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.
Baste The Chicken Breasts
Generously baste the breasts, if desired, with melted butter, oil, or marinade . Baste the cooked side only to avoid cross-contamination. If using a glaze or barbecue sauce, apply it the last 2 minutes of grilling; glazes usually contain sugar and can burn easily, so watch carefully.
In Part 2, well share the many ways you can prepare chicken breasts, which are popular in all the worlds grilling cultures. In the meantime, heres a simple but flavor-packed recipeBourbon-Brined Chickento get you started grilling the best skinless, boneless chicken breasts of your life.
Whats your favorite chicken breast recipe? Share them with us on , , Reddit, or !
Grilling Times At A Glance
These grilling times are based on a minimal internal temperature of 165 degrees F, as recommended by the USDA.
- Boneless chicken breasts: 7 to 8 minutes per side
- Bone-in chicken breasts: 15 minutes per side
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs: 5 to 6 minutes per side;
- Bone-in chicken thighs: 8 to 10 minutes per side;
- Chicken wings: 25 minutes total, flipping occasionally;
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One: How To Buy Chicken Breasts
Publix
The majority of chicken breasts in grocery stores these days are huge. Aim for about six ounces per chicken breastand if there’s nothing that size, you can always halve larger ones.
Chicken labels can be confusing, and from free-range to organic to air-chilled, it’s hard to know exactly what any of the terms mean. Try not to get too hung up on the jargonand instead stick to a poultry producer that you trust. A smaller, family-owned farm is always a good sign, as are any certifications for humane and sustainable practices. We like Springer Mountain Farms, which is American Humane Certified by the Humane Society .
Tips For Buying The Best Meat
Buy quality chicken without added solutions Look for air chilled chicken with no retained water. Yes, the low-quality chicken thats injected with a solution of salt water and additives is cheaper, but it never tastes as good.
Buy smaller chicken breasts If possible, stay away from gigantic pieces of chicken breast, as they tend to be tougher and more difficult to cook evenly. I recommend buying the smallest breast pieces you see. As a rule of thumb, the three pieces of meat I have here weighed 1.25lbs total.
If you cant get smaller breast pieces that are less than 1 thick, you will need to either pound them out flatter with a rolling pin, or slice through the middle to turn them into cutlets, which are just thin-cut chicken breasts. Its easier to start with smaller pieces of meat from the beginning. The ones I bought here didnt need any pounding or prep at all.
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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.
How Long Do I Grill Chicken Breast
The grilling time depends on the temperature of your grill and the thickness of the chicken breasts. The temperature of a charcoal grill is difficult to regulate, and not all gas grills have a temperature gauge.
Your total grilling time for this recipe comes down to how long your chicken breasts take to get to the right internal temperature. When they reach an internal temperature of 155°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast, take them off the grill. Cover in foil and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. The breasts will continue to cook and reach the recommended 165°F internal temperature.
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Why This Grilled Chicken Breast Is The Best
- Quick and easy! This chicken takes just 5 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to cook. Its perfect for a quick and easy meal everyone will love!
- Its so tender and juicy! Theres no dry chicken here! You get wonderfully crispy bits from the grill and the inside is perfectly cooked.
- This chicken recipe is low carb and high in protein. Serve it with a fresh salad, veggies or cauliflower rice for a keto friendly dinner.
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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Sunny’s Hot Honey Brined & Grilled Chicken
Cheat the marinade: Seasoned pickle juice makes a great brine or quick marinade when mixed with oil. Leftover vinaigrette or even bottled vinaigrettes are very good, too. Just be sure to read the labels sugar can burn quickly, so pay attention when grilling.
Glaze: Love a sticky, slightly sweet, caramelized glaze on your chicken? Brush barbecue sauce on about 2 to 3 minutes before the chicken is done. That way the meat doesn’t overcook and the glaze doesn’t burn. Don’t have any sauce? No problem. Just mix some apricot jam, a squirt of ketchup, a shot of bourbon and dash of chipotle powder for an almostinstant substitute.
How To Make A Marinade For Grilled Chicken Breasts
A marinade is the perfect way to add flavor to grilled chicken . I try to allow for 30 minutes or more if possible! There are a few essential ingredients in a marinade.
- Oil:; Most often the base of marinades.
- Acid: This helps tenderize the meat by breaking down tougher proteins
- Sugar: Helps with flavor and the caramelization process. .
- Seasonings: This is the flavor profile, you can use anything from Italian seasoning to curry powder to season your marinade.; This may or may not include salt.
- Time: Give yourself time to allow your meat to marinade.; The purpose of the marinade is not only to add flavor but to help tenderize your meat.
How Long to Marinate Chicken
Allow chicken to marinate 30 min to 4hrs. This allows enough time for the marinade to work its magic and add flavor while tenderizing the meat.
Longer than 4 hours can change the texture of the chicken making it mushy.
I love making grilled chicken breasts in large batches to put on top of salads, in weekly meal prep, into quick pasta dishes, or even into chicken noodle soup! It goes so well with just about anything.
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Is Organic Chicken Better When Grilling Chicken Breast
When it comes to cooking chicken breasts, there is no difference between organic and non-organic chicken. Organic means that the birds are raised without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, additives or animal by-products, and have access to the outdoors. But, it doesnt necessarily mean that the chicken is healthier for you, tastes better or will cook better.; Heres more on how to read the labels on a pack of chicken.
How To Grill Split Chicken Breast
Grilling chicken breast with the bone in is no different than grilling the chicken without bones, except sometimes the amount of time it will take to cook varies.
So you might want to consider when youre grilling to have an area that you can put the chicken without direct heat under it after you have crisped up the chicken. We will cover this when we grill the chicken.
If you really like this type of chicken you will really enjoy my grilled chicken leg quarters.
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Four: Make The Pan Sauce
Sure, you can stop right here and enjoy your chicken as is, but a simple pan sauce adds the perfect finishing touch. Rich and buttery with a twang of citrus, our pan sauce is simple, straightforward, and totally delicious. It comes together in minutes and hugely enhances the flavor of your bird. We promise its worth the extra effort.
Eventually, you’ll make this enough times to memorize the formula, but use the below amounts as a starting point for your pan sauce.
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
How To Prepare Chicken Breast For Grilling
A chicken breast doesnt need much before grilling. It is possible to season it with salt and pepper and let that be it.
You marinade a chicken breast as I have done here. Allowing the chicken to marinade for at least 30 minutes is optimal, but you can also allow chicken breasts to marinate several hours.
Brining is another way to add flavor and moisture to your grilled chicken breast. Allow your chicken breast to soak in a solution that consists of 1 part vinegar, 1 part sugar, and 8 parts water. The chicken doesnt have to soak for long, 30 minutes is fine.
Adding seasoning or a dry rub also adds lots of flavor to any chicken. The dry rub used in this dry rub chicken wing recipe or this cajun turkey can be used to flavor your chicken breasts.
Some people pound their chicken breasts prior to cooking. Doing this will shorten the cooking time and ensure even cooking time. To do this, place your chicken breasts between to pieces of wax paper and use a meat ballot to pound your chicken into thin pieces.
A note on chicken preparation: make sure that you use one cutting board for your chicken and one knife as well; do not use either of these for any other foods while working with the chicken. After using, wash your hands, cutting board and utensils prior to touch anything else. Raw chicken contains bacteria that can cross-contaminate very easily.
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Two: How To Prep Chicken Breasts
Before you do anything, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Youre probably wondering, why am I using the oven for stovetop chicken? Dont worry. Well explain soon. In the meantime, lets talk about how to prep your chicken breasts for cooking. Except for seasoning, you can knock out these steps ahead of time. Heres what youll need:
- Chefs knife
- Plate
- Salt and pepper
Trim: After you remove the chicken breasts from their packaging, resist the urge to rinse them . Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and trim any excess fat with your knife.
Pound: Next, place the chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment paper and pound to even thickness with a meat poundereach breast should be about ¾-inch thickness. Dont skip this step, even if youre feeling lazy! Pounding ensures that your chicken breasts will cook evenly, so that they’ll all be ready at the same time.
Dry: After pounding the chicken breasts, place them on a plate and pat dry with paper towels. The drier your chicken is before it hits the skillet, the more easily it will take on that gorgeous brown sear.
Season: Next, break out the salt and pepper. Season generously on both sides, but dont go overboard.
How To Grill Chicken Breasts 101
I dont know about you guys, but we grill A LOT in the summer. ;And more often than not, its chicken. ;We throw in the occasional pork chop or burger, but we do chicken quite a bit. I know grilling can be intimidating for a lot of people, so I thought I would break down how you cook several different kinds of chicken this summer you can learn more about grilling chicken thighs here and grilling chicken legs here now lets talk about grilling chicken breasts!
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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.
Can I Freeze Grilled Chicken Breast
Grilled one too many chicken breasts? No worries! Grill your chicken to mix into salads, soups, pasta, and sandwiches at a later date. To freeze cooked chicken, place the cooked chicken in a freezer bag, squeeze out any air and place the bag in the fridge to chill before storing in the freezer. You could also wrap breasts individually and thaw one at a time as needed.
Allow the chicken to thaw in the fridge before serving.
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How Do You Bbq Chicken Breast On A Gas Grill
At what temperature do you take chicken breast off the grill? Using a meat thermometer is a safe way to know if the chicken is cooked to the FDA-approved internal temperature of 165 degrees F. You can remove the chicken from the grill once it reaches 160 degrees F or so, because the temperature will continue to rise slightly even after it is removed from the heat.
Preheat your gas grill to 400°F. Once preheated, lower the temperature to 350°F. Place the chicken on the grates and close the lid. Grill on one side for about 7 minutes or until the chicken releases from the grill on its own.
Before cooking, preheat the gas grill to medium heat, or 350-400°F. Lightly grease the grill surface and add the chicken. Close the lid and cook for 8 minutes, or until the bottoms are browned with scorch marks. Turn chicken, close lid, reduce heat to medium and cook for another 7-10 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Start grilling Cover your grill and cook the chicken for about 5 to 7 minutes. Use tongs to turn the chicken breasts after 5 to 7 minutes. Continue grilling for another 5 to 7 minutes. The thermometer should read 165° at this point.
Cook chicken breasts over medium heat for 5-7 minutes per side Turn the chicken frequently to cook evenly on both sides and watch for hot spots on the grillâ ¦maybe youll see chicken pieces turn black.
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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How To Store Leftover Chicken
Let the grilled chicken sit a room temperature about 10 minutes to cool off, then refrigerate or freeze based on the times below.
- Refrigerate in a sealed container up to 34 days.
- Freeze whole, shredded, or chopped pieces tightly sealed up to 34 months. I like to freeze in separate smaller bags for easy leftover portions.
How To Grill Boneless Chicken Breast
The first thing you need to do is prepare your grill. I always spray my grill grates with non-stick spray before I even turn on the grill. Once the grill is on, I like to set my grill to medium-high heat.
I usually trim my chicken and place them on direct heat. Grill the first side of your chicken breast for 6-10 minutes . Turn your chicken, and grill the second side for an additional 6-10 minutes. If your chicken sticks to the grill grates when you try to flip, then keep it as is! The chicken is telling you its not ready for the second side!
Always use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of your meat, this holds true whether you are cooking on the grill, stove top, or in the oven.
If you are going to be using bone-in chicken breasts, then add 4 minutes to the above cook time.
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