Easy High Protein Brown Sugar Grilled Chicken
Sweet and savory chicken that is healthy, high protein and delicious! It’s also gluten free, dairy free, and nightshade free.
Need a quick dinner idea that is high protein and delicious?!? This grilled chicken has a barbecue flavor without any barbecue sauce. I created this recipe out of the necessity for being nightshade free and it’s been a family favorite ever since. It’s sweet and savory without a bunch of added sugar.
Why you’ll love this chicken
This is one of our favorite summertime meals because it doesn’t heat up the kitchen. It’s also simple because sometimes you don’t want a recipe with 85 ingredients. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you know what I mean. Simple is good and takes less work and less dishes to wash since this meal is cooked on the grill. I think many people associate grilling with summertime, but you can grill this chicken on snowy winter nights too.
This is one of my go-to meals when bringing a meal to a friend who had a baby or had surgery, for example OR serving a meal to a gluten free or dairy free family. It feeds a crowd and it’s allergy free, so you know practically anyone could eat it. Plus, it’s so good, everyone will love it!
How many does this feed?
This recipe feeds 8-10 people. It makes a lot of chicken, so you’ll likely have leftovers. I love eating this the second day either sliced and served cold over a big garden salad or chopped up and put on BBQ chicken pizza. It’s also delicious when mixed with a cheesy pasta. If you have a smaller family, just modify my recipe and make this in half or make it all and freeze the other half for another meal. Just remember to label your freezer bag.
Serving ideas
Just pair it will a side salad or steamed veggies and rice or even serve it on top of mixed greens for a nutritious and delicious meal. Of course, my kids like to eat it with barbecue sauce, but it’s not necessary. If it’s served on top of a salad, any sort of sweet dressing or even ranch dressing tastes delicious with it.
Ingredients
First, grab a bowl and place the cut up chicken breasts, chicken tenderloins or chicken thighs in it. Then, mix together the seasoning mix and dump it on the chicken.
You can either use your hands or a big spoon and stir/mix the chicken up with the seasoning until each chicken piece is coated in that brown sugar and salty goodness.
Get your grill hot, about medium heat and cook them until no longer pink. Flipping them to ensure both sides get that caramelization. They will get a nice crust on them from the caramelized sugar. So yummy!!
Once they are fully cooked, no pink and temperature reaches 165 degrees, take them off the grill and allow you rest for a few minutes. That helps the chicken to reabsorb the chicken juices and seasoning.
Easy Brown Sugar Grilled Chicken
Equipment
- Grill
Ingredients
- 5 Lbs Fresh boneless chicken breasts, chicken tenderloins or boneless chicken thighs If the chicken breasts are large, cut them in half or pound to an even thickness
- 1/3 Cup Brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp Sea salt
- 1 Tbsp Onion powder
- 2 Tsp Garlic powder
- 1/2 Tsp Black pepper
Instructions
- Place your chicken pieces in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, sea salt (I really love Celtic sea salt for this recipe, but Himalayan or regular sea salt works well too), onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper.
- Add the brown sugar mix onto the chicken and either use your hands or a large spoon to mix it well until the chicken is coated in the brown sugar mixture.
- Heat your grill to medium heat and place the chicken on the grill.
- Grill the chicken pieces until they are no longer pink and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Flipping them to ensure they get those grill marks on both sides and the brown sugar caramelizes on both sides.
- Remove from the grill and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
This is delicious served with a side salad or steamed veggies or on top of a bed of mixed greens topped with a sweet dressing, like a vinaigrette or even a ranch dressing. Tastes delicious on it’s own, but also good with barbecue sauce. Enjoy!!