How To Grill Chicken Correctly For A Tender Delicious Barbecue
Its grilling season. Its time to stock up on charcoal, pellets, and propane and get ready to enjoy some quality outdoor time with your friends and family. Aside from burgers and brats, chicken is also a grilling go-to for those guests who require a healthier option.
The difference between burgers and brats and the delicious white meat is that chicken can be tough to get right on the grill. Weve all had a piece of grilled chicken that was drier than shoe leather. This quick guide will help you every step of the way through the process of grilling up tender, moist, and delicious chicken.
This Grilling Method Produces Crispy Skin And Juicy Chicken
Now all you need to do is lower the heat on the main burner, move the chicken over to the hot side of the grill and continue cooking, basting and flipping for another 10-15 minutes. The reward is phenomenal juicy pieces of barbecued chicken with crispy skin, and cooked-all-the-way through deliciousness.
How To Grill Chicken:
1. Preheat the grill on high for 10-15 minutes, then use your grill brush to scrape any previous remnants off your grates.
2. the fully thawed chicken breasts. A clean and easy way to marinate the chicken is to place it in a large plastic zip top bag, add your marinade and make sure your entire chicken breast is covered. In this particular instance, I used olive oil and added a few fresh basil leaves.
3. Here’s how long to grill chicken on a gas grill. Once you have preheated your grill for 10-15 minutes, prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat at 425-450°F and get your iGrill probes inserted into the chicken.
4. Place marinated chicken breasts on grill over direct medium heat.
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What Is The Best Kind Of Chicken Pieces To Use In This Recipe
Feel free to use any kind of chicken pieces you want, but for this post we used all chicken thighs. If using assorted pieces, youll have to adjust cooking time for the bigger, thicker breasts, etc.
If you have an instant read thermometer on hand, it will take out all the guesswork about whether or not the chicken is cooked through. Chicken breasts should register 165F, and dark meat like legs, thighs, and drumsticks should reach an internal temperature of 175F.
What To Serve With Grilled Chicken
Grilled chicken is a healthy, delicious main course to serve by itself-but there are tons of ways to dress it up, too. You can put grilled chicken in just about anything: sliced on top of salads, stuffed into sandwiches, shredded for chicken soups or skewered on a kabob. Or top the dish off with a heaping pile of grilled veggies and youve got yourself dinner!
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Are You Grilling Frozen Chicken Do Not Here Is Three Best Way To Defrost The Frozen Chicken
1. In the refrigerator
The best way to defrost chicken is in the refrigerator because it is the simplest and safer than other defrosting techniques. After all, the meat is not exposed to the heat that otherwise promotes bacteriaâs development. If you defrost chickens in the refrigerator, you will also preserve the meatâs taste, which can be weakened with some other defrosting methods. The only âdrawbackâ to this method of defrosting is that you have to plan.
It will take about 5 hours to thaw in the fridge for a pound of chicken, and it will be useful to eat for two, three days. In the morning, before going to work, move the chicken from the freezer to the refrigerator, and when you get home, it will be ready for grilling.
Defrosting frozen chicken in the microwave is not safe because the meat is exposed to high temperatures that favor bacteria development.
2. In cold water
If you forgot to move the chicken from the freezer to the refrigerator, use this method. To keep the meat safe for consumption, you must tie it in a tight plastic bag and change the water every 30 minutes . This way, the water will always be cold, and the frozen chicken will not be exposed to dangerous warmer temperatures.
Health experts warn that chickens should never be thawed in hot water as this can
cause food-borne diseases since such an environment are ideal for the development of bacteria in meat.
How To Make Proper Barbecue Chicken
22nd Jul 2011
There’s a lot of misconception when it comes to “barbecue.” The problem is the word itself. It’s used as a synonym for grilling, refers to the grill itself, or to the meat being grilled it also has a sauce named after it and sometimes it’s just the word for the party itself held outdoors in somebody’s backyard. What, actually, is “barbecue”?
American purists see things a little differently. To them, “barbecue” is a wonderful Southern tradition of slow-cooking with indirect heat and woodsmoke to transform cuts of meat, often inexpensive ones, into succulent, unbelievably delicious results. That’s true barbecue. Anything else on a grill cooked hot and fast rather than low and slow is called grilling . Brits and anybody else in their commonwealth be damned.
Which brings us to barbecue chicken, a staple of the summer grill. Does it earn its name in the true sense of the word?
The sad fact is that often times the answer is no. The way I’ve seen it cooked most is like this: the chicken is slathered in sauce, the coals are lit and it’s then grilled until the inside is no longer pink. Seems simple enough.
The problem, and the result, is charred all over the place, a crapshoot for succulence, often dry and sad. Not to offend you or your talented uncle manning the grill, but he’s probably cooking your barbecue chicken all wrong.
I believe good barbecue chicken is low and slow followed by fast and hot that’s the easiest way to achieve fantastic results .
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Add Chicken To A Hot Grill
To keep the chicken juicy, cook it quickly over a hot grill that has been preheated for at least 10 minutes.
Dont put your food on the grill until its super-hot, and dont move it once placed, until its time to flip, McKee-Clark says.
If possible, check that the grills surface reaches 425 to 450° F before cooking.
How To Make Grilled Bbq Chicken:
- Place the chicken on the cooler side of the grill and cover.
- Cook for 30-34 minutes, or until the chicken begins to brown.
- Position the chicken in a single line close to the main burner that is still on. Brush with BBQ sauce, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Flip the chicken, brush with BBQ sauce, and cook for 5 minutes. Flip and brush chicken with BBQ two more times.
- At this point, the chicken should be crusted with the BBQ sauce and the internal temperature of the breasts should read 165 degrees F. The internal temperature of the drumsticks, thighs, and legs should read 175 degrees F. If the meat doesnt register these temperatures then close the grill and cook 5 more minutes.
- Move chicken to a serving dish and tent with foil for 5 minutes. Serve.
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How To Grill Bbq Chicken:
Grilling BBQ chicken is really simple, but doing it the right way requires a little bit of technique. This recipe utilizes a quick brine, a flavorful dry rub, & indirect grilling, a simple combination that yields perfectly tender, juicy, & flavorful BBQ chicken every time. Youll be making the absolute best BBQ chicken on the grill in no time!
Note: full Recipe Directions are provided in the Recipe Card, below.
#1 Start with an easy grilled BBQ chicken marinade.
Before you panic about the need to mix up a complicated marinade for your chicken, let me assure you were keeping things really minimal here. This grilled BBQ chicken marinade is actually a simple brine!
Because chicken is pretty lean, marinating or brining it before you barbecue it is key. A quick brine will help ensure your grilled barbecue chicken stays totally juicy & doesnt dry out on the grill.
2 brine options:
- Beer brine: Even if youre not a beer lover , soaking chicken in beer adds an incredibly rich, deep flavor to the chicken. Its my favorite grilled chicken trick. For best flavor, use a full-bodied, dry & hoppy beer, such as an IPA.
- Buttermilk brine: If beer isnt your thing , you can use buttermilk, which is totally classic & has the added benefit of tenderizing the chicken. If you dont have buttermilk on hand, you can DIY it by adding a splash of vinegar or lemon juice to regular ol milk.
#2 Layer on the best grilled BBQ chicken rub.
#3 Get grilling!
Grilling BBQ Chicken:
Prepare With A Meat Pounder
With a rolling pen or meat pounder, gently pound the chicken on a counter or table surface. Do this until theyre about half an inch thick across the breast. Do this for each breast.
Why do we do this? Well like with a lot of cooking methods, one of grillings biggest challenges is cooking meat evenly through. If we make our meat uniform in thickness then we help prevent the issue, while also making it easier to eat and cut.
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How To Grill Bbq Chicken Legs
Boneless Chicken Breast Or Bone
Boneless chicken breasts wont have as much flavor as the bone-in/skin-on variety. Thats why basting in BBQ sauce at the end of the cooking time is where youll find a lot of flavor. And when seasoned and cooked correctly, even my recipe for basic sauce-less grilled chicken breasts can taste flavorful and juicy every time.
Most chicken eaters prefer the white meat of chicken breasts. So for chicken thats cooked quick, I use basic, skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Of course you can use this same cooking method for skin-on, bone-in BBQ chicken breasts, or for legs and thighs too. The technique is the same, the cooking times will vary.
Larger chicken breasts do not always translate to better chicken. Bigger breasts take longer to cook, and cook unevenly or overcook. Look for chicken breasts that are between 6 to 9 ounces per piece. If youre chicken breasts are thin on the ends and fat in the middle, trim the thin ends off so they dont crisp and burn..
If you want an extra fast BBQ chicken breast, slice your boneless breasts in half lengthwise to make two thin cutlets. Theyll cook in half the time.
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Of Course You Also Have The Eternal Dilemma Of Gas And Classic Grill For Grilling Frozen Chicken
Whichever you use, it is essential that the grill is heated and the temperature stable before you put the meat to roast. It is easier to control the temperature with gas grills, but if you use charcoal, wait for the flame to go out and the grill to glow nicely, which will take 30-45 minutes.
The key is in moderate temperature, and you can achieve this in several ways. For example, if you notice that the fire is too intense, feel free to remove the charcoal a little to the side or along the edges to create a space where the charcoal is not directly under the chicken. If it is an electric or gas grill, reduce the intensity of the fire or electricity. Slow barbecuing over moderate heat will give the best results.
Before grilling:
To check if the meat is cooked, cut along the bone, and check what juices are flowing if you see blood, you need to bake more, but the chicken is done if they are just clear juices. You can also use a meat thermometer. A quick check in the center of the meat temperature should be at least 70 degrees Celsius.
Find Out The Secret For How To Make Tender And Juicy Grilled Bbq Chicken No Long Brining Steps Just A Simple Grilling Method For Perfect Bbq Chicken
Grilled BBQ chicken is one of those things that can either be fantastic, or dry and disgusting. As Ive said before, Im not a big fan of cooking meat and then slathering it in BBQ sauce.
It just isnt right! This recipe takes the ease of grilled BBQ chicken but changes up the method so that you end up with tender and juicy chicken thats infused with the flavor of your sauce.
The secret to getting juicy grilled BBQ chicken is a combination of slower cooking and consistent basting in with the sauce. I use low heat on the grill to cook my chicken. In fact, I completely turn one side of the grill off.
If you have a really nice grill, you may be able to adjust the heat so that its low enough you wouldnt need to turn one side off. I happen to use a pretty old grill that tends to overheat so leaving one side on and turning one side off really evens out the temperature to be at the perfect medium low range.
Use the cooking time I reference in the recipe card below to know if your grill is the right temperature.
Note that you shouldnt see any definite grill marks or char on the chicken until the last 5-7 minutes of cooking. If you see them before that, its a sign that your cooking heat is too high.
The cooking time on your grilled bbq chicken will of course vary on the size of your chicken breasts, so dont worry if you need to practice a few times!
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Have You Ever Wanted To Make Grilled Skin
For at least 6 months of the year, we grill a lot of chicken. Its usually boneless, skinless thighs or breasts. But, every now and then, I want to sink my teeth into a saucy, crispy, juicy finger-licking-great piece of real-deal barbecued chicken.
Heres the best part: it doesnt have to be laborious and take hours to make while sweating over the grill non-stop. Were sharing a very simple formula for success. If you dont want to babysit the grill and dont really have time, no worries. You can still enjoy amazing Barbecued Chicken!
Do You Put Bbq Sauce On Chicken Before Grilling
You do not want to put sauce on the chicken before grilling because the sauce will only last a few minutes in the heat before it starts to burn. Its best to put the sauce on right after it is cooked or right before it is done cooking. This will ensure that you get crispy, well-seasoned skin with the sticky, caramelized sauce on top.
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The Most Common Question Is Can You Grill Frozen Chicken
The answer is NO. However, if you want to grill frozen chicken, you need to do it right. You can throw your frozen chicken right on the grill, but the first thing is to place the chicken on low, indirect heat to let it start thawing. When the chicken is melted, you can move it to direct heat and grill it the rest of the way.
Again, this is not a good practice. Thaw first.
It is much better if you thaw your chicken in advance and only thaw it on the grill as the final solution.
What Kind Of Chicken Is Best For Grilling
The beauty about this grilled BBQ chicken recipe, is that it uses the whole chicken, so its sure to please even the pickiest of crowds everyone will get their favorite piece!
A 3-4 pound chicken will serve eight people, so chose a bigger chicken if you have more guests. Always buy the freshest chicken you can, preferably organic that hasnt been raised on antibiotics.
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Tips For The Best Grilled Bbq Chicken Breast Recipe
- Pound the chicken breast to an even thickness. This will help to ensure that the meat cooks evenly and quickly so that you don’t end up with half of a breast that’s too dry, while the other half is still raw.
- Get the grill nice and hot. Chicken breast is a very lean meat, so it stays juiciest when cooked quickly over high heat.
- Wait to baste the chicken with the barbecue sauce until the final 3-4 minutes of grilling. This will prevent the chicken from burning on the grill. Serve additional sauce on the side.
- The total grilling time will vary depending on a number of different factors, such as the temperature of your grill, the temperature of your chicken when it goes on the grill, and the size and thickness of your chicken. As a result, it’s always best to use a meat thermometer to know exactly when your chicken is done. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 165° F for chicken breast.
- Allow the meat to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. The juices will redistribute throughout the meat so that the chicken breast stays nice and juicy.
