BBQ Chicken Marinade (Freezer Meal)

Close-up of grilled chicken made with barbecue marinade

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BBQ Chicken Marinade (Freezer Meal)

This barbecue chicken marinade is an easy way to give grilled chicken even more bold, smoky flavor. Made with barbecue sauce, olive oil, garlic, and spices, it creates tender, flavorful chicken that is even better brushed with extra barbecue sauce as it finishes cooking on the grill. It is a simple recipe that works well for summer dinners, cookouts, and freezer meal prep.

Course Appetizer, dinner, Main Dish

Cuisine American, Barbecue, BBQ

Keyword chicken, comfort food, grilling, quick

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Marinate Time 1

Total Time 1 15

Servings servings

Calories 284kcal

Author Laura

Equipment

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup BBQ sauce
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp smoked paprika
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or equal amount of chicken tenders

Instructions

Start by adding all of the marinade ingredients, except the chicken, to a gallon-size freezer bag. Seal the bag partway and gently mix everything together until the marinade is well combined.
Next, add the chicken to the bag. Press out as much air as possible, then seal the bag completely. Gently knead the bag with your hands so the chicken is evenly coated in the barbecue marinade.
If you are meal prepping, place the bag in the freezer until you are ready to use it. About 24 hours before you plan to grill the chicken, remove the bag from the freezer and place it on a dish in the refrigerator to thaw. As the chicken thaws, it will marinate at the same time. Once it is thawed, discard the marinade and grill the chicken until it is nearly fully cooked. During the last few minutes of grilling, brush the chicken with extra barbecue sauce and continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked through.
If you are making it right away, place the bag in the refrigerator and let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. The longer it marinates, the more flavor it will have. When you are ready to cook, discard the marinade and grill the chicken until it is almost done. Then brush it with extra barbecue sauce and let it finish cooking on the grill until fully cooked. This recipe serves 4.

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