They eat good in Alabama. Alabama BBQ Chicken with White BBQ Sauce is spiced up grilled chicken offset with an excellent mayonnaise-based white BBQ sauce. A wonderful taste combo that is easy to recreate at home.
Editor’s Note: Originally published July 9, 2010. Updated with re-edited text and photos.
I love regional American food, and this is one of the best. Hats off to Alabama for this one.
White BBQ originated in north Alabama and was made famous by the historic barbecue joint Big Bob Gibson. Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q was founded in Decatur, AL in 1925 and continues to this day.
This version is inspired by a Cooks Country recipe which I simplified a bit and made a few other minor changes,
CC used half chickens, and I used whole chicken cut up for convenience. It cooks faster and easier, making this in about an hour total.
My Rating
A lower five but still a five. Great chicken with a wonderful sauce.
Pro Tips: Recipe Notes for Alabama BBQ Chicken with White BBQ Sauce
The Grill
First, let’s talk grill setup. You need to get a consistent surface temperature and a method of adding some. Here are a couple of reference posts. The first talks about smoking and the second is about grill temperature since we are not “low and slow” here.
I tend to be lazy about smoking things, but it did add a lot to the flavor here.
How to Set Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking and Low and Slow Cooking
A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill
The Sauce
I broke out the sauce recipe into a separate post: Alabama White BBQ Sauce. I will be repeating this many times with just a couple of split chicken breast cut in half.
The sauce here is modeled after an American Test Kitchen/Cooks Country recipe. That recipe had no lemon juice. Most other Alabama White BBQ sauce do. So it is there as an “option.” In practice, I add 1 tablespoon and feel that 2 tablespoons is a bit much. I think ATK was wrong to leave it out.
The Chicken
I used a whole chicken cut up. Originally, half or whole butterflied chickens are usually used.
I cut the breasts in half to make the pieces closer to the same size to have equal cooking.
Last, I used twice the rub as Cooks Country due to more surface area because of the cut-up chicken and also my taste.
Other Whole Chicken Options
Grilled Whole Chicken on a Gas Grill
BBQ Grilled Butterflied Whole Chicken
Crispy Spiced Up Oven Roasted Chicken
Simple Everyday Roast Chicken with Gravy
Mix 3/4 cup mayo ( I used low fat, and it was great), 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional see discussion), 2 teaspoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon table salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon horseradish, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
Clean, oil, and preheat grill to a surface temperature of about 450 degrees and set up a method of smoking. When you add the chicken, add smoking chips to grill by whatever method you use for smoking. A disposable pan is quite adequate.
Clean chicken by removing any excess skin and any solid trim-able fat. Cut breasts in half.
Then mix seasoning: 2 teaspoons table salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper, and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Apply seasoning to all sides of chicken.
Place chicken on the grill skin side up and add the smoke chips. Close the grill lid. Flip about every 4-5 minutes. Cook until internal temp of 165. About 25 minutes depending on sizes of chicken pieces and grill temperature. You will need to turn off on the side of the grill to move the smaller pieces to while finishing bigger pieces.
Remove to a chopping board and coat all sides with sauce. Tent for 10 minutes with aluminum foil. Re-coat with sauce and serve the sauce on the side.
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Alabama BBQ Chicken with White BBQ sauce
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken - cut up
- 1 cup smoking chips
Rub:
- 2 teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sauce
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice - optional
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon horseradish
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix 3/4 cup mayo ( I used low fat, and it was great), 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional see discussion), 2 teaspoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon table salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon horseradish, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
- Clean, oil, and preheat grill to a surface temperature of about 450 degrees and set up a method of smoking. When you add the chicken, add smoking chips to grill by whatever method you use for smoking. A disposable pan is quite adequate.
- Clean chicken removing any excess skin and any solid trim-able fat. Cut breasts in half.
- Then mix seasoning: 2 teaspoons table salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper, and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Apply seasoning to all sides of chicken.
- Place chicken on the grill skin side up and add the smoke chips. Close the grill lid. Flip about every 4-5 minutes. Cook until internal temp of 165. About 25 minutes depending on sizes of chicken pieces and grill temperature. You will need to turn off on the side of the grill to move the smaller pieces to while finishing bigger pieces.
- Remove to a chopping board and coat all sides with sauce. Tent for 10 minutes with aluminum foil. Re-coat with sauce and serve the sauce on the side.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- This is for chicken with skin not skinless.
- The BBQ sauce is located at https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/alabama-white-bbq-sauce/
- The lemon juice is optional.
- Cook by the internal temperature of the chicken pieces. NOT BY TIME ALONE. I like the thighs and legs to be 185 and the rest at 165.
Check Out Other Great Recipes
Nutrition is generally for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
Originally published July 9, 2010.
JIL
DR DAN — THE RECIPE STATES: ‘1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional see discussion)’ BUT I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND THE”DISCUSSION” YOU REFERENCED…WHY IS THE LEMON JUICE AN OPTION?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Jil,
Welcome to the blog.
You are so right, it is not there. I “broke out” the sauce and it’s discussion to another post and didn’t fix this one years ago.
The sauce here is modeled after an American Test Kitchen recipe. That recipe had no lemon juice. Most other Alabama White BBQ sauce do. So it is there as an “option”. In practice, I add 1 tablespoon and feel that 2 tablespoons is a bit much. I think ATK was wrong to leave it out.
As soon as I post this reply. I’m fixing both recipes.
Dan
Sage
I have a feeling I will be learning great new ways of preparing our meals for 2 here; I will be back.Love the way you present your recipes.
Rita
Dr Dan
The whole chicken… sounds like a plan.
The smoke seemed to add a lot more to chicken quickly then other meats. A blank slate I guess.
I’m going to see what happens with skinless but don’t have high hope for the smoke adding like it did here.
Chris
I LOVE Alabama White sauce but like you, only grilled with it for two years. We like it that way.
This spring, I took a class from Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibsons and tasted his smoked chicken. It was amazing, some of the best chicken I have ever had.
It is very good grilled, but some time when you have the extra time, try it on a whole smoked chicken.