Selecting And Cooking The Tenderest Chicken
More Ways To Cook Chicken Tenders
This recipe is geared for the grill, but its certainly not the only way to prepare them.
- Use a Grill Pan on the Stove. Use a grill pan like this one, and heat it over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Brush the pan with oil, then grill the chicken tenders as directed.
- George Foreman. If you have one of these handy appliances, its an easy option. Preheat the grill for about 5 minutes . Grill the tenders in a single layer for about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Use a Skillet. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the chicken tenders in the skillet. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
- Use the Oven. For baked chicken tenders, cook them on a baking sheet in the oven at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
How To Grill Chicken
Breasts, thighs, wings here’s how to grill chicken of all kinds.
Get your grilling skills up to snuff before grill season. For the grilling novice, chicken is a great place to start because it’s not as finicky as steak, but still provides a satisfying result. Whether you’re grilling chicken breasts, thighs, or wings, we’ll walk you step-by-step through grilling chicken so you can be a backyard hero this grills season.
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Tips For Grilling Chicken Breasts
- Pound to even thickness: Pounding the boneless, skinless breasts to an even thickness will help the meat cook more evenly, so you don’t have the extremes of raw and dry.
- Marinate the chicken in an acidic marinade made with lime juice. It’s almost like using buttermilk, but lime flavored. The acid helps tenderize the meat for grilling.
- Work with chilled meat: Since the chicken breasts have been formed into rather thin cutlets, take them directly from the refrigerator to the grill. That way, they don’t overcook in the time it takes to get nice grill marks on them.
How Do You Marinate Chicken
Infinitely adaptable chicken does well on the grill after it has been marinated in any number of saucy options. These can be as simple as oil and some summery herbs or more complicated versions using dairy products like yogurt or buttermilk and spices.
No matter what the recipe, keep the chicken in the fridge, for as little as 30 minutes or, even better, up to overnight, while it soaks up the flavours. Dont forget the salt!
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Do Rubs Marinades Or Brines Affect Grilling Times
Rubs, marinades, and brines all pack plenty of flavor into what could typically be an otherwise bland piece of meat. But what you may not realize is that some of those extra flavorings can also change your chickens cooking time.
Brines and marinades are a wet method of adding flavor. If you are using a cut of chicken that has the skin attached, it will take the skin longer to dry and brown due to the added moisture. The cooking time is not affected if your chicken is skinless. Keep in mind the sugar content of your marinade. Marinades high in sugar tend to burn easily in direct heat.
Rubs are a great dry method for adding more flavor to your chicken. The seasoning will not make any noticeable difference to your cook time, but it does help the skin to dry and brown.
If you plan on adding any sauce such as BBQ, do so in the last ten minutes of grilling. This prevents the sugars from burning.
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Grilled Chicken Method: Cooked Under A Brick
Timing: 10-minute prep time + 20-minute cook time
Rating: 7/10
I got unreasonably excited about the idea of brick-cooked chicken, because doesnt it just look like fun? This Italian method for cooking wood-fired chickens is most commonly used for whole, halved, or spatchcocked birds and the idea is simple and effective: A brick is wrapped in heavy foil, preheated on the grill, and then the seasoned chicken is pressed between the grill grates and the hot brick. This method helps cook the chicken more evenly and more quickly.
While I really loved the flavor of this chicken, and it did grill up somewhat moist, it felt like the chicken was squeezed through the grill grates, which pushed out a lot of the natural juices. I suspect the issue here is that boneless, skinless chicken breasts arent the best candidates for this method. Im looking forward to trying this again with halved chickens later this summer.
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How To Grill Chicken Breast On A Gas Grill
- Coat both sides of chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper or desired seasonings. Let the chicken sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat gas grill before cooking to medium-high heat, or 350-400° F.
- Lightly grease grill surface and add chicken. Close lid and cook 8 minutes, or until bottoms are browned with sear marks.
- Rotate chicken, close lid, reduce heat to medium, and cook 7-10 minutes more, or until internal temperature reaches 165° F.
- Remove chicken breast from the grill and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
How To Cook A Rotisserie Chicken
First, set up the rotisserie according to its instructions. In our case, that meant heating the whole grill on high, including the rotisserie burner, for about 15 minutes, then turning off the center burners and turning the outside burners to medium/medium-high. Some may balk at the idea of this indirect cooking, but think back to your ideas of what a rotisserie is like. If youre thinking of the same images that I am, then the meat is often suspended a few feet above a live fire. Its not hot enough to scorch it immediately if the spinning stops, and we want the same basic environment here.
With the grill prepared, skewer your chicken with the spit and hold it in place with the proper instruments, like the tines that we used here.
Then set it in your rotisserie and start it up! Because juices and fat will be leaking out of this bird, its best to put a drip tray underneath it so that you dont get flare-ups or, since the section of the grill directly under our bird was turned off, a super greasy mess on the grill burners. If you have a rotisserie burner at the top back of your grill, only use it for the first ten minutes of cooking, then shut it off. It serves to jump-start the rendering of the fat and the browning of the skin, but keeping it on through the whole cook is too much direct, high heat.
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Also Check: How To Grill Boneless Chicken Breast
The Best Grilled Chicken
We simplified the grilled chicken cooking process with this recipe, which leads to a smoky, super-juicy bird that is filled with the bright flavors of lemon and herbs. We spatchcocked a whole chicken to increase the surface area that makes contact with the grill and used a generous amount of herb butter to help it self-baste as it gently cooks over indirect heat.
Get the Recipe: The Best Grilled Chicken
Simple And Easy Pinky Swear
Grilled chicken breasts are notoriously dry and flavorless, but when prepared the correct way they can be delicious, flavorful and tender. And I promise its not a lot of work.Today you will learn just how easy it is to achieve tender, juicy flavorful boneless skinless chicken breasts every time to grill. And I will guide you through the process step by step, complete with photos. Thats just how nice I am!
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The Days Of Dull Dry Chicken Are Over Learn How To Grill Chicken Breast For The Easiest Summer Dinner
If youve never experienced a dry chicken breast, Im truly jealous. Biting into a grilled chicken sandwich or protein-packed salad and instead of that wonderfulness, tasting a dull, chalky chunk of chicken is just sad. Unfortunately, turning out tasteless poultry is a common problem, especially among new cooks. Chicken is a delicate protein that dries out fast. One minute too long on the heat can take the bird from tender and juicy to boring and blah.
But with a few simple tips from our Test Kitchen, you dont need to worry about making dry chicken again. Well show you how to grill chicken and keep it perfectly juicy and ready for salads, sandwiches and more. Learning how to make grilled chicken has never been so easy!
How Do You Grill Chicken Breasts Without Drying It Out
The key is to cook on direct heat for the first 8-10 minutes , but then switch to indirect heat for the last 5-7 minutes. ALSO do not leave it on the grill until it reaches an internal temp of 165 remove it from the grill when it is around 160 and then let it rest off the grill. As it rests, it will continue to cook and the temp can continue to rise nearly 10 degrees! So imagine if you did leave it on the grill until it reached 165? It would continue to cook and might reach 175 before you eat it! It would be over-cooked and dry.
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Grilled Chicken With Goat Cheese Sauce
Grilled chicken breasts go from weeknight standby to special occasion-ready, when you dress them up with a special, flavorful grilled chicken with goat cheese sauce. This recipe includes instructions for an elegant roasted red pepper puree, which adds extra color and texture to this already-impressive dish.
Ready To Hit The Grill
Us too! Try some of PWWBs Top Grilling Recipes ASAP!:
- PWWB Go-To Grilling Marinades 15 go-to recipes youll turn to time & time again, all summer long!
- Easy Grilled Veggies How to grill pretty much any vegetable. Vegan-friendly!
- The Very BEST Grilled BBQ Chicken A summertime classic perfected, thanks to a few simple steps that yield the juiciest, most flavorful BBQ chicken ever.
- Absolutely PERFECT Grilled Buffalo Wings Crispy buffalo perfection. Made with just 3 simple ingredients, grilled chicken wings could not be easier!
- Grilled Black Bean Burgers Burgers arent just for meat-lovers! These grilled veggie burgers are hearty, textural & grill up like a dream!
- Best-Ever Grilled Turkey Burgers Kiss everything you think you know about turkey burgers goodbye. The juiciest, most flavorful grilled turkey burgers youll ever eat!
- PWWB House Burgers The easy French Onion Burgers that were obsessed with at the PWWB House!
- Grilled Wisconsin Beer Brats The easiest Wisconsin-style beer brats, yielding perfectly juicy & crisp brats every time!
- Grilled SausageHow to grill sausage perfectly, every single time! This simple method can translate into dozens of delicious & easy summer dinners no flare ups here!
- Grilled Tuscan Steak Perfectly juicy grilled steak, seasoned with Tuscan-style aromatics. The ultimate grilled steak dinner!
- All PWWB Grilling Recipes
Follow along with Plays Well With Butter on , , & for more easy, modern recipes & fun!
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Best Fire To Use: Two
There are two goals when you’re cooking chicken on the grill. The meat needs to cook through to the center, and the skin needs to be well rendered and crisped. The order in which these two goals are best achieved is up for debate, and something I’ll address in the next section.
For now, we can agree that the goals are not necessarily in harmony with each other.
See, for the moistest, juiciest meat, slow and gentle cooking is ideal. The hotter the temperature at which a chicken cooks, the bigger the temperature differential between the very center and the exterior. At very high temperatures, the outer layers of a delicate chicken breast will overcook, turning dry and stringy before the inner layers even have the chill taken off of them.
On the other hand, crisp skin requires some degree of high heat. The process of skin crisping involves first removing moisture and rendering excess fat, followed by setting and browning of proteins. This last phase requires relatively high temperatures to achieve.
What this means is that in order to get both results, you need the adaptability of a two-zone indirect fire. That is, a fire with all the coals piled up on one side. This gives you a cooler side to cook gently on, and a hotter side for crisping.
How To Grill Perfectly Tender Chicken Breasts Every Time
An actual conversation between me and my husband years ago:
Him: Shall we BBQ tonight?Me: Sure, what shall we make?Him: How about chicken breasts?Me: Ew. No. Why?
But that was before I learned how to grill perfectly tender and juicy chicken breasts!This post contains affiliate links from which I may make a commission. Your price remains the same.)
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A Few Notes About Methodology
Our recipe suggestions came from Kitchns team of food editors and contributors. For example, contributor Patty Catalano suggested our own pounded thin, brined, and marinated chicken, while my friends The Grill Dads had a lot to say about dry brining . Each method was prepared so that they could be grilled and tested side-by-side. I used boneless, skinless breasts of roughly the same weight . Two methods had overnight brining or marinating times as options, and I did test them out to try and get the best results. Each method was tested on a gas grill following the directions for each method most call for medium-high heat, while two called for indirect and direct heat . All of the chicken was sliced and taste tested in our backyard by my family of four and two close friends. Here are the results.
Sesame Ginger Grilled Chicken Breasts
The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo
Here’s a simple, wonderful sesame ginger grilled chicken breasts recipe that’s inspired by the best of Chinese cooking. You’ll love the sweet, salty, and aromatic flavors of this sophisticated tasting dish that’s so easy to prepare. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, rice wine vinegar, honey, and ginger, then flash grilled until they’re juicy and ready to eat.
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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.
Tips For Making The Best Grilled Chicken
An easy guide to making perfect chicken on the grill! Get the best tips, tricks and techniques from a culinary arts educator so you never have dried out chicken again!
There really is nothing exciting about eating a chicken breast, lets just be clear here. But, the beautiful thing about chicken is that it is a great way to add different flavor profiles and really switch things up, taking a pretty bland protein and making it into something unique and delicious.
Ive been grilling for the past two years plus and eating a variation of a whole 30, paleo, or keto low carb diet for even longer. Chicken is a great staple for any diet or busy weeknight meal prep, but I often hear or see way too many overcooked chicken breasts rolling off peoples grills! So no more!
This is a quick and easy guide to all things grilled chicken, marinade, brining, rubs, charcoal and gas grilling, indirect and direct heat methods and more! Grab all the details below to help guide you to being a master on the grill!
Love a good grill guide? Grab this guide for 5 tips to making the best rotisserie chicken too!
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Here Are The Steps On How To Defrost Your Chicken In The Microwave:
1. Unwrap your chicken
2. Place the chicken in a microwave-safe bowl or container to prevent the juices and melting ice from dripping on the appliance.
3. Place the bowl on the microwave rotary plate and switch the setting knob to defrost mode. Set the microwave timer to 2 minutes and monitor the entire process.
4. Thereafter, remove the chicken from the microwave and cook immediately.
Perhaps the only concern about using a microwave is the safety of your food. Some scientists argue that the waves originating from the microwave can cause potential harm to your health.
The good news is that this is all but a myth. Microwaves are extremely safe to use. You just need to make sure you place your chicken in a microwave-safe bowl before starting the defrosting process.
However, in order to prevent bacterial growth on your chicken, you are advised not to let the chicken defrost in the microwave for too long.
For best results, do not defrost a whole chicken in the microwave, since some parts of the chicken may thaw while others may remain frozen.
As a result, you may be tempted to extend the thawing, which may affect the texture of your chicken and thats not what you want to achieve, right?
With this in mind, make sure you cut the chicken pieces before freezing in the fridge, as this will make the defrosting process easier when using a microwave.
