinated chicken on a barbecue
Another barbecued chicken dish Barbecue chicken-02.jpg
Another barbecued chicken dish

Barbecue chicken consists of chicken parts or entire chickens [1] that are barbecued, grilled or smoked. There are many global and regional preparation techniques and cooking styles. Barbecue chicken is often seasoned or coated in a spice rub, barbecue sauce, or both. Marinades are also used to tenderize the meat and add flavor. Rotisserie chicken has gained prominence and popularity in U.S. grocery markets. Barbecued chicken is one of the world's most popular barbecue dishes. [2]

Contents

Preparation

Various techniques exist for cutting poultry for barbecuing, including skewering, butterflying, halving [3] quartering and using individual pieces.[ citation needed ]

Regional variations

Pukhtun chicken tikka with a variety of other dishes cooked by barbecueing Chicken Tikka.jpg
Pukhtún chicken tikka with a variety of other dishes cooked by barbecueing

Regional variations in the preparation of barbecue chicken include culinary variance in preparation, cooking and saucing techniques.

Asia

In Asia, barbecue chicken is sometimes cubed and marinated in a spiced soy-based sauce, then threaded onto skewers and grilled. [4]

India

Chicken legs are being barbequed in Assam, India. Barbequed Chicken legs.jpg
Chicken legs are being barbequed in Assam, India.

In India, similar variations of barbecue chicken like chicken tikka and tandoori chicken are eaten.[ citation needed ]

Iran

In Iranian cuisine, jujeh kabab is a dish consisting of grilled chicken.[ citation needed ]

Mongolia

In Mongolia, the term shashlyks may refer to barbecue chicken. [5]

Thailand

Kai yang, also sometimes referred to as gai yang, [6] [7] is a popular barbecue chicken street food in Thailand. This dish has many variations. [7]

Australia

Grilled chicken wings are a popular dish in Australia. [8] Some Australian take-away stores purvey rotisserie chicken. [9]

Europe

Portugal

Barbecued chicken piri piri Chicken Piripiri,26 July 2015 (2).JPG
Barbecued chicken piri piri

Frango no churrasco is a Portuguese barbecue chicken dish. [10] Piri piri peppers are sometimes used to flavor the dish. [11] In Portugal, frango de churrasco is a common grilled chicken dish that is prepared at many churrascarias in the country. [12] Portuguese churrasco and chicken dishes are very popular in countries with Portuguese communities, such as Canada, Australia, the United States, Venezuela and South Africa.

Ukraine

In Ukraine, the terms shashlyks or kurka refers to barbecue chicken.[ citation needed ]

North America

In North America, barbecue chicken is often seasoned with a spice rub, then coated with a tomato based barbecue sauce, and grilled.[ citation needed ] Some versions only use a spice rub and don't use sauce. [13] Barbecue chicken can also be prepared in pressure cookers, in which the chicken is cooked inside the cooker with barbecue sauce, [14] and in slow cookers. [15]

Canada

Barbecue chicken is a popular dish in French Canadian fast food restaurants. [16]

Caribbean

A plate of jerk chicken, with rice, plantains, carrots and green beans Jerk chicken plate.jpg
A plate of jerk chicken, with rice, plantains, carrots and green beans

In Cuba, some palladores (privately run Cuban restaurants)[ citation needed ] offer barbecue chicken. [17] Additionally, street vendors may offer the dish. [18]

In Jamaica, barbecued chicken flavored with Jamaican jerk spice is a common dish. [2] In the past, spices and wild chili peppers were used to preserve meat in Jamaica. [19]

In the French West Indies, "buccaneer-style" chicken is a popular dish. [20] A modern preparation involves marinating chicken for 24 hours in a mixture of lime, spices, vegetables, vinegar and other ingredients, and then smoking the chicken. [20]

Mexico

Street food stalls that serve breakfast and lunch dishes, called loncherias, sometimes offer barbecue chicken. [21] Pollo al carbon is popular in northern Mexico. [22]

United States

In Alabama, egg- or mayonnaise-based white sauces are sometimes served with barbecue chicken at the table as a dipping sauce. [23] [24] This has been described in the book 1,000 Places to See in the United States and Canada Before You Die as being more common in northern Alabama, particularly in northwest Alabama. [25] Per the same book, barbecue in southern Alabama tends to have sauces that are tomato-based. [25]

California Pizza Kitchen, a restaurant chain founded in California, is the original creator of barbecue chicken pizza. [26]

In the U.S. state of Georgia, slightly sweet sauces with mustard are used on chicken. [27]

Starting in 1946 Dr. Robert C. Baker, a food science professor at Cornell University, developed a method for barbecuing chicken that utilized above-ground broilers and a tangy, vinegar-based sauce. [28] [29] Baker's chicken recipe became popular and widely used throughout Upstate New York and surrounding regions, often made and sold at fire department fundraisers. [28] [30] Baker and his family sold their chicken from a stand at the New York State Fair along with chicken nuggets, another of his inventions. [31]

In Western North Carolina, thin tomato- and vinegar-based sauces are common. [32]

In rural Pennsylvania, egg is sometimes used to make the skin on the chicken crispy. [33] In Kentucky, chicken is a favorite meat for barbecuing along with lamb and mutton. [34]

In Texas many barbecue restaurants serve barbecue chicken seasoned with rub, sometimes called "Dalmatian rub", that is made of salt and pepper. The chicken is often served with a very hot vinegar or even beer-based barbecue sauce. Texas barbecue is slow-smoked, rather than grilled. [35]

Beer can chicken involves the indirect grilling of a whole chicken on a barbecue grill [2] [36] using steam from beer (or another liquid) as a flavoring agent and cooking medium.

Rotisserie chicken

See also

References

Citations

  1. Adler 2005, p 219.
  2. 1 2 3 Raichien 2008, p. 255
  3. Purviance,; (et al.) 2001. p. 243
  4. Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2004.) Peoples of Eastern Asia: Japan-Korea, North. Marshall Cavendish. p. 319. ISBN   0761475532
  5. Angus, Colin; Mulgrew, Ian (2003). Lost in Mongolia: Rafting the World's Last Unchallenged River. Random House Digital, Inc. p. (unlisted). ISBN   0767912810
  6. Hom, Ken (2012). My Kitchen Table: 100 Easy Chinese Suppers. Random House. p. (unlisted). ISBN   1446417255
  7. 1 2 Koeller, Kim; La France, Robert (2005). Chinese, Indian and Thai Cuisine Passport. R & R Publishing. pp. 92-93. ISBN
  8. Raichlen, Steven (2008). The Barbecue! Bible: Over 500 Recipes!. Workman Publishing. pp. 75-76. ISBN   0761149449
  9. Tiki Travel. Australia Travel Guide - Tiki Travel . FB Editions. p. (unlisted). ISBN   9791021306929
  10. Wheeler, Tony (contributor) (2004). Lonely Planet East Timor. Lonely Planet. p. 50. ISBN   1740596447
  11. Hole, Abigail; Beech, Charlotte (contributors) (2005). Portugal : [travel guidebooks]. Lonely Planet. p. 66. ISBN   174059682X
  12. Lacerda, Ilí (2009). The Secrets of Portuguese Cookery: Recipes for Delicious Food. BoD – Books on Demand. p. 64. ISBN   3839145295
  13. Mixon, Myron; Alexander, Kelly (2011). Smokin' with Myron Mixon: Recipes Made Simple, from the Winningest Man in Barbecue Winningest Man in Barbecue. Random House Digital, Inc. p. (unlisted). ISBN   0345528549
  14. Rodgers, Rick; Ward, Arlene (2000). Pressure Cooking for Everyone. Chronicle Books. p. 78. ISBN   0811825256
  15. Allrecipes (2011). Chicken - 50 Best Recipes. Allrecipes. p. (unlisted). ISBN   1936675072
  16. Fodor's (2013). Fodor's Montreal & Quebec City 2013. Random House Digital, Inc. p. 339. ISBN   0891419403
  17. Boobbyer, Claire (2011). Frommer's Cuba. John Wiley & Sons. p. (unlisted). ISBN   0470449144
  18. John, Suki (2012). (Contemporary Dance in Cuba: Técnica Cubana as Revolutionary Movement. McFarland. p. 118. ISBN   0786449012
  19. Purviance,; (et al.) 2001. p. 241.
  20. 1 2 Raichlen, Steven (2011). The Barbecue! Bible. Workman Publishing. pp. 265-266. ISBN   0761170421
  21. Summa, Ann; (et al.) (2007). MTV Best of Mexico. John Wiley & Sons. p. 225. ISBN   0764587757
  22. "Recipe: Pollo Al Carbon (Northern Mexico-Style Grilled Chicken)". San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on 2025-07-27. Retrieved 2025-11-04.
  23. Raichlen, Steven (2003). BBQ USA. Workman Publishing,. p. 380. ISBN   0761120157
  24. Raichlen, Steven (2010). Planet Barbecue!. Workman Publishing. p. 231. ISBN   0761148019
  25. 1 2 Schultz, Patricia (2011). 1,000 Places to See in the United States and Canada Before You Die, updated ed.. Workman Publishing. pp. 289-290. ISBN   0761165371
  26. (May 2007). Orange Coast Magazine. Emmis Communications. p. 228. ISSN 0279-0483
  27. Raichlen 2001, p. 448.
  28. 1 2 Faber, Harold (August 20, 1975). "A Few Hints on Barbecuing Chicken From a Man Who Really Should Know". The New York Times.
  29. Baker, Robert C. "Barbecued Chicken and Other Meats". Cornell University. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  30. Jennifer, Morrisey (November 11, 2016). "Cornell Chicken BBQ". Home in the Finger Lakes. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  31. Mason, Zachary (October 20, 2010). "Robert Baker Invented Chicken Nuggets, Turkey Burgers, and Cornell BBQ". The Cornell Daily Sun . Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  32. Garner, Bob (2012). Bob Garner's Book of Barbecue: North Carolina's Favorite Food. John F. Blair, Publisher. p. 149. ISBN   0895875756
  33. Wyler, Susan (2005). Cooking for a Crowd: Menus, Recipes and Strategies for Entertaining 10 to 50. p. 228. Rodale. ISBN   1594860114
  34. Stines. (2005), p.9
  35. Permenter, Paris; Bigley, John (2008). San Antonio. Globe Pequot. p. 66. ISBN   0762747870
  36. Raichien 2008, pp. 257-258.

Sources

Further reading