Why Make Grilled Chicken
Grilling chicken might look intimidating, especially if you arent a seasoned griller. Were here to tell you that its actually easier than you might think to make grilled chicken! Plus, we know youll love the outcome.
Easier cleanup: There is no splattering involved like pan seared chicken, and pretty much no clean-up at all.
Juicy and Tender: by grilling your chicken breasts at high heat, they come out super juicy and tender.
Amazing flavor: a little bit of jar will do your chicken breasts some good!
Super customizable: whether you are using a chicken marinade or a chicken dry rub, flavor combinations are endless.
How To Make Grilled Balsamic Chicken
After your chicken has been marinating for 4-8 hours, youre ready to fire up the grill! Heres how to finish up this grilled balsamic chicken.
If youre going for a super easy meal, keep things simple and toss some Grilled Vegetables and Baked Potatoes on the Grill as well. Everything will cook on the grill saving on dishes and cleanup.
Temperature Ranges For Grilled Chicken
Depending on the cut, beef and pork require a wide range of grilling temperatures, but the temperature for grilled chicken is more straightforward.
For the most part, chicken should be grilled at 350º to 450º F over direct or indirect medium heat.
The only exception is when youre smoking the chicken. Often used with wings or whole chickens, smoking meat involves indirect cooking over very low heat, 225º to 250º F, with the addition of smoldering wood chunks. Its another temperature range to have in your grilling toolbox, but for the most part, chicken finds itself right in the middle to upper limits of the medium temperature range.
Now, lets look at the different cuts and get grilling.
Mike Lang
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The best and easiest marinade ever no-fuss and packed with so much flavor! Youll never need another grilled chicken recipe again!
We are two days into summer so if you havent dusted off those grills, that really needs to change immediately so you can whip up the easiest grilled chicken recipe of all time.
Seriously. It doesnt get any easier than this recipe. And its practically fool-proof.
All you need to do is marinate boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag, let it sit in all that balsamic-lemon-herb goodness and well, thats pretty much it.
You just throw the chicken right onto the grill, basting as needed. And if you dont have an outdoor grill, you can easily use a grill pan.
When ready to serve, you can serve this with your choice of salad or any of these side dishes.
Either way, these would be perfect for your summer gatherings or backyard BBQs since you can easily double or even triple the recipe.
Didnt I tell you it was easy?
Our Favorite Chicken Marinade
As I mentioned above, you can use whatever marinade you love. Here is our favorite marinade when grilling chicken. Its light, flavorful and delicious.
Its based on this marinade recipe, but we add honey. We add the honey because we love how it caramelizes on the grill grates. You can marinate the chicken for as little as 20 minutes! Its that flavorful. Our easy chicken marinade has a tangy combination of lemon, garlic, red pepper flakes and mustard. This just might be one of the best marinades, ever.
We love this flavor combination so much that weve used it to make baked chicken breasts and our incredible lemon chicken thighs.
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How To Season Grilled Chicken Breasts
In this recipe I am using a simple combinations of garlic powder, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. This is my go-to seasoning for chicken breasts because it is simple, versatile and delicious!
I usually dont measure when I make grilled chicken breasts. But, no worries friends! I did measure for the sake of writing out this recipe for you guys. That being said, feel free to make it your own!
For examples of variations, I love to use fresh herbs and fresh garlic. Or Ill change it up and add some cumin to give it a Tex Mex flare.
I change up the herbs sometimes too! Rosemary and thyme are a great combination as well. And I have tons of both growing in my backyard.
But honestly most days I just need something quick. So I made this with dried herbs to keep things simple and easy.
Also, salt and pepper to your taste, but I do so pretty liberally. Chicken breast is pretty much a blank slate , so I salt and pepper generously.
Always Preheat The Grill
No matter the type of chicken on the menu, there is one thing your grill needs before it starts the heavy lifting of cooking dinner: the preheat.
Run the grill on high for at least 15 minutes. Allow the cooking grates to absorb heat so they will have the needed heat to pass on to the chicken.
Does it take longer to ready a charcoal grill than a gas grill? While it does take time to light charcoal briquettes, this only adds a few more minutes to the process. In the end, the setup time for both is almost a wash.
When the grill is lit and preheated, use a grill brush to clean the grates of any leftover food particles.
Mike Lang
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How Can You Tell When Grilled Chicken Breast Is Done Without A Thermometer
The safest, and only foolproof, way to check if chicken is done cooking is with a meat thermometer.
If you dont have a meat thermometer, you can test doneness by cutting into the thickest part of the chicken. If the meat is completely white and the juices run clear, the chicken should be done cooking. However, this can cause your chicken to dry out and doesnt prevent overcooking the chicken.
Now that you know how to grill chicken breasts, check out our best grilled chicken recipes.
The Best Way To Grill Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
The ingredients and directions youll find in this recipe will give you the best, juiciest chicken breast on the grill.
You can use this method to grill chicken breast on a gas grill or a charcoal grill.
If you do not have a grill, you can use a grill pan like this one to cook the grilled chicken breast on the stove instead.
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How To Pound Chicken Breast
Pounding your chicken is an essential step to making tender, evenly cooked chicken breasts. When you buy chicken breasts at the store, they are often thicker on one side and thinner on the other. You want to pound them to an even thickness so that they cook evenly. The pounding process also tenderizes the meat.
To pound your chicken, place it in a zip-top bag and seal the bag. Use a meat mallet, rolling pin, or any heavy, flat object to pound the chicken into an even 1/2-inch thickness. You can then add your marinade to the same zip-top bag with the chicken.
Grilled Bbq Chicken Thighs
The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn
We love this recipe for grilled BBQ chicken thighs that uses the juiciest, most-flavorful part of the bird. First, the chicken is marinated in an olive oil-vinegar-spice mixture. Then, it’s popped on the grill. In the final stages of cooking, it’s slathered with a super-easy, homemade sweet and spicy barbecue sauce. You won’t believe how effortless it is to get so much taste out of chicken.
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Recommended Tools For This Recipe
- Sharp knife. This is the knife that I use all the time, a sharp knife is so important and if you want to invest in a new knife then a high-quality chef knife is what I recommend. This one is also currently on sale and well worth the money.
- Cast IronGrill pan. This is the Staub grill pan that you can see in my pictures. I also love this Lodge grill pan which is cheaper but great quality!
- Kitchen tongs.
- Cutting board. To chop up the chicken, and assemble the wrap.
So get your grill pan out, quickly grill up some seasoned chicken breasts, assemble the grilled chicken wraps and your whole family will love you for it!
How To Grill Chicken Breast
Oven-Baked Chicken Breasts are always on our table in the winter but come warm weather our table is filled with recipes from the grill or BBQ! Its easy to make:
Boneless chicken breasts are very lean and can dry out easily if overcooked so be sure not to overcook. To make tender grilled chicken breasts, marinate them for about 30 minutes .
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How To Grill Chicken On Stove
- Pin11478
Learn how to make the best tender, juicy and delicious chicken breasts right on your stove-top in a grill pan or cast iron pan. I dont know where Id be without grilled chicken. I grill chicken all year for meal-prep and for so many recipes too. Grilled, skinless chicken breasts make a great addition to a healthy diet because they are low in calories and high protein. Eating chicken breast, without breading or skin, helps you eat fewer calories and even burn extra calories for effective weight loss. I always make extra and save it for salads, in burritos, pasta or meal prepping!
Because we dont always have access to the outdoor grill year round, I make the chicken on the stove-top most of the time. To make tender juicy grilled chicken you will need a heavy duty grill pan. A cast iron pan with ridges works best but if your cast iron pan doesnt have ridges, you can still grill the chicken on it too.
For the seasoning, I usually switch it up each time I make the chicken and dont really measure but for the sake of this recipe Ive included my favorite herb and seasoning mix. You can also used a packet of taco seasoning or your favorite herbs and spices and make it your own.
California Grilled Chicken Salad
The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney
Here’s a delicious way to enjoy grilled chicken salad this summer. This indulgent California grilled chicken salad recipe combines grilled marinated chicken breasts with lettuces, tomatoes, olives, pancetta or bacon, avocados, and blue cheese, for a tasty twist on Cobb salad.
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Can I Substitute Table Salt In The Brine
We don’t recommend using table salt in this brine. There’s a big difference between the size of kosher salt flakes and table salt grains. Using table salt will add much more salt to this brine recipe, and the chicken will come out too salty.
If table salt is all you have, use 1 1/2 tablespoons of table salt in this recipe. You can also use 1 1/2 tablespoons of fine sea salt.
Best Grilled Chicken Breast
Grilled chicken breasts can be the epitome of boring. Too often they’re dried out or rubbery. But when soaked in a super-quick with balsamic, brown sugar, and dried thyme you’re guaranteed deliciousness. Not to mention, grilling the breasts will lock in all those amazing flavors while providing some serious char.
How long can I keep the chicken in the marinade?
We’d recommend no longer than 24 hours! Technically you can keep raw chicken refrigerated for up to 2 days, but we don’t recommend marinating that long.
How do I keep the chicken from sticking on the grill?
As long as you give each side enough time, it shouldn’t! When your chicken gets those nice charred lines, it naturally releases from your grill grates. If you try to flip and the chicken feels stuck, try giving it another minute or two! It’ll release naturally, when it’s ready.
What should the internal temperature of my chicken be?
According to the FDA, all chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°. We prefer our chicken breasts closer to 150° because we’re rule breakers. Jokes aside, the real reason we don’t go all the way to 165° is because boneless skinless chicken breasts have basically no fat, so in order to maintain some juiciness we pull them a little early.
Can I adapt the marinade?
How hot should my grill be for chicken breasts?
What should I serve with this?
Made this recipe? Tell us how ya feel! Rate & comment below.
Freshly ground black pepper
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How Long To Cook Leg Quarters On Grill
Merely seasoned with spice rub and basted on the grill, these BBQ Grilled Hen Leg Quarters are a juicy & scrumptious addition to any cookout! Brush on a few of your favourite barbecue sauce for a superbly sticky and smoky summer time dinner.
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Were in deep, mates. Deep into grilling season, thats.
Lets put it this manner so long as theres no nasty thunderstorms rolling by means of on a given afternoon, our grill is cooking dinner.
And this 12 months, Ive taken over the title of grillmaster from Abe! Ive all the time deferred to him to fiddle with the coals and the propane, however Ive completely gotten the cling of this grillin life prior to now couple of months.
From sizzling canine to steak to burgers to those juicy hen leg quarters, nothing is off limits even dessert. Theres a complete lotta grilling goodness coming your approach subsequent month, together with my first annual Grilling Week in mid-July!
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Why Kids And Adults Love Grilled Chicken Tenders
If you typically grill whole chicken breasts or if you have picky eaters, consider trying grilled chicken tenders tonight.
- Chicken Tenders are FAST. Where a chicken breast may take 12 minutes or more to grill, chicken tenders cook in around 6 minutes.
- Shorter Marinade Time. Because the chicken is cut smaller, the marinade can permeate them more quickly. Prep the tenders first and by the time the grill is preheated, theyll be ready to cook.
- Restaurant Fun. I find tremendous satisfaction in cooking a recipe Id normally only get in a restaurant at home. Homemade chicken tenders are no exception.
- Kid Approved. If youve looked at any restaurants kids menu, you know chicken tenders are regarded as having universal kiddo acceptance.
- Healthy. Unlike fast food chicken tenders, the ones you make yourself are lean and healthy. Thanks to the air fryer, for example, you can make crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders with barely any oil and grease that still taste deep-fried!
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Cuts Of Chicken For Grilling
In our kitchen, were most commonly making grilled chicken breasts, but you can grill every cut of chicken. They all serve a unique purpose.
- Breast: it doesnt get much better than a perfectly grilled chicken breast! Chicken breast is lean and perfect for topping salads with.
- Legs: having a party? Go chicken legs! Why? Theyre super flavorful, inexpensive, and easy to grill! Try our famous Grilled Chicken Legs recipe.
- Thighs: my personal favorite cut of chicken to grill is chicken thighs. You can get the skin nice and crispy while keeping the meat juicy and delish.
- Wings: game day? Try grilling your chicken wings for easy clean-up! You can use our dry rub or buffalo chicken wing recipes, but grill them instead!
- Whole chicken: a whole chicken?! Thats right! You can grill an entire chicken and its easier than you think. Try our grilled beer butt chicken for starters!
Quick Tips For Grilling Chicken Breasts:
How long do I grill chicken breast?
Grill chicken breasts for around 9 to 10 minutes total, flipping halfway through.
How long do you grill chicken on each side?
Grill chicken breasts around 5 minutes on each side.
What’s the perfect grilled chicken temp?
Internal temperature of chicken breasts should be 165°F.
How hot should your grill be for chicken?
Heat your grill to between 425 and 450°F for chicken breasts.
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How To Grill Chicken Wings
There are several ways to grill wings, but first, lets look at the wing itself.
Wings can either be left whole or separated into drumettes and flats. With this method, I remove the wingtip, saving them with additional chicken parts for a future batch of chicken stock. Separating the wing creates more work on the grill, but in my opinion, it makes for easier eating one-hand eating especially when the other hand is clutching a beer.
Now, on to the grilling part!
