The Best Gluten-Free BBQ Chicken Rub

The smell of chicken on the BBQ is one of my favourite smells of summer. Juicy and delicious BBQ’d chicken can be difficult to achieve, but the best gluten-free BBQ chicken rub makes it much easier.

Much like marinades, spice rubs can sometimes contain gluten (check out our recipe for the best gluten-free steak marinade). When you buy a rub, marinade, salad dressing, or any prepared sauce, you need to read every ingredient to ensure it is truly gluten-free. By making your own marinade you can be certain that each ingredient you use, is in fact, gluten-free. Read our ultimate gluten-free guide for beginners for more information.

What makes this a great spice mix, is that it is full of flavour and enhances the natural flavour of BBQing the chicken. I hate when a rub or marinade overwhelms the flavour of the BBQ.

I used to be a huge fan of brined chicken, and it is a delicious way to go. However, when you are going to use a brine, you have to plan well in advance, as the meat needs time to brine with the rub. Whereas, you can rub the meat and grill it rather quickly. Also, this rub still allows you to be able to reuse leftovers in other applications. Chicken made with this rub can be turned into a delicious chicken salad, or tossed into fried rice, or even in with vegetables and rice noodles, without overpowering any other flavours.

The Best Gluten-Free BBQ Chicken Rub

Ingredients

• 12-15 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp granulated onion
• 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp brown sugar (packed)

Directions

• Put the salt, granulated onion, granulated garlic, pepper, and brown sugar in a bowl or a container- and mix well.
• Remove the chicken from the package.
• Trim any excess fat that needs to be trimmed – remember to keep some, so they stay moist on the grill.
• Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
• Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the spice rub.

Tip: Keep one hand clean (not having touched the chicken) to put the rub on with, or pour some of the rub out into a smaller bowl. If you touch the chicken and then the rub, you will have to throw away any leftover rub, due to cross-contamination.

• Once your grill is hot, oil the grill and cook to the desired temperature of 165 ºF for dark meat (like thighs) and 160 ºF for white meat (like breasts)

Chef’s Notes:

1. I used boneless and skinless chicken thighs, but you can use any cut of chicken with this rub. Personally, I think thighs are easier to BBQ, as they are juicier and do not dry out as easily as breasts.
2. Also, you can multiply the recipe to accommodate larger amounts of chicken. Sometimes I like to mix a large batch of this and keep it in an airtight container or mason jar, and just pour out what I need for a specific meal.
3. This recipe will produce a restaurant-quality BBQ chicken at home. Even if you aren’t grilling outdoors, you can cook your chicken on an indoor grill pan, griddle, cast iron pan, or a frying pan. No matter the method you choose, the end result will be very flavourful and juicy.

You can pair this best gluten-free BBQ chicken rub chicken with great gluten-free barbecue side dishes like grilled onions and potatoes, or grilled asparagus and grilled stone fruit.

Happy Grilling!

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The Best Gluten-Free BBQ Chicken Rub

Print Recipe/Tips

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 12-15 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp granulated onion
• 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp brown sugar (packed)

INSTRUCTIONS/NOTES/TIPS

• Put the salt, granulated onion, granulated garlic, pepper, and brown sugar in a bowl or a container- and mix well.
• Remove the chicken from the package.
• Trim any excess fat that needs to be trimmed - remember to keep some, so they stay moist on the grill.
• Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
• Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the spice rub.
• Tip: Keep one hand clean (not having touched the chicken) to put the rub on with, or pour some of the rub out into a smaller bowl. If you touch the chicken and then the rub, you will have to throw away any leftover rub, due to cross-contamination.
• Once your grill is hot, oil the grill and cook to the desired temperature of 165 ºF for dark meat (like thighs) and 160 ºF for white meat (like breasts)

NOTES/TIPS

Chef's Notes:

1. I used boneless and skinless chicken thighs, but you can use any cut of chicken with this rub. Personally, I think thighs are easier to BBQ, as they are juicier and do not dry out as easily as breasts.
2. Also, you can multiply the recipe to accommodate larger amounts of chicken. Sometimes I like to mix a large batch of this and keep it in an airtight container or mason jar, and just pour out what I need for a specific meal.
3. This recipe will produce a restaurant-quality BBQ chicken at home. Even if you aren’t grilling outdoors, you can cook your chicken on an indoor grill pan, griddle, cast iron pan, or a frying pan. No matter the method you choose, the end result will be very flavourful and juicy.

Did You Try This Recipe or These Tips?

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