Grilled Whole Chicken Without Spatchcocking (butterflied or flattened) is juicy and tender with great grilled flavor. This recipe starts with an easy prep, and then you cook the intact, full chicken with indirect heat on your backyard grill.
🐓Ingredients
Whole chicken—4-6 pound range
Butter
Seasoning—coarse salt and pepper
Options—other herb and spices or BBQ dry rub.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🐓Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Grill a Whole Chicken Without Spatchcocking—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- How long to grill a whole chicken
- Seasoning Options
- Related Recipes
- Grill setup for indirect cooking
- 🌡️Recommend Thermometers
- 🍴How to serve grilled whole chicken.
- ❄️How to store leftovers
- ❓FAQs
- Food Safety
- 📖 Recipe
Featured Comment by Janice :
"Best. Ever. Why would you ever BBQ a whole chicken any other way? No changes to the recipe. Perfect the way it is. Thanks!!"
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The easiest way to cook a whole chicken on your BBQ grill is to toss it on—there is no need to cut out the backbone or flatten it. This moist grilled whole chicken has great crispy, smoky skin and takes minimal work.
It's adaptable to most gas or charcoal grills that are big enough for indirect grilling. It keeps the chicken intact and provides excellent grilling flavor.
Once you have the basic technique, add other flavors with different spice mixes or a BBQ dry rub. You can even smoke the chicken with wood chips.
👨🍳How to Grill a Whole Chicken Without Spatchcocking—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Set up your grill for indirect cooking at 400° in the indirect area.
2. Clean, trim and pat dry the chicken—do not rinse. Be sure to remove any giblets.
3. Brush with melted butter and season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. We also add garlic powder.
4. Grill with indirect heat, angling one thigh and the leg to the direct heat side. Close the lid, and don't touch it for 40 minutes.
5. Rotate the bird at 40 minutes, angling the other thigh towards the heat. Brush with butter again, close the lid, and continue grilling until the internal temperature of the breast is 165°.
6. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
How long to grill a whole chicken
A 5-pound whole chicken will take about 80 minutes to grill at 400°F indirect heat on a gas grill, although a pellet or charcoal grill may be used if you can control the heat. The variables are the exact grill setup and chicken size. A butterfly chicken will take about half that time due to the flattening.
The chicken is done when it is at least 165°F in all areas for safety. At that time, the thighs should be in the 185°F range for tenderness.
Seasoning Options
While I recommend classic butter, garlic, and salt, you can use any seasoning you like with chicken. Rosemary and thyme are typical, as are some other combinations like lemon-butter seasoning and my All-Purpose Seasoning Salt.
♨️Barbecues Whole Chicken
Make BBQ Whole Chicken using BBQ dry rub, Memphis Dry Rub, or Chipotle Dry Rub. Serve with Memphis BBQ sauce or your favorite BBQ sauce.
🔥Spicy Seasoned Whole Chicken
Try this "spicy rotisserie chicken" spice option, which is packed with spicy flavor. Apply this spice mix after brushing the chicken with butter.
Mix 4 teaspoons of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon each of pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, 2 teaspoons of paprika, and sugar. Optional ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Related Recipes
If you are interested in the Spatchcock technique of flattening and cooking a whole chicken, check out my easy recipe. This will also work well if you want to grill half a chicken.
Check out some bone-in chicken recipes for the gas grill, like Grilled Chicken Legs, Grilled Bone-in Chicken Thighs, and Grilled Split Chicken Breasts. Or try this easy oven-baked whole chicken recipe.
Grill setup for indirect cooking
With indirect grilling, only part of the grill surface is over an active burner (direct side), and the other part (the indirect side) has the burners turned off. This is how we grill things like pork butt or beef brisket—also used in this whole chicken recipe.
Grills will vary how you do indirect cooking. Please see A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill for a more detailed discussion of grill temperature. And How To Set Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking and Low and Slow Cooking, where indirect grill setup is discussed in more detail.
🌡️Recommend Thermometers
While you can do this with a grill surface thermometer and an instant-read thermometer, a remote two-probe thermometer will help you maintain the grill temperature.
Note: All links below are affiliate links, meaning I make a small profit from your purchases. This commission does not affect your price. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Smoke™ by Thermoworks™
Thermapen™ One from Thermoworks™
ThermoPro TP19 Instant Read Thermometer
CDN Grill Surface Thermometer
These are examples of what I use, but many other great options are available at Amazon or your local big box store.
🍴How to serve grilled whole chicken.
Be sure to let the bird rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting to allow the moisture to reabsorb into the meat cells.
Serve with Stovetop French Fries, Grilled Baby Potatoes, a side salad, or Grilled Pineapple Slices.
❄️How to store leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container. Refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for 3 months.
Cold leftovers are great on a salad or make chicken salad or Waldorf Chicken Salad.
❓FAQs
The legs are tied (trussed) to bring them towards the bird's center, leading to more even cooking. Use kitchen twine, which is made for cooking.
During meat cooking, fluid is forced out to the meat cells. It stays between the cells while heat is applied. After being removed from the heat, the fluid migrates back into the cells, producing a juicy and tender result.
Food Safety
We do not rinse raw poultry, like chicken, due to problems with contamination of the surrounding area for splatter. See, Why not to rinse raw chicken? for details.
According to the USDA, the minimum safe internal temperature for chicken is 165°. Aim for that in the middle of the thickest parts of the chicken. For tenderness, you will want the thighs or legs in the 185° range.
Do not stuff the chicken with anything that will be eaten. Anything in the cavity must reach 165° to be safely consumed, which will require the chicken to be overcooked and dry.
Wash your hands well before and after handling raw chicken—store raw chicken under 40°F and away from other foods.
📖 Recipe
Grilled Whole Chicken Without Spatchcocking
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Ingredients
- 4 pound whole chicken - 4-6 pound range. Bigger will take longer.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste - Or seasoning of your choice.
Instructions
- Start with setting up your grill for indirect cooking. Clean and oil the grates. Turn the burners that will be on to full heat and watch the grill's surface temperature. Aim for 350° to 400° in the indirect area—adjust the burners as needed.
- Clean, trim, and pat dry the chicken—do not rinse. Be sure to remove any giblets.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the microwave and brush all sides of the bird. Save the remainder for brushing the bird during the rotation on the grill. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. We use my All-Purpose Seasoning Mix, which has salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Place on the grill with indirect heat, angling one thigh and the leg to the direct heat side. Close the lid, and don't touch it for 40 minutes.
- Rotate the bird at 40 minutes angling the other thigh towards the heat. Give it a brush of butter and continue grilling until the internal temperature of the breast is 165°.
- Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- A good estimate of cooking time is 15-20 minutes per pound. But there is also variability due to the difference between grills.
- I suggest a 4-6 pound chicken. You can try bigger, but the skin may get overdone.
- Getting the grill set up correctly is the key to doing this right the first and every time.
- The grill surface temperature and the internal temperature of the chicken must be monitored. Remote monitoring is suggested but not required.
- Never trust a grill hood thermometer, and never cook by time alone.
- If you want BBQ whole chicken, use a dry rub to season.
- The minimum safe internal temperature for chicken is 165°. Aim for that in the middle of the breast. You will want to have the thighs or legs in the 185° range if you can.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Originally Published June 11, 2017. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Hilary Silberman says
I just tried this recipe. It turned out great! Thank you!
Hilary
Mary Ann says
I tried this recipe, it came out good! I can’t believe it because usually my grilling doesn’t come out so good. I used your 7-2-2 recipe too, I added onion powder to it & that was great too. I’m so stoked!!
Lily Everett says
I am new to grilling. I have a Dyna-Glo gas grill and a Weber Bluetooth thermometer to monitor the surface heat. I cannot for the life of me get the indirect heat to get up to 350F and stay there, let alone getting anywhere near 400. The only way I am finding that I can keep the temp in the right range is by turning on and off one of the direct burners under the chicken, although I’m having to babysit it and adjust every 5 minutes. 😣 I do live in a semi-windy place, that’s the only thing I can think of that is making it so I cannot, for the life of me, get the indirect heat to be hot enough.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Lily,
Welcome to the blog.
Some grills are harder to control. If you haven't seen it, here is my discussion on grill temperature. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/grill-temperature/ but it does not cover indirect much. You will find more about indirect grilling at https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/set-gas-grill-smoking-low-slow-cooking/.
If those do not help, please let me know your grill model so I may be able to be more specific. A lot will depend on the number and direction of the burners.
Dan
Alison K says
Tip #7 has a typo. Needs to say "brush" not "bush." I will be trying this recipe tomorrow!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Alison,
Thanks for the proofread. It has been that way for 3 years. Fixed.
Enjoy your chicken.
Dan
Allen says
Dear Dan,
Try taking 1 or 2 frozen chickens and place them on the grill with drip pans below for 2 hours. Turn once or twice and brush the natural oils from drip pan onto chicken. The result is absolutely delicious.
Thanks for your wonderful advice and recipe suggestions.
Allen
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Allen,
Welcome to the blog and thanks for the note.
If you asked me before, I would say not to cook the chicken frozen but as long as you are cooking to a final internal temperature, you good as you found out. There are an number of recipes out there for cooking fully frozen turkeys so it does seem reasonable. I do frequently cook fully frozen brisket.
Thanks so much for this report.
Dan
Judy says
Perfection! I added soaked hickory wood chips to a smoke box on the direct heat side of the grill and roasted a 6 lb. chicken in two hours. Delicious! Going to roast another today. Thank you for the great grilling tips on indirect grilling.
Glen Spencer says
Hello Double D no pun intended thank you for that recipe I can now cook a whole chicken on my friends gas grill when I'm house-sitting I'll be coming back and looking for more recipes you take care of brother and God bless keep on cooking
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Glen,
Welcome to the blog and sorry for the delayed response.
I'm so glad you found this recipe useful. It is one I'm fond of since I like simple things.
Have a look around and let me know if you have questions or comments.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Joanne says
This is a great recipe! I have made it at least 8 times and with no changes, exactly as written, and it has always come out moist and flavorful. At first I made it when it was too hot to oven roast, but as it turns out we like it even better than in the oven. Just be sure to oil or use grill pam and to have no flame on the side where the chicken goes. Try it and you will love it too!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Joanne,
Welcome to the blog.
I do love this recipe. It is just odd that it is really this simple.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Matt KM says
Dr Dan: this was a terrific recipe. The amount of detail was impressive and added so much to the recipe (e.g., the drippings, the resting—never think about that for chicken, and the timing being spot on). Really great work. Went w a basic garlic and onion on it. Want to try the 7-2-2 next time.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Matt,
Welcome to the blog.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. It is so simple but it is the details that count.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Michael K says
I am so looking forwadd to making this chicken this coming BBQ season. I used to make beer can chicken, but it seems like the lids on gas grills are getting shorter, so I can't stand the chicken up on my current grill. I am also going to look into getting a ThermaQ Blue.
Keep up the good work Dr.
DrDan says
Hi Michael,
I have never had a grill that would handle a chicken standing up. The ThermaQ is just a nice toy and I do love toys. Not required for this recipe.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Barb klaft says
Spent way too much time looking for the recipe because I couldn't get past you talking about your new toy! I didn't want to learn about a thermometer I wanted to learn about a chicken recipe!!!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Barb,
Welcome to the blog.
You do have a point on this one. It is scheduled for a rewrite in a few months. I'm moving it up and will get to it in the next week or so.
I only have a few posts like this and most of that will be gone. There will be jump table to go directly to what you want to know.
So check back in a week or so.
Now, aren't you surprised?
Dan
Jen says
Newbie here to whole chicken and gas grill... my question is may I put it in an aluminum pan and cook on grill as I do oven? I’ve done beer can chicken, which is yummy 😋. Thank you 😊
DrDan says
Hi Jen,
Welcome to the blog.
About a pan... I did not test it that way and believe it may interfere some with the cooking/browning. So I would not do it. This is not a mess like pulled pork. You can try it if you want and be sure to watch the internal temperature to determine when it is done.
Dan
June says
How does it work if you turn the side burners both on and put the chicken in the middle one that are unlit?
DrDan says
Hi June,
The answer... I think it would but have not tried it. The surface temperature in the center of the grill needs to be 350 but the thighs would be pointed to the heat and get some radiant energy. If you try it, watch the internal temperature of the thighs and breasts closely. You also want the legs in the 185 range.
Dan
Jeff says
Hi DrDan,
I'm new to the BBQ game and I found your website looking for recipes and now it's may go-to resource! I've done your ribs and pulled pork, and will be trying out this chicken this weekend. Just wanted to leave a note to say thanks for being so informative and helpful in all of your posts. Your hard work is not unnoticed!
Jeff
Rose says
This may be a silly question, but what do you use to rotate the chicken without dropping it, or burning yourself?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Rose,
Welcome to the blog.
Really it is not an issue. A couple of spatulas and rotate it. To come off the grill, the same or something into the cavity and pick it up. Don't use your hands.
Dan
Steve says
Hi Dr.
I am an avid BBQ nut, I Q everything. I take the chicken after cleaning and rub it with Virgin olive oil, add poultry seasoning,ground black pepper, and Rosemary Sage infused sea salt. Put the bird on the top rack on one side, turn the other side far burner to high, the next to Med and the third to low. No heat on the burner below the bird. Close the lid rotate after 30 mins close the lid and it's done at 50 mins. Never Fails!
DrDan says
Hi Steve,
It is great to know your grill so well. Thanks for the discriptioon.
Dan
Chris says
I love my non-wifi Therma-Q. It is my favorite remote probe thermometer that I own (I also have a DOT, 3 Chef-Alarms, and some others). I'm on the fence about getting one of the wifi ones because I already have 5 perfectly good units, ha ha.
Leslie says
Recipe sounds easy (great for novice grillers) plan on making as soon ask buy a new grill. Any suggestions on best natural gas grills?
DrDan says
Hi Leslie,
Thanks for the note. It is so easy. I just couldn't find instructions anywhere so I just winged it.
I'm on my second natural gas grill. They seem to last forever compared to propane. The propane grills burn hotter (and dirtier). I think since they are more "mass market" they tend to be made cheaper.
My current grill is a Weber with impressive quality. The first was a brand I had never heard of MTD or MDT or something like that. It seemed fine also.
There are grill review sites but really I think most all of those sites are just glorified Amazon link farms and don't trust them. You might check AmazingRibs.com. Meathead, the original owner now has control of it again so I trust it more again.
Dan
Ron says
Great post. I'm a big fan of Thermoworks products. I have two Thermapen thermometers and the pre-bluetooth Chefalarm. Don't know what I'd do without them.
The chicken looks perfect.
DrDan says
Hi Ron,
Yep, it was near perfect, especially considering that the technique was basically just tossing it on the grill and rotate it once.
I "love" all things Thermoworks and this one is a winner.
Dan