Grilling season in nigh upon us. Let’s turn our attention to that most finicky of grill fare: chicken. Versatile and popular but easy to mess up, chicken takes more TLC than say, your average burger or hot dog.
Today I’m sharing seven tips to make your chicken grilling adventures more successful. I’ve summarized the tips below, but be sure to listen to the full episode for all the goods.
Mentioned in this episode
Want to wow at your next cookout? Check out this awesome tutorial for deep dish brisket mac and cheese pizza from John Deary and Grubmasters (featuring the creamy mac and cheese recipe from yours truly). Truly over the top!
The Tips
Know the difference between direct and indirect heat.
Depending on your grilling set up (gas vs. charcoal), you will want to know how to set up different heat zones when grilling chicken. This might mean lighting the burners on only one half of your gas grill, or piling up your charcoal on side. You will usually grill chicken over direct heat for only a couple of minutes to get some nice grill marks, then move it to indirect heat for the remainder of the grilling time.
Know Your Chicken
The type of chicken you have will determine several factors, including how long it will take to cook. A general rule is that boneless/skinless chicken pieces will take less time to grill than the bone in/skin on counterparts. Also, grilling a whole chicken will take longer than grilling a chicken that has been broken down into separate pieces.
If you are intent on grilling a whole chicken at once, you might consider spatchcocking it so it cooks quicker and more evenly. Spatchcocking just means you remove the backbone and then flatten the chicken. Here is a very short and to the point video on how to spatchcock a chicken. Also in the video he uses the term “parson’s nose” which to me makes it all the more worth it.
Flatten your boneless/skinless breasts to help them cook more evenly
Given their shape, boneless skinless breasts have a tendency to cook perfectly on one end while the other end becomes tough and chewy. Flatten your breasts by placing them inside a zipperlock bag and gently pounding with a mallet or flatten with a heavy skillet.
Brine or marinade before you grill
Need to make a simple brine for your chicken? Brining your chicken before you put it on the grill will help it retain moisture and flavor. A simple brine formula is 6 cups water, 1/4 cup salt, and 1/4 cup sugar (you can omit the sugar if you like). Mix it all up until the salt and sugar dissolves. Submerge the chicken in the brine for 30 minutes in the fridge. Remove from brine and give it a quick rinse before grilling.
Need some marinade inspiration? Here is a pretty good place to start!
Save your sauces and glazing until the end
Remember to save the sauces and glazes toward the end of your chicken grilling time. Here are a few ideas to get you going:
10 great BBQ sauce recipes for Chicken from the Spruce Eats.
Yummly has some interesting ideas.
If you are feeling like some spice, check out this oldie-but-goodie jerk recipe from Epicurious.
Use a thermometer for the most accurate results
You can eyeball when your chicken is probably cooked well, but why risk it? An inexpensive digital thermometer can help you avoid the dreaded overcooked (or still raw) chicken fiasco. There are a million to choose from, so do some browsing on Amazon. Here is one to get your search started.
Let your chicken rest
You’ve done all this work to ensure your chicken turns out perfect, so don’t mess it up by digging right into as soon as it comes off the grill. Give it a few minutes to rest off the heat before serving and you will end up with chicken that is nice and juicy!
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