Indirect grilling is a barbecue cooking technique in which the food is placed to the side of the heat source instead of directly over the flame as is more common. This can be achieved by igniting only some burners on a gas barbecue or by piling coals to one side of a charcoal pit. A drip tray is placed below the food to prevent fat from the food igniting and generating a direct flame.

A variation of indirect grilling is to place a plank or an unperforated tray on the grill as a base upon which to cook. A soaked wooden board or plank can impart its own flavor to the food.

If a grill is not available, the chicken can also be cooked in an oven with moderate heat (around 250 degrees), with the chicken placed in a pan set on a low oven rack to avoid excess direct heat.

In the 1990s it became popular to use an open can of beer or other canned beverage as a flavoring agent when indirect grilling. The contents of the can boil and flavor the food with the consequent vapor. Beer Can Chicken and Orange Soda Duck are dishes that use this technique. Half the liquid is used to soak flavoring wood chips, which are tossed on the coals, and the rest stays in the can, which is stuffed into the bird cavity and used as a stand.