This Cherry Coke BBQ Chicken is one of the best chicken recipes I have made in a while! Perfectly grilled chicken halves glazed with a homemade sweet cherry coke bbq sauce took an ordinary grilled chicken recipe to a whole new level! Saucy, sweet, spicy and straight up delicious! This screams summer grilling recipe.

If you like experimenting with homemade BBQ sauces, you have to try my Dr. Pepper Smoked Ribs or Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork. You get hints of the soda in the protein without an overwhelming sugary flavor.

Ingredient List for Cherry Coke BBQ Chicken

• Chicken: I used a whole chicken for this recipe. Spatchcocked it and split into halfs.

• Cherry Coke: the secret ingredient to the sauce and marinade. Adds sweetness and something extra to the recipe.

• Jalapeno: I added sliced jalapenos into the marinade for a little bit of a kick that compliments the sweetness of the soda and BBQ sauce.

• Seasoning: use a Sweet BBQ seasoning on the chicken after the brine.

• Salt: needed in a brine to bring moisture into the meat.

How to make a cherry coke brine

A basic brine consists of water and salt. Brining meat helps pull moisture into the meat making it juicier. Adding other ingredients can add flavor to the protein.

This recipe calls for a cherry coke bbq chicken, so I decided to take it one step further and brine the chicken in the soda as well.

In a large bucket, add 6 cans of cherry coke. A brine requires salt. For each can of soda, add 1 tablespoon of salt. Mix the ingredients together until the salt is dissolved.

To take it one step further, I wanted to balance the sweetness and what better way than with some heat. Slice thin rings of 2 jalapenos, seeds included, and drop them into the brine. Don’t worry, the heat will not be intense. It will be a mild finish.

How to spatchcock a chicken.

I was in the mood to grill some BBQ chicken halves. The best way to achieve that is by spatchcocking a chicken.

To start spatchcocking a chicken, cut out the backbone from the chicken with sheers or a sharp knife. This process of spatchcocking or butterflying will allow the chicken to cook more evenly and quickly. Press down hard on the breast bone to break it so the chicken can lay nice and flat.

In order to have chicken halves, take the sheers and cut down the middle to get 2 even parts.

Place the raw chicken halves into the brine and make sure to fully submerge. If the chicken keeps floating, place a plate on top to keep it down.

Ideally, you want to brine the chicken an hour for every pound. That will maximize the flavor from the brine. I understand not everyone has that much time, therefore at a minimum, keep it in the brine for 1 hour for the meat to absorb the cherry coke and jalapeno flavors.

Place the entire bucket in the fridge and wait…

How to make a Cherry Coke BBQ sauce.

There is nothing better than homemade BBQ sauce. You can make a full batch and store it i the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Once you have a base tangy BBQ sauce, start experimenting with flavors and ingredients.

That is exactly what I did with this cherry coke BBQ sauce. The sauce has the perfect balance of sweetness you would expect and a tangy surprise that balances the savoriness from grilled meat. There are slight hints of the cherry coke in the sauce that elevate an ordinary sauce into something special. Don’t worry the flavor is not overwhelming.

In a sauce pan, add ketchup, yellow mustard, brown sugar, honey, molasses, Dad’s All Purpose rub, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, cherry coke and hot sauce.

Simmer on the store top over low heat until the sauce starts to thicken. Be sure to whisk it every few minutes to ensure nothing burns to the bottom. You want to make sure that all the ingredients are well incorporated together.

Store the cherry coke BBQ sauce in air tight mason jars. Simply pour the sauce in the jar, close the top and pop it in the fridge. Store the Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

How to grill the cherry coke BBQ chicken.

Once the brining is done, remove the cherry coke chicken from the liquid and pat it dry.

Next, drizzle olive oil all over the brined chicken. This will not only work as a binder for the seasoning, but will help the skin get nice and crispy from the charcoal grill.

Seasoned the chicken halves with Dad’s Sweet BBQ seasoning. This will add the perfect level of sweet and savory flavors that compliment the brine and cherry coke BBQ sauce.

Preheat the grill to 375 degrees and set it for dual zone grilling.

How to create dual zone heat.

Dual heat zones are created differently depending on the type of grill you have.

• Gas grill: Turn the burners on one half of the grill. For indirect heat, place food on the opposite end.
• Charcoal grill: position the heated charcoal to one half of the round bowl. For indirect heat, place the food on the opposite end.
• Komodo style grill: use a plate setter that will deflect direct heat from the food on the grates.

Place the chicken skin side up on the indirect side and cook until the breast registers an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Total cook time should be around 45 minutes depending on the side of the bird.

Move the grilled chicken to the direct side over the coals just shy of 160 degrees to get the skin nice and crispy. DO NOT step away from the grill. This is where people most commonly burn their chicken. The juices from the chicken may cause flare ups which will torch the bird. Carefully, sear the outside.

Next, sauce up the Cherry Coke BBQ Chicken. Take a brush and cover the chicken. Leave the chicken on the grill for 1-2 minutes to allow the sauce to caramelize over the chicken and get nice and tacky.

Remove it from the grill and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. This is a very important step in this process. During the rest period, the chicken will start to cool down and the cooking process will stop. The juices will redistribute inside the meat, giving you a much better final product. It will also bring up the final temp on the chicken to 165 degrees

The only thing to do is to cut up the Cherry Coke BBQ Chicken into smaller pieces, pour the sauce into a small dipping dish and enjoy!

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Cherry Coke BBQ Chicken

This Cherry coke BBQ chicken is saucy, sweet, spicy and delicious! The marinade and BBQ sauce make this the perfect summer grilling recipe.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 848kcal

Author Maciek Zurawski

Ingredients

• 3 lb Whole chicken
• 6 cans Cherry coke
• 6 tbsp Kosher salt
• 2 Jalapenos
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 tbsp Sweet BBQ seasoning.

Cherry Coke BBQ Sauce Ingredients.

• 1.5 cups Ketchup
• 1.5 cups Brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Honey
• 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup Molasses
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp Yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp Hot sauce
• 1 tbsp All purpose seasoning
• 1 can Cherry coke

Instructions

• Start by making the brine. In a large bucket, add 6 cans of cherry coke. A brine requires salt. For each can of soda, add 1 tablespoon of salt. Mix the ingredients together until the salt is dissolved. Slice thin rings of 2 jalapenos, seeds included and drop them into the brine.
• To start spatchcocking a chicken, cut out the backbone from the chicken with sheers or a sharp knife. Press down hard on the breast bone to break it so the chicken can lay nice and flat. In order to have chicken halves, take the sheers and cut down the middle to get 2 even parts.
• Place the raw chicken halves into the brine and make sure to fully submerge. If the chicken keeps floating, place a plate on top to keep it down.

  Brine the chicken an hour for every pound or at a minimum, 1 hour in total.
• To make the cherry coke BBQ sauce: in a sauce pan, add ketchup, yellow mustard, brown sugar, honey, molasses, all purpose rub, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, cherry coke and hot sauce.
• Simmer on the store top over low heat until the sauce starts to thicken. Be sure to whisk it every few minutes to ensure nothing burns to the bottom. You want to make sure that all the ingredients are well incorporated together.
• Once the brining is done, remove the cherry coke chicken from the liquid and pat it dry.
• Drizzle the dry brined chicken with olive oil for the binder and season with a sweet bbq rub.
• Preheat the grill to 375 degrees and set it for dual zone grilling.
• Place the chicken skin side up on the indirect side and cook until the breast registers an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Total cook time should be around 45 minutes depending on the side of the bird.
• Move the grilled chicken to the direct side over the coals just shy of 160 degrees to get the skin nice and crispy.
• Next, sauce up the cherry coke chicken. Take a brush and cover the chicken. Leave the chicken on the grill for 1-2 minutes to allow the sauce to caramelize over the chicken and get nice and tacky.
• Remove it from the grill and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
• Cut up the chicken into smaller serveable pieces and enjoy!

Notes

For best results use Kosher salt in the brine.

Any cut of chicken will work for this recipe. You can brine a whole uncut chicken, spatchcock it, only use boneless breast or thighs. Whatever your preference, use that.

Adjust heat levels with hot sauce. Traditional BBQ sauce is on the sweeter side, adding hot sauce breaks up the sweetness and adds a little punch at the end.

Adjust smokey levels with smoked paprika. Instead of adding liquid smoke, add natural flavoring through spices.

Nutrition

Calories: 848kcal | Carbohydrates: 153g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 7919mg | Potassium: 846mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 140g | Vitamin A: 718IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 6mg