Southern Soul Food BBQ Chicken Recipe

What is the secret to good chicken?

The answer is soul food chicken – air fryer, fried, baked, or BBQ. Recipes that Black folks created and perfected!

There’s no denying that chicken with a balance of tender meat on the inside and seasoned to perfection on the outside is a soul food cooking specialty.

So I’m sharing the secrets to a savory batch of Southern BBQ chicken – the soul food way!  

No, you don’t have to go to a restaurant when you crave Southern BBQ.

Thanks to this easy Southern soul food BBQ chicken recipe, you can bring the same deliciousness of savory BBQ flavors home to your kitchen. 

Is BBQ chicken considered soul food?

Chicken, especially fried chicken, is a food thrown on the doorsteps of Black people as a way to identify us. 

But, of course, you know, African Americans didn’t invent the chicken, LOL! We just perfected seasoning it!

This is the same for a soul food BBQ chicken recipe.

A legacy of making chicken – fried, BBQ, or perfectly seasoned any other way. It’s a soul food specialty. 

Black people’s food – a legacy of African American recipes handed down from generation to generation. 

What is a Southern soul food BBQ chicken recipe?

Wondering how to make BBQ chicken that comes out tender, juicy, sweet, and sticky?

Southern soul food BBQ chicken is a flavorful Deep South recipe. Soul food seasoned chicken doused in sweet sticky, saucy BBQ. 

You can get your fix of Southern barbecue sauce flavor without leaving the comfort of your home – no matter where in the country you live!

How do you make Southern soul food BBQ chicken?

Follow the easy instructions below for soul food seasoned BBQ chicken. Despite its simplicity, this Southern soul food recipe packs a punch!

An excellent meal option for a summer cookout, potluck, picnic, family dinner, or a casual get-together with friends. 

Can you make BBQ chicken in the air fryer?

You can make this recipe in the air fryer, oven, or grill. 

Air frying is more like convection baking than frying. It uses indirect heat and often cooks faster than baking without compromising the chicken’s internal juiciness or flavor! 

What should you do for the best BBQ chicken?

Pro tip: When cooking any chicken, barbecued, roasted, fried, air fried – make sure your chicken is seasoned first!

What can you substitute for the poultry and herb seasonings?

You can use your favorite all-purpose seasoning or a combination of these soul food seasonings to make 4 tablespoons. 

Homemade soul food chicken seasoning:

• Paprika
• Mustard seed
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Red pepper flakes
• Grated bell pepper
• Lemon zest
• Salt
• Black pepper

Some Southern cooks also include a little soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce and an olive oil cooking spray for their baking dish when gathering their ingredients.

Kitchen equipment for a Southern soul food BBQ chicken recipe

• Instant Pot electric pressure cooker (optional)
• Air fryer, Instant Pot Omni Plus oven/air fryer, or conventional oven 

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Ingredients for Southern soul food BBQ chicken 

• 1 whole chicken or 6 chicken pieces 
• 2 tablespoons of Famous Dave’s Country Roast Chicken Seasoning, or similar (Contains soulful flavors such as paprika, mustard seed, garlic powder, onion powder, bell pepper, and lemon zest all in one!)
• 2 tablespoons of Weber Seasoning, Roasted Garlic & Herb, or similar
• 1 ½ cups of BBQ sauce
• ½ cup of BBQ sauce to baste the chicken after cooking

How do you marinate in a BBQ?

You can use chicken breast, chicken thighs, chicken legs, and chicken wings. Or make BBQ chicken drumsticks with this homemade BBQ sauce recipe!

Pro tip: Optionally, you may let the chicken marinate in the prepared BBQ sauce in a large pot on the stove on low. Or in the Instant Pot on the ‘slow cook’ setting. Do this for 20-30 minutes before air frying or baking.

Instructions for Southern soul food BBQ chicken 

1. In a small bowl, mix the chicken seasoning and the garlic & herb seasoning.
2. Rub the seasoning mixture on the chicken pieces to coat them.
3. Then use a basting brush to coat the chicken with the BBQ sauce.
4. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil, or if you have an air fryer tray or baking sheet, line it with parchment paper and then spray the paper.
5. Place the chicken in or on the air fryer basket or tray.
6. Air fry at 360 degrees F for a total of 25 minutes.
7. Halfway through, after about 13 minutes, flip the chicken over in the air fryer and return to cooking.
8. Air fry at 360 degrees for the remaining 12 minutes.
9. Remove the cooked BBQ chicken from the air fryer and use the ½ cup of BBQ sauce to coat the chicken with a second brushing of BBQ sauce.
10. Serve this Southern soul food BBQ chicken recipe right away, and enjoy!

How do you make the best baked BBQ chicken?

People often ask, can this be made in the oven?

Soul food oven-baked BBQ chicken

If baking the chicken in a conventional oven, follow the recipe instructions. Then bake the chicken for 10-15 minutes on each side at 350 degrees F.

How do you make delicious BBQ chicken? 

Pro tip: Besides using the air fryer and the oven for a BBQ baked chicken recipe, you can also cook this soul food BBQ chicken recipe on the grill!

What do you serve with soul food BBQ chicken?

BBQ chicken is a delicious and versatile meal that’s easy to make and even easier to enjoy.

It’s also incredibly versatile, meaning you can serve it with a wide range of side dishes.

Here are some favorite options:

What goes best with BBQ chicken?

• Southern soul food baked beans
• Soul food Southern coleslaw
• Black folks’ Southern potato salad
• Southern macaroni salad
• Soul food Southern pasta salad
• Southern soul food watermelon salad
• Black folks Southern candied yams
• Southern homemade cornbread
• Soul food baked macaroni and cheese

How do you eat leftover BBQ chicken?

There are a few delicious ways to serve leftover BBQ chicken. For example, you can make a BBQ pulled chicken sandwich, chicken salad, BBQ chicken pasta, BBQ chicken pizza, or soul food in a bowl. 

What sauce goes best with soul food BBQ chicken?

While this recipe’s sweet sticky sauce holds its own in saucy texture and flavor, it’s never stopped folks from dipping in their favorite chicken sauce specialties!

Whether for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or an afternoon snack, one of these condiments is sure to be a favorite for a soul food chicken recipe. 

• Hot sauce
• Ranch dressing
• Pure honey 
• Honey mustard

Southern soul food BBQ chicken recipe FAQs

What kind of chicken can you use for this Sothern soul food BBQ chicken recipe?

Bone-in BBQ chicken is what’s traditionally used for this chicken in BBQ sauce recipe. Whether for a whole barbecued chicken, chicken thigh BBQ recipes, baked BBQ chicken thighs, a chicken breast recipe, or chicken drumsticks. Or any other part of the bone-in bird!

You can still use this recipe for boneless skinless chicken breast or boneless thighs, breasts, or wings.

How do you make soft BBQ chicken?

Optionally, you can use the below instructions and marinate the chicken in a buttermilk brine to tenderize it before adding the BBQ sauce.

This additional step is easiest with an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.

Instructions for a buttermilk marinade chicken brine

1. To make homemade buttermilk, use 3 cups of milk and 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. In a medium-sized bowl, stir the two ingredients together and let them sit for 5 minutes. 
2. Open the Instant Pot lid and add the buttermilk and 1 teaspoon of salt to the stainless steel inner pot.
3. Add the chicken pieces, skin-side up, to the pot with the buttermilk. (No Instant Pot? No problem! – allow the chicken to marinate in the buttermilk for 4 hours to overnight.)
4. Close the Instant Pot lid (make sure the valve is in the sealing position – up) and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.
5. When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 10 minutes.
6. To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
7. Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot (you can discard the buttermilk) and set the chicken pieces aside on a rimmed baking sheet to cool off to the touch.

Is there a substitute for buttermilk?

You can make homemade buttermilk simply with 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. 

The ratio is 1:1.

Stir the two ingredients together and let them sit for 5 minutes. 

The milk will react with the acidity of the vinegar and curdle slightly, creating the same tangy creaminess of store-bought buttermilk!

What would be a substitute for the IP BBQ sauce?

You can make the homemade BBQ sauce in an Instant Pot (IP), slow cooker, or on the stovetop. 

The various cooking method instructions can be found HERE.

Can you use bottled BBQ sauce for the recipe?

This homemade BBQ sauce recipe calls for Rufus Teague’s bottled “Touch O’ Heat” and Sweet Honey BBQ sauce. Then, add a few ingredients (apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, and pure cane sugar or brown sugar) and simmer to make it your own!

You could also use a bottle of your favorite bottled BBQ sauce.

How to add BBQ sauce to chicken?

Use a basting brush to coat the chicken with the BBQ sauce.

How long do you cook a Southern soul food BBQ chicken recipe?

So how long should you BBQ chicken?

Cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F. You can use a meat thermometer to determine this.

What is soul food in a bowl?

An example of soul food in a bowl is the delicious combination of rice, soul food collard greens, and black-eyed peas served with BBQ chicken on top! 

Other famous soul foods in bowl specialties include the Deep South favorite, Hoppin’ John, Tidewater chicken yock, and Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s mac and greens.

What did you think about this recipe?

With just a few pantry ingredients, it’s super simple to put together this soul food BBQ chicken recipe. 

And the best part? 

It’s a much healthier alternative to Southern soul food favorite – soul food Southern fried chicken! 

Don’t confuse BBQ chicken as only a grilled chicken recipe reserved for summer cookouts and grilling season. This Southern soul food BBQ chicken recipe is best served all year long!

So whether you’re air frying, baking, or grilling up a batch of BBQ chicken for a  soul food Sunday family dinner or hosting a summer soirée, this recipe is sure to please!

How would you rate sticky barbecue chicken?

Have you had it?

Would you make it? 

Comment below and lemme know. 

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