12 Absolute Best BBQ Sauces For Chicken

Sunday afternoon barbecues across the United States are one of our country's most beloved traditions, bringing friends, family, and neighborhoods together to enjoy smoky, slow-cooked meats. From one ocean to the other, the variety of styles of American barbecue delivers distinct, definitive, and delicious cuts of meats from Santa Maria-style tri-tip in California to low and slow smoked brisket in Texas and pulled pork sandwiches dressed in tangy, mustardy barbecue sauce in the Carolinas. Meat preferences across the country often lean towards ribs, pork, or beef. Still, chicken frequently ends up in the smoker box or on the grill at a barbecue, typically receiving a thick coating of barbecue sauce at the end of cooking. 

The region often defines the type of sauce that dresses the chicken. In Alabama, white barbecue sauce elevates the flavor of smoked chicken, while in Kansas City, thick molasses, brown sugar, and tomato-based sauce gives smoked chicken a sticky, sweet glaze. And in Memphis, sweet honey gold sauce coats its chicken wings. While the flavor of many barbecue sauces will pair universally with any type of meat, some fare particularly well with chicken, including the dozen in this listing. As a smoked and grilled meat fan and barbecue chicken lover, I taste-tested each with various cuts, finding the best barbecue sauce for chicken. All options are conveniently available on Amazon.

Stubb's Barbecue is a destination for lovers of low-and-slow cooked meats and stellar music. Originally a West Texas institution started in Lubbock, TX, the location became the home of pit-fired barbecue cooked over Texas post-oak wood, burning long and hot to lock in a smoky flavor that customers enjoyed while listening to Texas music legends like Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Joe Ely. The original location is closed, and now the Austin outlet delivers live music and barbecue. 

Still, you don't have to venture to Texas to enjoy Stubb's smokey BBQ, as the venue's famous sauce is available to purchase in a jar. Though the brand offers a variety of sauce flavors, Stubb's Original Bar-B-Q Sauce, with its tangy, sweet, smoky flavor, is incredible on chicken. I suggest smoking it on the bone like Stubb's does, then slathering the tomato-based sauce on shortly before the chicken finishes cooking, allowing the sugars in the sauce to caramelize. 

Stubb's sauce is gluten-free, non-GMO, does not contain high fructose corn syrup, and has one of the lowest calorie and sugar amounts in the mix of options — just 25 calories and 4 grams of sugar per serving — even with a blend of sweet ingredients including cane sugar, brown sugar, and molasses. The acidity of distilled vinegar balances the sweetness, with a mix of peppers, spices, and flavorings that enhance the overall taste of the sauce. 

Spicy food fans will love The Purple Chicken Korean BBQ Sauce as this sauce packs the heat. The brand gives barbecue sauce a Korean twist with ingredients like Korean chili paste, soy sauce, ginger, and rice vinegar. While there is the heat the Korean chili lends to the sauce, the strong flavor of the ginger brings a spicy, crave-able zing to the flavor, especially for ginger fans like me. 

The sauce is free from preservatives or artificial flavors, though it is high in sodium, as the base ingredient is soy sauce. Each 2-tablespoon serving has 580 milligrams of sodium. Still, the soy sauce brings umami notes to the BBQ sauce, with honey and sugar providing sweetness, balancing the saltiness. The Purple Chicken's sauce is thinner than some of the options on the list, making it better for using as a fried chicken coating, rather than a sauce you would slather over grilled chicken. I suggest tossing chicken wings in it for a savory, saucy, and sweet version of Korean fried chicken.

Mustard and poultry go hand in hand with the vinegar-filled condiment, which helps tenderize the bird to ensure juiciness, while adding flavor. The sweetness helps to balance the mustard's tang and spice, enhancing the overall taste with sweet and savory flavors. Hak's accomplishes this with its Organic BBQ Sauce Smoked Maple Mustard, adding smokiness into the mix to bring out the flavor that low and slow cooking over wood gives to meat. 

I love that the product is USDA Certified Organic, gluten-free, and includes a non-GMO natural mix of ingredients, such as yellow and brown mustard, blackstrap molasses, and pure maple syrup. Though the sauce is similar to the type of South Carolina barbecue sauce known as Carolina Gold, it does not have the intense tanginess that the state's mustard and vinegar-based sauce does. Instead, it is like a smoky, spicy honey mustard with well-rounded flavors that are perfect as a finishing sauce for the absolute best grilled chicken or as a zesty dip with fried chicken tenders.

For barbecue lovers who need to watch their sugar intake, finding a delicious sauce option that is low in sugar can be challenging. Cane sugar, brown sugar, and molasses are often essential ingredients in barbecue sauce, particularly in the sticky, sweet, smoky selections that go so well with chicken — adding caramelization while helping lock in the juices of slow-cooked poultry. G Hughes provides a range of sauce options that deliver sweet flavor; however, they are all sugar-free. The Ohio-based brand began thanks to award-winning pitmaster Ira "Guy" Hughes recognizing the need to provide full-flavored, high-quality sauces that were also free from sugar.   

G Hughes Sugar Free Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce has all the thick, rich sweetness we love in typical barbecue sauce. The sweetness comes from sucralose. It, along with a mix of other ingredients, including tomatoes, cider and distilled vinegar, and a blend of spices, create a gluten-free sauce with only 10 calories per 2-tablespoon serving, with low sodium, zero fat, and zero sugar. The combination of ingredients, with savory garlic, onion, and hickory wood smoke, along with the freshness of the tomato base and zestiness of the vinegar, ensures the sweetening agent does not give the sauce an artificial taste. Instead, the flavor is balanced, adding a smoky, sweet, spicy sauce perfect for crispy baked chicken wings.

Chicken Lou's was a beloved Boston restaurant, owned by the Ferretti family, on the city's Northeastern University campus that served hungry college students chicken wings, pizza, and sandwiches for over 30 years. Upon closing the business in 2020, the family opted for a new adventure, bottling the sauces and spice blends from some of the restaurant's popular dishes, including its barbecue sauce. 

Chicken Lou's Kickin' Chicken BBQ Sauce is a gluten-free, vegetarian sauce that is sweet and tangy, with a rich, ripe ketchup base and the inclusion of apple cider vinegar, molasses, and brown sugar. Ancho chili powder adds an underlying smoky spiciness that lends flavor without overpowering the palate with heat. Instead, the pepper adds warmth to the back palate, while helping balance the overall flavor. I suggest spatchcocking a brined chicken before grilling, and slathering on this sauce at the end of cooking to create a supremely juicy, smoky, and sticky barbecued bird.

Barbecue may not be the food group you think of from our neighbors to the north of the United States. Still, the country that loves an easy traditional poutine, Tourtière pie, and Cesar cocktails also grills delicious barbecue, often complemented with Diana Sauce. Diana Sauce is a Canadian barbecue sauce that, when spooned over various kinds of meat and vegetables, delivers robust, sweet, and savory flavor. 

Diana Sauce Gourmet Rib & Chicken Barbecue Sauce begins with blackstrap molasses and sugar, ensuring the condiment has ample sweetness, then adds tomato paste, tangy white vinegar, savory Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and a blend of spices, including salt, garlic powder, and turmeric. The Worcestershire gives the BBQ sauce a subtle umami note from the inclusion of anchovies and soy sauce, complementing the sweetness. At the same time, the vinegar adds brightness, balancing the palate. 

The taste is reminiscent of ketchup with a kick, working well with smoked chicken or wood-fired grilled chicken, with the poultry benefiting from the sweet, tangy flavor in the condiment that balances the smokiness. Diana Sauce does not have peppery heat, making it a delicious option for those who prefer a barbecue sauce without much spice.

Salamida Original State Fair Chicken Bar-B-Que Sauce is one of the most unusual and delicious sauces I have tried, especially on chicken. As versatile as many of the sauces on this list are, this one is ideal with chicken. Unlike many barbecue sauces, the Salamida sauce base is vinegar, instead of sugar, oil, or tomatoes, creating a thin, liquid consistency that is best as a marinade. And the longer you allow the chicken to marinate, the more flavor the sauce will impart. The brand recommends up to 24 hours. 

The vinegar in the sauce will help tenderize the chicken, while the other ingredients, including soybean oil, eggs, salt, pepper, paprika, and spices will add flavor to the bird. Of course, you can mix in traditional barbecue sauce ingredients to enhance the flavor even more, like maple syrup, honey, ketchup, or molasses. However, as is, the Salamida sauce is one of the best store-bought marinade brands on the market for chicken, with a history dating back to 1975 when Rob Salamida began bottling sauces in his parents' Binghamton, NY basement and selling them to local grocery stores.

Barbecue sauces infused with fruit meld nicely with wood-fired chicken. The sweetness of the fruit naturally balances the zesty tanginess of the vinegar in the sauce. Head Country is a brand that offers a few fruity options, including raspberry with chipotle and apple with habanero. The Head Country Apple Habanero Bar-B-Q Sauce is my favorite option for a barbecue chicken recipe. 

The sauce delivers the perfect amount of heat, sweetness, and tang, with candied apple flavors from the real apple juice in the sauce. This fruity flavor melds with the peppery spice of habaneros, tart vinegar, tangy tomatoes, and earthy, savory Worcestershire sauce. Liquid smoke gives the sauce subtle smokiness, with sweetness coming from the inclusion of sugar and molasses, instead of high fructose corn syrup or other artificial flavorings or sweeteners. 

The amount of sugar in the sauce is high: 20 grams per 2-tablespoon serving. However, the other ingredients, including a spice mix of mustard flour, salt, and onion powder, round out the overall taste, ensuring the finished sauce has balance. I suggest using a cast iron skillet for super saucy barbecue chicken if cooking on the stovetop to replicate the smoky, charred notes from cooking meat over an open flame on an outdoor grill.

Barbecue sauce brand Sweet Baby Ray's extensive line of over 20 sauces offers something for everyone, from lovers of sweet and sticky barbecue to those who prefer a toasty, smoky mesquite or hickory flavor. The new Sweet Baby Ray's "Buff-a-Cue" Buffalo Barbecue Sauce combines the sweet, tangy, smoky flavors of the brand's original award-winning barbecue sauce with fiery aged cayenne pepper. 

The buffalo barbecue sauce delivers everything I want in both a barbecue sauce and a hot sauce, with acidity, sweetness, and spicy, peppery flavor. Though the spicy buffalo is present, it does not dominate the front palate, allowing notes of sweet, smoky barbecue to come through. That said, when the sauce hits the back palate, the peppery goodness of a well-spiced wing sauce comes through. Aside from the obvious use on chicken wings, it is delicious on grilled chicken tenders or spice-rubbed chicken and vegetable kebabs, brushed on a few minutes before they finish cooking, allowing the sweet heat to soak into the meat.

Bachan's Japanese Barbecue Sauce is a brand of thick, sweet, saucy options that coats various cuts of meat in savory richness. The company's portfolio of sauces includes a soy-forward original family recipe, miso, yuzu citrus, and my favorite from the brand: hot and spicy. Bachan's Hot and Spicy Japanese Barbecue Sauce includes a mix of non-GMO soy sauce, cane sugar, mirin, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green onion, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, and red jalapeno peppers. The sesame oil adds to the overall depth of flavor to the sauce, enriching the gingery, garlicky, peppery taste with just enough of a vinegar pop to brighten the overall palate. 

With soy sauce being Bachan's base, the sodium amount is high. Still, the other ingredients in the sauce keep the taste balanced. One of the best parts of Bachan's vegan small-batch-produced, cold-filled sauce is that it's not laden with artificial flavors or preservatives, giving an authentic Japanese-style sweet and savory taste. The sauce is rich in umami, spicy heat, and enough sugar to ensure a well-rounded flavor. Though thinner in texture in comparison to some of the other sauces, Bachan's is an ideal option to give your teriyaki chicken a flavor boost. Or, fold Bachan's sauce into shredded barbecue chicken to make spicy Asian-style street tacos.

Alabama BBQ sauce is unique to any other in the country. Instead of a tomato or mustard base, the main ingredient in the state's white barbecue sauce is mayonnaise. Typically, the sauce adorns smoky Alabama-style chicken, with a creamy base that melds with tart vinegar, salt, and black pepper. As the recipe for mayonnaise includes oil and eggs, it is easy to understand how the sauce became a statewide favorite. The fat in these ingredients will help keep the chicken moist and tender as it slowly smokes in the barbecue pit.

For over 100 years, Duke's Mayonnaise has been a southern staple, with Eugenia Duke's original recipe from 1923 elevating everything from simple deviled eggs to potato salad to club sandwiches. Duke's Southern Sauces Alabama White BBQ blends soybean oil, egg yolks, distilled and cider vinegar, with Dijon mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, salt, and spices. The mustard and horseradish impart punchy zestiness to the creamy, tangy sauce, which helps cut through the richness and adds a tasty contrast to the smokiness of the chicken. If a plate of chicken nuggets is more to your liking, use Duke's as a dipping sauce for the crispy chicken bites. The tanginess of the mustard, the nose-tickling spice of the horseradish, and the mayonnaise's creaminess contrast the chicken's crunchy, deep-fried, fatty flavors.

Amazon's private label Happy Belly brand delivers solid choices for consumers looking for quality and value. The brand's barbecue sauce options include the original, honey, and hickory smoked, with the latter being delicious on barbecue chicken. Happy Belly Hickory Smoked Barbecue Sauce delivers connotations of Kansas City-style barbecue, as the city is famous for barbecuing meats over hickory wood. Also typical of Kansas City barbecue sauce that is sweetly unique, Happy Belly's option is very sugary, with a thick enough texture to provide ample caramelization when brushed on barbecue chicken wings, thighs, or legs shortly before the meat finishes cooking. 

Using dark meat chicken that is richer and has more of a gamey flavor than chicken breast will help mellow the sweetness, ensuring the final dish has balance. Costing only $1.59 for a 16.1 ounce bottle, the bargain barbecue sauce provides ample flavor while being economical, exceeding expectations.

To create this best-of list, I taste-tested a variety of sauces with various cuts of chicken, finding the best option to use with wings, thighs, legs, and breasts, with some cooked over an open flame on the grill and others in a smoker box using wood chips. From a large group, I narrowed the list to the 12 best options, each of which is available on Amazon.

For pairing BBQ sauce with chicken, I found the thicker, richer sauces were best with chicken breasts and thighs for barbecuing. Still, thinner, more vinegary sauces work well with shredded barbecue chicken for sandwiches, tacos, or smoky barbecue chicken-stuffed twice-baked potatoes. Additionally, adding the sauce shortly before the meat finished cooking ensured the sugars in the sauces did not burn. Instead, it caramelized on the various cuts of the bird.