Spicy Grilled Chicken seasoned with Vulcan's Fire (habanero-seasoned) salt and slathered with BBQ sauce is just the thing for people who like it hot!
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I'm not one for overly spicy foods usually, but every now and then I like to bring a little heat to the party. The new Spicy Grilled Chicken recipe is kind of amazing!
I love grilling, but not in the cold rain. Here in New England, Spring is fickle and we can go from 70 and sunny in the morning to 50 and drizzle in the afternoon. That's when I break out my awesome indoor grill. It's all the benefits of grilling, without having to worry about the weather.
When I am looking for recipe inspiration, I love trying new things. The Spice House has loads of amazing spices and seasonings, including the Vulcan's Fire Salt that I used for this chicken. It really grabs your attention!
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions (and answers) people ask about grilling chicken and using spicy seasoning mixes.
Unlike tough cuts of beef, chicken breasts do not need to marinate for a long time to become tender. In this case, the marinade serves to create amazing flavor. Our marinade for this spicy chicken is about as EASY as it gets!
This is a nice quick recipe. The chicken needs to cook approximately 6 to 8 minutes per side over direct heat. For beautiful grill marks, I give the chicken a quarter turn after 3 minutes on each side.
The USDA recommends that the minimum internal temperature for chicken should be to 165°F (74°C).
Seasoned salts come in many flavors. Hot salt is exactly that, but seasoned with hot spices like cayenne pepper, paprika, etc.
*½ cup kosher or sea salt
*1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper
*1 teaspoon smoked paprika
*¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1. Combine in a small dish and gentle combine using a fork.
2. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
🧂 Ingredients
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- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Vulcan’s Fire Salt or your own spicy Fire Salt mix (see recipe below)
- Ground Black Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Cooking Spray
- Spicy BBQ Sauce (such as Stubb's Spicy BBQ)
This is meant to be a brief overview of the recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below or Jump to Recipe.
🔪Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken with ground black pepper and Vulvan's Fire Salt.
- Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
- Place the chicken into an airtight container or resealable bag and marinate for 2 hours, up to overnight.
- Remove from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the grill to 450-degrees F and spray lightly with cooking oil.
- Add the chicken to the grill and discard the remaining marinade.
- Cook the chicken about 3 minutes, then give it a quarter turn (45-degrees). This will create beautiful grill marks.
- Brush on some spicy BBQ sauce.
- After another 3 minutes, flip the chicken over.
- Brush on more BBQ sauce and cook for 3 minutes before giving the chicken another quarter turn.
- Remove from the grill when the chicken is 160-degrees F and cover with a piece of tented foil.
- Let the chicken rest 5 minutes before serving or cutting.
Equipment
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⏲️ Storage
Cooked grilled chicken should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no more than 3-4 days.
Alternatively, you can freeze this in a labeled freezer bag for 2-6 months. If you plan to freeze it for longer, try putting it near the back of your freezer where it will stay the coldest. I also recommend double bagging if you're freezing for longer periods of time to help with freezer burn.
📖 Variations
Because we test all our recipes, we recommend that you make them once just as it is without substitutions or changes. Sometimes variations can go awry. Making our Spicy Grilled Chicken recipe as we have tested it will yield the best results. If you really want to get creative, here are some ideas for variations that might work well. (Please note, we have not tested these variations).
- Create a chicken sandwich and for even more of a kick, add pepper jack cheese!
- Make a big salad and serve with ranch dressing.
- Spicy chicken tacos are always a big hit in our house. Serve with yummy homemade guacamole.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
I served Cornbread Salad with the chicken. The ranch dressing was a nice compliment to the spicy heat of the main dish. Here are some other great recipes you could make for an awesome backyard cookout:
- Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa
- Tropical Storm Punch
- Grilled Pineapple Fruit Salad
- Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetables
😋 Similar Recipes
If you liked this spicy grilled recipe, you might also enjoy:
- Watermelon Mojito
- Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce
- Asian Pork Kabobs
- Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salsa
- Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken
📋 Spicy Grilled Chicken Recipe
Not ready to grill up this chicken yet? Don’t forget to pin the tasty recipe for later! When you do make it, please be sure to tag me on Instagram @jugglingactmama or #jugglingactmama – I’d love to see your pictures! And finally, if you get a chance, please comment and leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below!
Spicy Grilled Chicken
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Equipment
- Gas Grill
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1 teaspoon Vulcan’s Fire Salt or your own spicy Fire Salt mix
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- Cooking Spray
- ½ cup Spicy BBQ Sauce such as Stubb’s Spicy BBQ
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken with ground black pepper and Vulvan’s Fire Salt.
- Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
- Place the chicken into an airtight container or resealable bag and marinate for 2 hours, up to overnight.
- Remove from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the grill to 450-degrees F and spray lightly with cooking oil.
- Add the chicken to the grill and discard the remaining marinade.
- Cook the chicken about 3 minutes, then give it a quarter turn (45-degrees). This will create beautiful grill marks.
- Brush on some spicy BBQ sauce.
- After another 3 minutes, flip the chicken over.
- Brush on more BBQ sauce and cook for 3 minutes before giving the chicken another quarter turn.
- Remove from the grill when the chicken is 160-degrees F and cover with a piece of tented foil.
- Let the chicken rest 5 minutes before serving or cutting.
Notes
- ½ cup kosher or sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Combine in a small dish and gentle combine using a fork.
- Store in an airtight container.
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Barb Cook says
I enjoy kebabs cooked on the grill. Good meat and vegetables. Who could ask for more?
Lisa Kerhin says
I haven't used the fire salt on meat but I want to now!!
Pamela Smith says
We love to bbq chicken! Add a yummy marinade and some sides and it's delicious!
Cheese Curd In Paradise says
I love the heat that this BBQ chicken is bringing- adding in a spicy BBQ sauce sounds delicious as well! I can't wait to try it!
Nichi - The Mandatory Mooch says
These look perfectly cooked and so delicious!