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Rumor has it, this easy, sweet and smoky grilled chicken breast recipe was one of Frank Perdue’s favorite recipes!

Chicken Breasts with a Sweet & Smoky Sauce
My husband Jack and I each came to our marriage with a large collection of cookbooks – and one from Jack’s collection was called 365 Ways to Cook Chicken.In that cookbook, the author included a recipe for Sweet and Smoky Chicken that was reportedly one of Frank Perdue’s favorite chicken recipes.
With an endorsement like that – we HAD to try the recipe ourselves. And we have to say, we love it too!
This sweet and smoky chicken is made with simple ingredients: ketchup, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard, plus some hickory smoked salt. We swapped in some liquid smoke and kosher salt – both ingredients typically found in the spice aisle at your local supermarket.
You can bake the chicken breasts in the oven as the original recipe did, or cook the chicken on the grill like we did. The sauce gets nicely caramelized on the grill over high heat – while the chicken stays moist and juicy.
On a side note…
Jack once had the honor of meeting and speaking with Frank Perdue himself, many years ago. He remembers Mr. Perdue as an excellent person, and a tough businessman who knew a whole lot about chickens! But as tough as he was – Jack found him to be very cordial and funny, and a great pleasure to meet.
Reader Review
“This was delicious! It was very easy and I always have all these ingredients in my pantry! Everyone loved it! I adore this blog!!” -Laura
Why You’ll Love Perdue’s Favorite Sweet and Smoky Chicken
- The sweet and smoky flavors go so well with the juicy chicken breasts.
- You might have all of the ingredients in your kitchen cabinet – so you can make this dish anytime you plan to serve chicken.
- It’s a flexible recipe that can be cooked on the grill or in the oven.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken Breasts – Choose large, meaty chicken breast with the bone-in and skin still on for the juiciest and more flavorful results.
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Vegetable Oil
- For the Sauce – Ketchup, pure maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, liquid smoke, kosher salt.
Substitution
- To follow the original recipe, leave out the liquid smoke and kosher salt and instead add half a teaspoon of hickory smoked salt.
Special Tools You’ll Need
- Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
- Various Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Grill
- Long-Handled Brush – To oil the grill grates and brush sauce on the chicken.
- Small Bowl
- Whisk
- Instant-Read Probe Thermometer
How do you make Perdue’s Favorite Sweet and Smoky Chicken?
- Preheat your grill to 425 to 450 degrees F.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over the skin of the chicken breasts.
- Brush the grill grates with vegetable oil, then place the breasts on the grill grates skin-side down. Do not touch for four minutes.
- Flip and cook for four more minutes.
- Move the chicken breasts to an upper rack or cooler side of the grill (you want them to be off the direct heat).
- Close the cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (use a probe thermometer.) If you like extra crispy skin, place back over the heat, skin side down, for a few extra minutes before brushing with sauce.
- While the chicken cooks, mix up the sauce.
- Once the chicken reaches 145 degrees F, brush on some of the sauce to coat.
- Close the cover again and cook for 10 more minutes, or once the internal temp reaches 155 degrees F.
- Let the chicken rest before serving. (Note that the internal temperature of the chicken will continue to rise as it rests.)
- Serve chicken with remaining sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the directions for making this recipe in the oven instead of the grill? You can bake the chicken breasts at 425 to 450 degrees F until the chicken is cooked through (cooking time will vary based on the size of the pieces of chicken – use a probe thermometer and take the chicken out when the internal temp reaches 155 degrees F). If you’d like, you can broil the chicken for just a few minutes (watching it constantly so it doesn’t burn) to brown and caramelize the skin before serving. If you do decide to broil the chicken breasts, bake the chicken to just shy of fully cooked (155 degrees F) then finish under the broiler.
- Can I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Technically, you can. But the sauce is best when slathered over the skin of a bone-in chicken breast. (Also note that the cooking time will be much less than what is listed in the recipe if you are cooking boneless chicken breasts.)
This recipe for Perdue’s Favorite Sweet and Smoky Chicken originally appeared here on A Family Feast in August 2014. We’ve updated the post and photos, but the delicious recipe remains the same.
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Perdue’s Favorite Sweet and Smoky Chicken
Rumor has it, this easy, sweet and smoky grilled chicken breast recipe was one of Frank Perdue’s favorite recipes!
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (Ours were large, between 12–16 ounces each)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Few grinds fresh black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for grill grates
- Sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to about 425-450 degrees.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over the skin of the chicken breasts.
- Brush the vegetable oil over the grill grates and place the chicken skin side down. Do not touch for four minutes. Flip and cook for four more minutes. Then move the breasts to an upper rack or cool side of the grill, close the cover and cook for twenty minutes to 145 degrees F when poked with a probe thermometer. (Smaller breast halves will take less time to cook). If you like extra crispy skin, place back over the heat, skin side down, for a few extra minutes before brushing with the sauce as explained in the step in below.
- In a small bowl, mix ketchup, maple syrup, vinegar, mustard, liquid smoke and salt.
- Brush on sauce to coat, close cover and cook for ten more minutes, or when the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F when poked with a probe thermometer.
- Remove from the grill and brush on more sauce.
- Serve remaining sauce with chicken.
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Hi Martha, I came by your recipes by mishap and boy was that a trophy I have been hitting the goal every since a lot of your recipes are low Maintaince but those that aren’t you can adapt to your methods I love that chicken stroganoff , and the Tyson grilled chicken and those dressing are out of this world thanks so much to you and your hubby for sharing
You’re welcome Annie – we’re glad you found us!
This was delicious! It was very easy and I always have all these ingredients in my pantry! Everyone loved it! I adore this blog!!
Thanks so much Laura!
What are the oven directions?
Hi Kathy – We’ve had best luck grilling this recipe but you can bake it in the oven (same 425-450 degrees) until the chicken is cooked through (time will vary based on the size of the pieces of chicken). You might want to put the chicken under the broiler for a few minutes just before the chicken is cooked through to brown and caramelize the skin. Hope that helps!
I made this last weekend on our big green egg and it was so delicious! I absolutely loved the sauce. I will definitely be putting this into my dinner rotation. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Dawn!