Impossible-to-Mess-Up Grilled Mesquite Chicken

Have you looked at grocery prices lately? Ouch!

What am I saying? Of course you have. You eat, too.

The stores around here tend to have the best per-pound prices on chicken and turkey (under a dollar a pound!), so we’ve been eating lots of fowl.

When I was getting burned out on the Hot Mess BBQ variation, I decided to cook on an actual BBQ grill, but this time, without the BBQ sauce. I love Mesquite, so grilled mesquite chicken was a natural choice. J

Just a simple mix of spices put on before I tossed these babies over the coals. Like most of my personal recipes, it’s hard to mess up. Put the spices on the raw chicken. Toss it on the grill.

Finish cooking it. Duh.

Eat it! (And yes, these are different pieces of chicken. From different grill runs.)

That’s pretty much the whole story. So let’s get grillin’ here, friends!

Impossible-to-Mess-Up Grilled Mesquite Chicken

Super easy and super tasty!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chicken, Grill

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 498.15kcal

Equipment Suggestions

1 Grill

1 Meat Thermometer Optional but super helpful.

1 Mesquite Chips Optional! Adds a little more smoke to the taste.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds chicken (thighs, drumsticks, whatever)
• 1 tbsp Mesquite Seasoning (or to taste)
• 1 teas smoked paprika (or to taste)
• 1/2 teas cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Instructions

• Thaw chicken.
  3 pounds chicken
• Appy spices and rub in lightly.
  1 tbsp Mesquite Seasoning, 1/2 teas cayenne pepper
• Cook on the grill until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.

Recipe Notes

Premade Mesquite seasoning is normally going to have a small amount of brown sugar in it. If you're concerned, there are plenty of recipes to make your own (using a sugar sub if need be). But I'll be honest: I just used store bought. It's not a ton of carbs no more than you use. And I've got time and energy challenges. I do the best I can. So no, not gonna judge you for shortcuts.

If you don't have smoked paprika, you can just skip it without issue. The mesquite blend might even have some in it. But I gotta say, it's worth it to have some of this stuff on hand. I think it's my favorite spice. It's just sooooo good!

Because we can use different cuts of chicken and the temperatures on grills vary, it's hard to say exactly how long to cook this without a meat thermometer. If you don't have one, make sure the chicken is cooked white all the way through. We're looking for that sweet spot where the chicken is fully cooked but still juicy, with the skin nice and crispy. Yum! 

Nutrition Facts

Impossible-to-Mess-Up Grilled Mesquite Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 498.15 Calories from Fat 340

% Daily Value*

Fat 37.74g58%

Saturated Fat 10.17g51%

Trans Fat 0.19g

Polyunsaturated Fat 7.86g

Cholesterol 222.26mg74%

Sodium 174.91mg7%

Potassium 475.89mg14%

Carbohydrates 0.84g0%

Fiber 0.16g1%

Sugar 0.05g0%

Protein 36.9g74%

Vitamin A 410.43IU8%

Vitamin C 0.13mg0%

Calcium 19.15mg2%

Iron 1.6mg9%

Net Carbs 0.68

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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I’d love to know if you try this, any special touches you added, and how it turned out. Happy grilling!