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Vinegar BBQ Chicken

The secret to juicy chicken? Is in the sauce. But this isn’t Fried Green Tomatoes honey–it’s vinegar BBQ chicken you can count on to turn out juicy and flavorful. And no matter how picky the eaters, it’s sure to please. 

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four chicken breasts on the grill

Well that’s exciting. Another picture of grilled chicken. Yeah…no.

I hear you. Stop that.

Because this chicken is 1: juicy 2: full of flavor 3: good 4: juicy 5: really good

It’s marinated in what we call a “Carolina barbecue sauce” which has a vinegar based sauce instead of a traditional tomato-base and I’d take it 10 times over the traditional.

a bowl of vinegar brine with chicken soaking

The secret here is in the brining process. Anytime you soak a meat in a salt mixture it allows the proteins to hang on to the moisture better (I’m saving you a big science lesson here so go with it) and keeps the meat from drying out.

Every time I serve this it gets tons of compliments and it’s my go-to for times when we have picky guests coming for dinner and I don’t know what to make. It’s always safe and fantastic.

a grilled chicken breast on a cookie sheet

Vinegar BBQ Chicken

The best vinegar based brine for juicy flavor-packed grilled chicken. It's true!
Prep Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours
Servings 5 people
Author Rachel Ballard

Ingredients
  

  • 4 split chicken breasts bone and skin on
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional

Instructions
 

  • Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Add the chicken and cover. Marinate in the refrigerator 4-6 hours if possible and up to 16 hours. Grill it to awesome perfection.

Nutrition

Calories: 600kcal
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Course Main Course
Cuisine American

Note: You must really should use bone-in, skin on split chicken breasts for this for the best result. It takes a bit longer to cook but it’s worth it. You can peel the skin off when it’s done cooking but the fat helps protect the meat even more. No hacking on dry chicken in this house. Mix your sauce in the morning and drop in your chicken before you head out for the day and grill it when you get home. Several hours in the brine is fine.

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33 Comments

  1. Just need some Alabama white sauce to put this chicken right over the edge! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

  2. Just did 10 pounds of leg quarters using this brine! Never heard of brining using acv. They came out fantastic on the smoker! 225 for 1.5 hours, then 350 for 50 minutes.

  3. I know this is much later but just tried recipe in attempt to replicate local ruritans chicken…this is so good and so close..thanks for taking the time to reveal it!

    1. @Nicky, I just did 10 lbs of leg quarters. 225 for 1.5 hrs then turned it up to 350-360 for 50 minutes. Came out GREAT!

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About the Author

Rachel Ballard, RN, BSN brings more than 20 years of professional nursing expertise to Feast and Farm. With a love for nutrient dense foods that support wellness, she works to distill complex health information and current trends into recipes that fuel the best version of yourself. Read more about Rachel here.