Grilled chicken halves makes grilling a whole chicken is easier than you’d think. Using an irresistible bbq chicken rub and a zesty basting sauce, this recipe teaches you how to use a grilling technique to insure even cooking for both white and dark meat.
This recipe was originally published July 2009 and republished July 2021 with new step by step photos.
Why Grill Chicken Halves?
Don’t you just get flat out grumpy when you’ve cooked over the hot grill, turning, moving, babying each piece of chicken only to bite into a thigh to find that pinkish, not quite done thing going on? Shudder. Or a grilled chicken breasts that are over-cooked and dry?
Try grilled chicken halves for a fool-proof method to grill a whole chicken. A technique for a where every piece turns out tender and juicy and evenly cooked. EVERY time.
The secret is in how you cut the chicken, how to make a flavorful bbq chicken rub and a bright basting sauce that elevates the flavor to fabulous. And how often to turn the chicken for even cooking results.
Simply stated, chicken halves cook more uniformly, and retains moisture better than grilling a whole chicken that’s been cut into pieces. They’re ideal for grilling because there’s more skin exposure for that extra crispy skin and better penetration for marinades and rubs.
Just finish with a mop with your favorite bbq sauce and dig in. Grilled chicken halves makes grilling chicken a breeze.
Let’s take a look.
How To Prepare Chicken Halves
Splitting The Chicken For Grilled Chicken Halves
Tools Needed: A sharp chef’s knife, or kitchen (poultry) shears. Kitchen shears provide more controlled cutting.
- There’s no need to buy separate chicken pieces, or cut a whole chicken into individual pieces. Buy a whole fryer and with a good sharp knife, or shears cut the chicken into two pieces.
- To do that, use the tip of the knife, or kitchen shears, and cut along each side of the back bone. Once the back bone is removed, turn the chicken over and cut the chicken into two pieces. You’ll be cutting the breast bone in half. You’ll have two separate chicken halves. Each with the leg section, a wing attached.
- You’ll find this is easier to manage on the grill and the grilled chicken halves will cook more evenly.
Chicken Tips:
- Your butcher will gladly cut your whole chicken into two pieces for you.
- How To Choose A Whole Chicken For The Grill. Look for a fryer chicken or a broiler chicken. A weight of 4 – 5 pounds is a good size for grilling.
Seasoning Strategy: BBQ Chicken Rub
Let’s start with the bbq chicken dry rub for this grilled half chicken. I like using a bbq chicken rub that doesn’t contain sugar. With a cook time of one hour for this recipe, a no sugar dry rub will keep the skin from burning.
- Seasoning Salt: Any brand of seasoning salt will work, with Lawry’s being the most well known, and is what I use.
- Paprika: Plain paprika is what is called for in this recipe. If you want, use smoked paprika for an even deeper layer of flavor.
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Cumin
- Kosher Salt: Kosher salt is preferred by chefs due to the pure salty flavor it imparts to food. Sea salt is said to sit on the food rather than penetrate and season.
- Turmeric
- Chile Powder: Please note, use a pure chile powder rather than a chili seasoning. A chili seasoning contains other spices such as cumin.
- Step 1: Mix the ingredients for the bbq chicken rub in a small bowl, until well blended.
Pro Tip: Pat the chicken dry before applying the rub to ensure a crispy skin.
- Step 2: Spread the bbq chicken rub in every nook and cranny and on and under the skin of the chicken halves. Do this three hours before grilling. Let the rubbed chicken sit in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
- Step 3: Baste for Grilled Chicken: And finally a good chicken baste sauce with vinegar, oil, turmeric for color, lemon juice and a drop of liquid smoke. Using this flavorful basting sauce eliminates the need to pre marinade the chicken.
Expert Tip: Use a neutral flavored oil with a higher smoking point. It will help the skin crisp faster. Canola oil or grape seed oil is a good choice here.
- Step 4: Place the basting sauce ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until well blended. Pro Tip: Use a silicone brush for even sauce application.
We’re Ready to Grill
- Bring the chicken to room temperature.
- Preheat your grill to 450 degrees. Turn the heat down to 375 degrees and place the chicken halves, skin side down, on those sizzling grates.
- Generously baste the chicken with the basting sauce and let it cook (lid down) for 15 minutes. Turn the chicken every 15 minutes, basting each time you turn. The total cooking time should be 1 hour.
- Use a reliable meat thermometer for reliable accuracy. Internal temperature should read 165 degrees.
- Finish and mop with your favorite BBQ Sauce. Apply barbecue sauce the last 5 minutes of cooking to avoid burning.
FAQ’s and Tips
Using this “turn and baste: method for grilled chicken halves, the whole chicken will be cooked in one hour.
I like to make sure the grill grates are clean and well-oiled.
The best is your favorite brand. And if you’re looking for a homemade bbq sauce recipe, take a look at this recipe I use for bbq meatballs. We love the smoky flavor for this bbq chicken recipe.
I don’t own a charcoal grill, so I’m going to direct you to the experts, Kingsford. Take a look at this recipe for grilling a whole chicken on a charcoal grill. These instructions are for a whole, uncut chicken, but the article shows you the indirect heat method that will work for this recipe.
Reheat in your oven at 325°F, covered with foil, until warmed through. This method helps retain moisture.
Tip: Let the chicken rest before serving. Remove the grilled chicken halves from the grill and let sit 10 minutes before cutting and serving. This will help the juices redistribute and keep the meat tender and moist.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Overcooking: Leads to dry meat; use a thermometer.
- Flare-Ups: Trim excess fat and monitor grill closely.
- Skipping Rest Time: Essential for juicy, flavorful chicken
Serving and Pairing Suggestions
My absolute favorite sides to go with grilled chicken is my recipe for Old Fashioned Potato Salad or Mac and Cheese with Tomatoes. Here are some other ideas.
Beverage Pairings
- Wines: Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.
- Beers: Pilsner or amber ale.
- Non-Alcoholic: Lemonade or iced tea.
Perfect Grilled Chicken Halves
Grilling chicken halves is a rewarding technique that yields juicy, flavorful results. By following this guide, you’ll master the art of grilling chicken halves, impressing friends and family at your next cookout.
And if you’re looking for more chicken recipes, you won’t want to miss my Chicken category. Lots of great recipe ideas, including the most popular chicken recipe on my site; Chicken Macaroni Salad. It’s easy and it’s fab.
More Easy Grilled Chicken Recipes
Juicy Grilled Chicken Halves: The Ultimate Backyard Guide
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken cut in half (backbone removed)
- FOR THE DRY RUB
- 1 Tablespoon seasoning salt any brand
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon chile powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- FOR THE BASTING SAUCE
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 drop liquid smoke no more than a drop, it’s concentrated, optional
- ½ cup BBQ Sauce your favorite brand
Instructions
- Cut the chicken in half by removing back bone. Your butcher can do this, or cut along side each side of the back bone and remove. This will avoid trying to grill different sized pieces of chicken.
- Using paper towels, pat the chicken dry.
- Next take your fingers and loosen the skin in as many places as you can. Take the dry rub and rub all over chicken and under the skin. Do this three hours before grilling. And bring the chicken to room temperature before grilling.
- Heat grill to 500 degrees. Lower heat to 375. I turn off the middle burner and cook chicken in the middle of the grill.
- Place both sides of chicken on grill. Using a grill brush, baste with basting sauce. Cover grill and cook for 15 minutes. Repeat this step 4 times for total cook time of 1 hours. Turning the chicken each time you baste.
- When the hour is up, generously coat one side of chicken with your favorite BBQ or grilling sauce. Close lid and cook for 2 minutes, turn chicken and repeat. Cook two more minutes with grill lid closed.
- Remove from grill and let sit 10 minutes before serving. This will help the juices redistribute and keep the meat tender and moist.
- Using a sharp knife, separate the breasts from the leg portions and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.
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This recipe was adapted from my friend Cathy at Noble Pig.
BBQ Chicken Rub for BBQ Grilled Chicken Halves … It’s what’s for Summer.
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Lea Ann,
Thank you for the weekly recipes. It is my favorite Sunday morning email.
Every recipe I have tried has been excellent. I love the step by step
pictures.
Please keep them coming.
Steve
Hi Steve and thank you for your very kind note. It was like a big warm hug on this Sunday morning.
I really appreciate you saying you like the step-by-steps. That’s the hardest part about posting recipes. My kitchen simply isn’t a good place to take photos. There’s no natural light, dark counter tops and cabinets and no good place to set up light stands. So as I cook, I have to carry pots, pans, food, etc back and forth from kitchen to dining room, photograph it and then continue with the recipe.
With that said. THANK YOU! 🙂
Hi Lea Ann,
Is it OK to use just boneless, skinless chicken breasts? I pre cook my chicken in the oven for 30 minutes in tinfoil in the oven at 350 in a little of the bbq sauce before grilling.
Thanks
Katherine
Here are some great tips for preparing chicken . Thank you so much for this valuable post. This is what I was actually looking for. I will also bookmark this page for future help.
Wow! Looks so delicious, my entire loved chicken, especially grilled chicken. Can’t wait anymore, I will definitely try it your way, looks seem easy to make :D. Thanks so much for this guide. Looking forward to seeing more.
Mmmm, chicken! So terrific on the grill. Your seasoning rub looks particularly nice. Thanks!
Great how-to post chef and the chicken looks delicious. I’ve never basted mine but I will in the future.
yes’siree! – that is one dang rub and sop… and I do confer, split chicken is the only way to grill ’em…
Thanks Drick. I’m not an expert on grilling but I know I sure like this recipe.
I love the half a chicken idea!
Oops (unless you ASK my husband) 😀
Great guide to preparing chicken . . . it is hard to get it just right! Also love the little bowl of olives. One can never have too many cute bowls (unless you has my husband). 😛