Grilled Chicken with South Carolina-Style BBQ Sauce

Grilled Chicken with South Carolina BBQ Sauce pairs zesty, mustard-based South Carolina-style barbecue sauce with grilled chicken. You get a hint of sweetness and spice from the sauce, and every bite is wonderfully smoky from the grill!

By
Elizabeth Stark
Elizabeth Stark
Elizabeth Stark
Elizabeth has been sharing seasonal recipes on her blog Brooklyn Supper for over ten years. She's been contributing to Simply Recipes since 2016.
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Updated September 17, 2023
Elizabeth Stark
Grilled BBQ Chicken
Elizabeth Stark

Barbecue sauce is contentious in a way that few condiments are. Local pride is on the line. Sauce-wise, I’m mostly stateless and am just as happy with North Carolina-style vinegar sauce as I am with a Kansas City sauce made with tomatoes and molasses.

But when it comes to grilled chicken, nothing feels as perfect as the tang of a mustard-based South Carolina-style barbecue sauce.

What is South Carolina-Sytle BBQ Sauce?

This recipe pairs zesty, mustard-based barbecue sauce with grilled chicken. The resulting dish has a hint of sweetness and spice, and every bite is wonderfully smoky with an ideal balance of piquant flavors.

Keep in mind that grilling chicken slathered in sauce is a messy business. Be sure to begin with a clean grill grate and then scrub the hot grate with a grill brush after grilling, too.

When preparing your grill, create two zones of heat for hot and indirect heat cooking. First, sear the chicken over hot coals, and then smoke it over indirect heat until cooked through.

Grilled Chicken with South Carolina-Style BBQ Sauce

Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 55 mins
Servings 4 to 6 servings

To save some prep time, the BBQ sauce can be made ahead and kept refrigerated for up to two weeks.

Ingredients

For the BBQ sauce:

  • 1 cup prepared yellow mustard

  • 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon ketchup

  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon bottled  hot sauce, plus more to taste

For the chicken:

  • 4 chicken thighs, bone-in with skin

  • 4 drumsticks, bone-in with skin

  • 1 tablespoon sea salt

Method

  1. Make the barbecue sauce at least 30 minutes ahead of grilling:

    Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a 2-quart saucepan and set over medium-high heat on a back burner. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes or until mixture is very steamy. (The sauce can bubble and spit, so use caution. To avoid burns, stir the sauce constantly to distribute heat.)

    Turn the heat to medium-low, and cook until sauce has thickened, 5 to 7 minutes more. When done, the sauce should be thick enough that a spoon will leave trails through the sauce when you stir. Set aside to cool.

    Once cool, measure 3/4 cup into a small bowl for the chicken. Set aside remaining sauce for serving. (Prepared sauce can also be made ahead and kept refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.)

  2. 20 minutes before cooking, rub the chicken with sea salt:

    Rub both sides with salt. Set in fridge while you prep grill.

    Grilled BBQ Chicken
    Elizabeth Stark
  3. Prepare a charcoal grill:

    When coals are gray and very hot, carefully move them to one side of the grill so that one side has hot, direct heat and the other side has indirect heat. (Alternatively, prepare a gas grill with two temperature zones for cooking.)

  4. Brush chicken generously on both sides with 3/4 cups of prepare barbecue sauce
    Grilled BBQ Chicken
    Elizabeth Stark
  5. Grill the chicken over high heat to sear:

    Place the chicken on the hot side of grill directly over coals, placing thighs skin-side down. After 2 to 3 minutes, flip chicken and grill another 2 to 3 minutes, or until chicken is nicely browned or even slightly blackened on both sides.

    2016-07-20-GrilledBBQChicken-12
    Elizabeth Stark
  6. Finish cooking the chicken over indirect heat:

    Move the chicken over to side without coals to finish cooking over indirect heat. Brush once more with barbecue sauce. Cover the grill.

    After 5 to 7 minutes, flip chicken. Cook another 12 to 15 minutes until chicken is a rich golden brown, cooked through, and reaches an internal temperature of at least 175°F when tested with a meat thermometer.

    (I usually cook these thighs and drumsticks to a slightly higher internal temperature to be sure the meat is thoroughly cooked; the sauce and indirect heat keep the chicken from drying out.)

    Grilled BBQ Chicken
    Elizabeth Stark
    2016-07-20-GrilledBBQChicken-14
    Elizabeth Stark
  7. Serve:

    Serve immediately with extra barbecue sauce.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
431 Calories
23g Fat
11g Carbs
45g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 431
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g 30%
Saturated Fat 6g 32%
Cholesterol 235mg 78%
Sodium 1815mg 79%
Total Carbohydrate 11g 4%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 45g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 56mg 4%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 573mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.