BBQ seasoning and Asian flavors don't exactly come from the same corner of the culinary map.

That's part of what makes this work.

These chicken halves start with a generous coating of Rub Yer Meat BBQ Rub, giving you that familiar savory BBQ foundation. Then, as the chicken cooks, it gets layered with a sticky glaze loaded with hoisin, soy, orange, sesame, garlic, ginger, and a little Sriracha.

Traditional BBQ underneath.

Sweet, salty, tangy Asian-inspired glaze on top.

Turns out the two get along pretty damn well.

Why Cut the Chicken Into Halves?

Spatchcocking is a great way to help a whole chicken cook more evenly, but cutting the bird completely into halves gives you even more flexibility.

Each half is easier to move around the cooker, which can be especially helpful on a drum smoker or charcoal grill where heat may vary from one area to another.

It also makes glazing easier. You can rotate, reposition, and brush each half individually without wrestling with an entire flattened bird.

And when the chicken is finished, serving is simpler too.

You still get plenty of exposed skin, plenty of room for Rub Yer Meat, and an even cook, just in a format that's a little easier to manage.

You Don't Need a Specific Smoker

We cooked these chicken halves on a drum smoker, but the method isn't married to one piece of equipment.

A charcoal grill set up for indirect cooking works great. A pellet grill will work too.

The important part is maintaining a cooking temperature around 300–325°F and giving the chicken enough time to cook without scorching the glaze.

Once that glaze starts going on, you're dealing with plenty of sugar.

Beautiful when it caramelizes.

Less beautiful when it becomes poultry-flavored charcoal.

Asian-Glazed BBQ Chicken Halves Recipe

Yield: Approximately 8 servings
Cooker Temperature: 300–325°F
Cooking Method: Indirect heat
Estimated Cook Time: About 2 hours
Target Internal Temperature: 165°F

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 2 whole chickens
• Rub Yer Meat BBQ Rub, as needed
• 1/4 cup olive oil

For the Asian Glaze

• 4 ounces hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1/4–1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon Sriracha
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

Instructions

1. Prepare the Chickens

Place each chicken breast-side down on a cutting board.

Using sturdy kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it.

2. Cut the Chickens Into Halves

Open the chicken and remove the breastbone.

Cut completely through the center of the bird so you end up with two separate chicken halves.

Repeat with the second chicken.

3. Season With Rub Yer Meat

Pat the chicken dry and season all sides generously with Rub Yer Meat BBQ Rub.

Make sure you get seasoning onto both the skin side and the underside of each chicken half.

4. Prepare the Cooker

Set your drum smoker to approximately 300–325°F.

If you're using a charcoal grill, set it up for indirect cooking with the charcoal concentrated away from the chicken.

A pellet grill can also be run in the same 300–325°F temperature range.

5. Start Cooking the Chicken

Place the chicken halves on the cooker with enough room around each piece for heat and smoke to circulate.

Cook indirectly at 300–325°F.

6. Brush With Olive Oil

After approximately 30 minutes, lightly brush the chicken with olive oil.

Continue cooking.

7. Brush Again at 60 Minutes

At approximately the 60-minute mark, brush the chicken lightly with olive oil again.

By now, the skin should be taking on color and the Rub Yer Meat seasoning should be settling into a nice crust.

8. Make the Asian Glaze

While the chicken cooks, combine the hoisin sauce, garlic, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, fish sauce, orange juice, sesame oil, Sriracha, ginger, Chinese five-spice, and ground mustard.

Whisk until completely combined.

9. Apply the First Coat of Glaze

At approximately 90 minutes, brush the chicken generously with the Asian glaze.

Cover the skin evenly without drowning it.

10. Continue Glazing

Continue cooking the chicken and add another coat of glaze approximately every 20–30 minutes.

Each layer will begin building that dark, glossy exterior.

Keep an eye on the chicken as the glaze caramelizes. If any area is getting too dark, move it away from the strongest heat.

11. Cook to Temperature

Continue cooking until the thickest portions of the chicken reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F.

The total cook will usually land somewhere around 2 hours, but chicken size and cooker temperature can move that number around.

Trust the thermometer more than the clock.

12. Rest the Chicken

Remove the chicken halves from the cooker and let them rest for approximately 10 minutes.

This gives the juices time to settle and lets that glaze tighten up slightly before serving.

13. Serve

Serve the chicken halves whole or cut them into individual breast, thigh, drumstick, and wing portions.

Make sure everybody gets some of that sticky glazed skin.

That's where the good stuff lives.

Layer the Flavors Instead of Choosing One

This recipe is a good reminder that using a BBQ rub doesn't mean everything has to taste like traditional BBQ.

Rub Yer Meat gives the chicken a savory foundation that works underneath a completely different flavor profile.

Then the glaze brings sweetness from the hoisin and orange, salt from the soy and fish sauce, acidity from the rice vinegar, nuttiness from the sesame oil, and just enough heat from the Sriracha.

You don't have to choose between BBQ chicken and Asian-inspired chicken.

Sometimes the better answer is both.

Rub yer meat. Glaze it. See what happens.