How To Grill Chicken On A Gas Grill
Cooking boneless chicken breasts is seen as one of the easiest bbq skills to master. But slow down there, my grilling friend. There are a few tips that will help turn you from BBQ fan to BBQ pro. Heres how to grill chicken on a gas grill.
Grilled chicken recipes have long been a staple in our household. Its my favorite meat to cook with by some way, with it taking centre place in some of my best BBQ recipes. My fondest memories of summer involve cooking up beautiful chicken breasts on our terrace.
Dont get me wrong, I still love grilled burgers and steaks, but neither come close to chicken for me. Whether its simple chicken burgers or elaborate kebabs, theres a great grilled chicken recipe for any meat eater.
But grilling chicken is something that isnt as easy as it looks. They can dry out really quickly, which is enough to leave any BBQ party flat.
Chicken can easily be cooked on a gas grill at 425°F/220°C. Just grill for 5 minutes on each side, or until the meats internal temperature hits 165°F/75°C.
The secret to a perfectly grilled chicken doesnt just lie in its time on the grill, but also the preparation time before. With pre-seasoning and brining as crucial a step as any.
Heres my step-by-step guide to show you how to grill chicken on a gas grill.
How To Grill Chicken Breasts That Are Sooo Juicy
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Learn the method for how to grill chicken breasts that are juicy, and never ever dried out.
Everybody loves chicken, and all cooks love a good chicken How-To. I know this because the most popular post on this site is How To Cook Chicken Breasts From Frozen and the most popular post on my sister site, TheCookful, is How To Bake Chicken Wings That Are Sooo Crispy. With summer and grilling season coming up, I thought it would therefore be a good time to tackle that real conundrum of how to grill chicken breasts that are juicy, every time.
The thing about chicken breasts is that they are not typically of an even thickness. This means that the thinnest part tends to dry out before the thickest part is cooked all the way through. There is only one way to fix this and it involves a tiny bit of work, but not hard work. Dont worry!
What youre going to do is flatten the chicken out to an even thickness, then marinate them a bit for flavor, and then grill for as short a time as possible. Heres how!
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 Long To Grill Chicken Breasts
According to the USDA, all poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Using an instant-read meat thermometer is really the only accurate way to gauge your chicken’s doneness. But in the case that you don’t have a thermometer, cut into the chicken and ensure that the juices run clear. Here are the estimated grilling times for chicken breasts, based on an internal temp of 165 degrees F.
- Boneless chicken breasts: 7 to 8 minutes per side
- Bone-in chicken breasts: 15 minutes per side
How To Tell When Chicken Is Done On The Grill
There should be no traces of pink inside when the chicken is done and an internal thermometer should read 165°F when inserted at the thickest part. If you are cooking chicken thighs instead let the internal temperature come up to 170°F.
Once youve cooked up your share of chicken breasts youll start to get a sense of when it is just cooked through by feel. Start to give the chicken breast a poke in the thickest part as you finish cooking it, and youll see that its firm but not hard if you poke it often as you cook it, youll start to have a good gauge. Having said that we all definitely need an internal meat thermometer in our lives!
Make sure to let the chicken breasts sit for at least 5 minutes beiofre slicing them, so they can reabsorb their juices and stay moist. When the meat is sliced, the juices should run clear, not pink, if youve cooked it through to the proper doneness.
Grilled Chicken Breasts: A simple marinade ensures juicy, moist, tender, and flavorful chicken breasts every time. Leftovers can and should be used in different ways all week long!
- 2tablespoonschopped fresh basil
- 1teaspoonminced fresh thyme leaves
- ½teaspoonKosher salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground pepperto taste
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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.
How To Make Juicy Flavorful Grilled Chicken Breast
There are burgers and hot dogs, but no dish speaks to true grilling prowess quite like perfectly grilled chicken breast. Marked by the grill and turned a most gorgeous caramel-colored hue, the very best grilled chicken breast promises to be juicy and tender and as versatile for quick summer meals as a good tomato. Grilled chicken has become so ubiquitous, though, that we often forget what a real stunner it can be among dry and less flavorful grilled fare.
The key steps to really juicy grilled chicken are kitchen essentials lessons that even the most seasoned griller should revisit each year. Pound the chicken thin for more even cooking, brine or marinade for flavor and color, and grill over direct heat for grill marks, but finish over low heat to keep them juicy.
Ready for the best grilled chicken of the summer? Lets go.
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Whats The Difference Between Grilling And Barbecue
Whats meant by bbq chicken? Is it grilled or is it barbecue? And what the bid dif? The difference between barbecued chicken and grilled chicken is largely a difference in symanticsand where you position the lid.
BBQ chicken is cooked with the lid of the grill closed to create an oven effect, so the heat circulates around the protein and cooks slower from all sides. Grilling is cooking with the lid open and over a higher, more direct heat source. Thats where youll get that sear so delicious on steaks and burgers.
But when youre using on BBQ sauce on chicken, a hot, direct heat source is NOT what you want. Unless you like your BBQ chicken barbecue sauce charred and burned.
Way #: Dried Oregano And Ginger
While this is a slightly unusual seasoning combination, it is something of exotic nature. Dried oregano by itself can go with many other chicken breast seasonings mentioned above. As one forum mentions â Oregano as seasoning elevates chicken breast. Quite many cooks consider that dried oregano is better seasoning than fresh herbs.
Allegedly, oregano has anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties. Therefore, one may logically assume that enough dried oregano seasoning mixed with chicken breast is not only healthy but probably helpful in reducing the speed of bacteria development. Please do not quote me here because I am only guessing. Sprinkle about ½ to 1-2 teaspoons of dried oregano over chicken breast before or during cooking.
You can add ginger to oregano in several different ways. One of my tricks is that I take a little bit of marinated ginger and press liquid out of it, and then sprinkle chicken breast with it like a lemon. Somehow, it adds a strange, exciting flavor to it. I never tried to combine it with lemon. Did you?
But otherwise, you can use dried ginger for seasoning chicken breast. Ginger has numerous beneficial properties, from anti-inflammatory to weight loss to simple respiratory system cleansing. Plus, it is excellent if you got sick and have a nose stuffed or other symptoms.
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How To Grill Chicken Breast In Five Easy Steps
Grilling juicy chicken breast can easily be done in just a few steps.
+ Easy Sides For Grilled Chicken
Who said grilled chicken has to be dull? Brighten up your plate with one of our favorite sides that complement the healthy dish. Whether youre in the mood for veggies or a classic and comforting side dish , these grilled chicken sides are anything but boring.
Our Instant Pot Asparagus is tender, but still has a nice crunch and flavor thanks to toasted almonds and orange zest. Everything you need is super easy to findjust make sure to buy asparagus with medium thickness, as asparagus thats too thin or small will become mushy.
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Choose Skinless Organic Chicken Breast
While everyone has their favorite type of chicken cut personally, Im more of a wings fan today were specifically cooking with chicken breast.
Chicken breasts boneless meat makes it easy to cook, and goes brilliantly either just as a side or as part of a burger. It is true that the larger the food, the longer it will take to cook, however I think that give so much more flexibility with what you actually use them for.
When it comes to picking your breast, try to pick organic. Not only are there clear ethical reasons behind buying organic chicken meat, but organic meat is always far superior in quality.
Organic chicken meat often has a far better texture and quality of taste than non-organic varieties.
Also try to buy skinless. The meat in chicken breast is generally very lean, but the skin can contain layers of fat that can render and turn greasy when cooked on the grill.
Grilled Chicken Thighs With Adobo Sauce
Flip the chicken and place it back on the same hot spot for the same amount of time. When the other side has achieved your preferred coloring, move the chicken to the top rack or a cooler part of the grill. Use a thermometer to check that each thigh has an internal temperature of 155 F, and then remove from the grill. While it rests, the chicken will continue cooking to 165 F.
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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.
Grill Different Chicken Parts
The advantage of grilling different types of chicken pieceslike the breast, leg, thigh, and wingis that everyone eating can pick the piece they want the most. The problem, however, is getting all the pieces grilled perfectly so that no one piece is over or undercooked. Understand how to handle each cut of chicken:
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What To Serve With Grilled Chicken Breast
- Use lean chicken breast. you may use chicken tenders or boneless chicken thighs.
- dont like avocados? use many or peach, they taste just as great with chicken.
- for a less spicy salsa, you may skip the jalapeno.
- if the avocado is large use only one. otherwise, you may use 2 small-sized avocados.
- use fresh garlic and cilantro for the best flavors.
- any other oil in place of the olive oil will work. try avocado oil.
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What Is The Best Way To Cook Chicken
The best way to cook chicken is entirely dependent on your personal preference. For example, some people like their chicken crispy while others like it tender and juicy. It all comes down to a matter of taste . There are two different main ways you can cook chicken: roasted or fried. Roasted chicken is generally seen as healthier because its not swimming in grease, but both methods have pros and cons depending on what youre looking for in your final dish.
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Sauces Are Your Friend
If all else fails, a saucy dressing is a foolproof, speedy way to quickly add juiciness to your chicken after its finished cooking. Whether its a tadka-ish sauce with nigella seeds, zingy ginger-scallion-lemongrass sauce, funky-sweet fish sauce caramel, or a simple, tangy, garlicky Italian dressing, sauces and toppings will add layers of flavor and moisture to a cut of meat that is otherwise something of a blank canvas. If you cook your chicken breasts perfectly, these embellishments will make them truly memorable. If you dont, well, a good sauce erases all sins.
Tips For Making This Recipe A Success
I use my George Foreman grill in this recipe. But you can easily make it in any indoor or outdoor grill, or in a grill pan on the stovetop.
The secret to juicy chicken is to get your grill hot, then grill 5 minutes on each side , and allow the chicken to rest for five minutes before digging in.
It’s best to use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the chicken is fully cooked and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. I wrote this recipe for 8 oz chicken breasts. If yours are much bigger, they will need more time on the grill.
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Grilled Chicken Breast Seasoning
Now that youve marinated your chicken to infuse moisture and flavor to the inside of your meat, its time to season the outside. If you like a classic sweet BBQ flavor to your chicken, I definitely recommend using my Signature Chicken Seasoning. Its a balanced blend of herbs and spices with just a little heat to make your chicken sing.
If you dont have any Chicken Seasoning on hand, my Best Sweet Rub recipe is incredible as well. Itll give your chicken a sweet and savory flavor that cant be beat. I love to use this one if I am preparing several chicken breasts at a time for meal prepping because I can use the chicken for basically anything I want after it is cooked. Think chicken salad, shredded chicken for soups or casseroles, the options are endless!
Easy Grilled Chicken Breast
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Grilled Chicken Breast is a quick meal with tender juicy chicken in a flavorful marinade. Its extra quick to make and perfect to enjoy on its own, add to pasta, or even put on top of a salad!
A quick and flavorful marinade and an even quicker grill time means this is meal on the table in no time at all!
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