Chicken is the most forgiving protein on the barbecue if you respect one number: 75°C. Poultry must reach 75°C in the thickest part to be safe, and the whole game of BBQ chicken is getting there without drying out the breast or burning the skin. The techniques below — spatchcocking, two-zone cooking and basting — exist to solve exactly that problem. Chicken prices in 2026 stay around $5–$7/kg for whole birds and $8–$12/kg for thigh fillets, making it the cheapest protein on this site.
Spatchcock BBQ Chicken
Spatchcocking (removing the backbone and flattening the bird) is the single best chicken technique on a barbecue. A flattened chicken cooks in 40–50 minutes instead of 75–90, because the dark meat and white meat sit at the same distance from the heat and cook at a similar rate. Use kitchen scissors or poultry shears to cut along both sides of the backbone, press the bird flat, then cook over indirect heat at 180–200°C with the skin side up for 35–40 minutes, finishing skin-side down over direct heat for the last 5–8 minutes to crisp it. Pull at 75°C in the thigh and rest 10 minutes.
Sticky BBQ Chicken Wings
Wings are a two-stage cook: first render and cook through, then glaze and crisp. Cook wings over indirect heat at 180°C for 20–25 minutes until the internal temperature clears 75°C, then move them over direct heat and baste with glaze — Aussie-style BBQ sauce, honey and soy, or a hot sauce and butter mix — turning every 60–90 seconds for 4–6 minutes until sticky and charred in spots. The mechanism: sugar in the glaze burns fast, so glazing too early produces bitter, blackened wings. Glaze late, serve immediately. Budget 6–8 wings per person; they disappear faster than anything else on the grill.
Lemon Herb Chicken Skewers
Skewers are the weeknight staple: dice 600 g of thigh fillet (never breast — it dries out), marinate 30–60 minutes in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and oregano, thread onto skewers and cook over medium-high heat for 3–4 minutes per side until 75°C internal. The acid in the lemon does two jobs: it flavours the meat and it slightly denatures surface proteins, which helps browning. If you use wooden skewers, soak them 30 minutes first or they burn at the exposed ends.
Aussie Chicken Burger
The chicken burger is the lighter cousin of the beef burger: a crumbed or grilled chicken breast fillet, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo and — if you want the full Aussie experience — beetroot and a slice of pineapple. Grill the breast over medium heat (not high — chicken breast dries out fast over high heat) for 5–6 minutes per side until 75°C, and rest 5 minutes before assembling so the juices settle. If you crumb it, shallow-fry in a pan or cook on a well-oiled hotplate rather than directly on grill bars, where the crumb sticks and tears.
Food Safety: The Non-Negotiable
Chicken is the one protein where guessing is not acceptable. Always cook to 75°C internal measured in the thickest part of the meat, never partially cook chicken to "finish later", and never reuse marinade that has touched raw chicken unless you boil it first. Use separate boards and tongs for raw and cooked chicken — cross-contamination is how BBQ chicken becomes a trip to hospital, and it is entirely preventable. A $30 probe thermometer is cheaper than a night in emergency.
Regional Chicken Notes
Queensland's humid summers make marinated chicken a year-round staple, and peri-peri-style spatchcock is a Brisbane backyard classic. In New South Wales and Victoria, the crumbed chicken burger and buffalo wings dominate gatherings; in South Australia, charcoal-grilled chicken with lemon myrtle seasoning reflects the state's native-food revival. Northern Territory cooks often smoke whole birds with local wood. The techniques above work everywhere — adjust the glaze, not the method.
Actionable Steps
- Spatchcock whole birds — 40–50 minutes total, indirect then direct.
- Cook everything to 75°C internal; use a thermometer, every time.
- Glaze wings and drumsticks late (last 4–6 minutes) to avoid burning the sugar.
- Use thigh fillets for skewers and burgers; save breast for gentle, indirect cooking.
- Keep raw and cooked chicken completely separate — separate boards, tongs and plates.