German Barbecue Chicken

This Dusseldorf style barbecue chicken is bathed in a lager and mustard marinade, then cooked over charcoal. If you don’t have a charcoal unit, never fear. This chicken can be cooked on a gas unit, or even in the oven. Serve this delightful German-style chicken with a side of sauerkraut and grilled potato kebabs.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: German

Keyword: bbq chicken, German chicken recipe, grilled chicken, Grilling Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Marinating Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 5 hours 15 minutes

Servings: servings

Calories: 527kcal

Ingredients

3-4 pounds of chicken thighs and drumsticks

For Marinade:

1 1/4 cups dark German lager
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Juice of 2 lemons
3 tablespoons German-style mustard
3 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2-2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

Instructions

Combine beer, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, herbs, spices, and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in oil. Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
Trim off excess skin (just the straggling bits) on chicken thighs and drumsticks. Place into a deep plastic or glass bowl (large enough to fit all of the chicken), and pour marinade over top. Using tongs, gently toss to coat. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for 4-6 hours.
Prepare your grill for indirect cooking.
Remove chicken from the marinade, and place them onto the cooler part of the grill. Reserve the marinade and brush onto the chicken during the first 2-3 minutes of grill time. Do not apply marinade after that.
Close the lid and let the chicken cook for 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches between 165-170 degrees F. Move chicken over direct heat (hot) and sear for 2-3 minutes per side to form a nice crust.
Once cooked through, remove chicken from the grill and place onto a clean serving platter. Serve with your favorite sides.

Notes

Photo by: Sabrina Baksh

Things to keep in mind for this recipe:

Cooking equipment: I recommend cooking this chicken over charcoal, but a gas unit works just fine. You can cook this in the oven as well, though it will be lacking that open flame flavor.

Chicken: Not a fan of dark meat chicken? Use chicken breasts. I recommend flattening them to half their thickness by setting them between two pieces of plastic wrap and using a kitchen mallet or rolling pin to flatten them. Use 4 medium-large breasts and marinate for 3-4 hours. Grill times will be shorter, so keep that in mind, and check their internal temperature earlier in the cooking process.

Mustard: If you can find it, I recommend using Dusseldorf mustard. Its consistency is similar to Dijon, but has a far more assertive flavor and is a tad deeper in color. You can certainly substitute with Dijon mustard, but you’d be better off using about 2 1/4 teaspoons of it instead of the 1 1/4 teaspoons called for in the recipe.

Beer: You can substitute with a dark ale or porter instead of using a lager.

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