Our 4 Best Grilling Tips for Perfectly Cooked Chicken

Nothing says master griller like a perfectly moist grilled chicken!

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Chicken is a lean protein, meaning it has very little saturated fat and calories. When proteins have very little fat they tend to dry out more easily than less lean cuts of poultry and meat. This is why grilling chicken can be so challenging! But there’s no need to fret! We’ve put together a list of our best grilling tips to help you become a chicken grill master.

Pictured above: Delicious Greek Chicken Kebabs

Best Grilling Tip #1: Choosing the Right Cut

This first of our best grilling tips is by far the most crucial, as different cuts of chicken will render different results, and we want moist and juicy – not dry and tough!

Pictured above: Low-Carb Coconut Lime Chicken Skewers

Chicken Thigh

This chicken cut has more fat, meaning there is less chance of it becoming dry when grilled over direct heat. This makes it a wonderful grilling option! Bone-in or bone-out, this supercut of chicken is bound to be delicious (although bone-in tends to be more flavorful). Chicken thighs are super easy to prepare and season before tossing them on the grill. Use a bit of olive oil and season with your favorite spices for a wonderfully flavored thigh, or use a dry rub for more traditional barbecue fare.

Chicken Breast

The char-grilled marks on a perfectly grilled breast can be tempting, but chicken breast can be challenging. Sometimes you get a perfectly thick or thin piece of chicken breast, and sometimes it’s uneven. If one side is thicker than the other, feel free to bang it out with a meat tenderizer. When cooked properly, chicken breast is the most filling choice of chicken thanks to it’s protein content. It can also be used in so many different types of dishes, so have fun getting creative!

Chicken Wings

Perhaps the king of party food, there’s nothing better than grilled chicken wings! Super quick and tasty, these bad boys can either be marinated to perfection or coated in dry-rub goodness. The choice is yours. Smoky flavor and crispy skin is the name of the game with chicken wings, you can even get some pre-seasoned or marinated at your local grocer to save time.

Best Grilling Tip #2: Pre-Grilling Preparation

Number two on our list of best grilling tips has to do with texture and flavor! Before you turn the grill on, there are a few things we need to prepare for your chicken to grab a one-way ticket to Flavortown! Let’s talk sauces, marinades, rubs, and brines!

Pictured above: Skinny Ms. Wing Sauce

Sauces

Hot sauce, BBQ sauce, a chicken Tikka sauce – the possibilities with sauces are endless. The key, however, is to not rush into using the sauce. Keep your basting simple, and don’t overdo it. Once your meat is mostly cooked, you can slather on all the sauces you like. Sauces cooked over direct and high heat break down a lot quicker and instead of a flavor-infused piece of chicken, you end up with a charred mess.

Marinades

Marinating your chicken is the best way to ensure moist and flavorful chicken without doing too much to compromise taste. It’s best to marinate the chicken overnight so it can break down the tissue and soak up all that flavor in the meat. If you’re in a rush, marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours if you’re choosing boneless cuts and as little as 15 minutes for bone-in. Acidic components like lemon, salt, vinegar, and wine work best so use whichever you prefer!

Brine

Brining sounds intimidating, especially for a beginner, but it’s easy! Brining enhances the flavor and moisture in your chicken. The most simple brine mixture contains ingredients you’ve already got – so grab water, salt, and sugar and put them together in a bowl.

You’ll want to submerge your chicken in this mixture overnight for the best results. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate – once it’s done, rinse and pat dry, and use your favorite seasoning before grilling! You can even marinate it for a bit, but that’s totally up to you.

Rubs

Dry rub is probably one of the best flavor enhancers for spicing up chicken breasts or wings. With so many types of flavors to suit any palate, dry rubs are the easiest way to go for grilled chicken bursting with flavor! Before cooking your chicken, apply a rub the night before. Allowing more time for the spices to blend into the chicken will enhance its flavor. Add the spices by hand, spreading the rub on all sides of the meat.

Best Grilling Tip #3: Direct vs. Indirect Heat

When it comes to grilling succulent chicken, we’ve got to bring up direct vs indirect heat. Below we break down each method and give you some tips on how to cook each cut.

Pictured above: Honey Chipotle Chicken Skewers

Direct Heat

Direct heat, as the name implies means that you’re gonna get all of the chicken pieces over the open flame. Whether you use a gas or charcoal grill, it’s up to you. This way of grilling is perfect for smaller pieces of chicken, such as thighs, drumsticks, wings, kebabs, etc. So you’ll get a quicker cooking time and lovely sear or grill marks on your chicken pieces.

Indirect Heat

Indirect heat involves cooking the chicken a little further from the heat source. Use indirect heat by preheating one side of your grill to medium-high and leaving the other side unlit (for gas grills). Or use a two-zone grill setup with coals on one side (for charcoal grills).

This method is perfect for bigger chicken pieces since it cooks slower and results in evenly cooked, mouthwatering chicken pieces.

The secret to perfectly grilled chicken breast lies in using indirect heat. Many people continuously open or leave the lid open which lets the heat escape resulting in one side being overcooked and rubbery and the other a little under. Closing your lid lets the heat build, and you’re going to have to resist the temptation to check on your meat every minute, but remember – lift the lid sparingly! 

Regardless of which technique you use, we highly recommend checking doneness with a thermometer. Fully cooked chicken will reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit at it’s thickest portion. Using a thermometer keeps the juices in but more on that in just a moment!

Best Grilling Tip #4: Let the Chicken Rest

The last item on our list of best grilling tips comes in once the grilling part is over! Once it’s time to take the chicken off the heat, you must let the chicken rest. Resting not only enhances flavor and tenderness but also keeps the juices in.

Pictured above: Grilled Honey Lime Cilantro Chicken Skewers

Importance of Letting Chicken Rest

Resting allows your chicken to redistribute the juices throughout the chicken, so when you’re ready to cut into it, the juices don’t escape. You’ll be left with succulent and juicy chicken meat – yummy! Allowing the juices to redistribute also makes sure you’ve got tender meat in the chicken. If you don’t allow the chicken to rest it will dry out. As you slice into the chicken after grilling, you may notice that the juices run out onto the cutting board.

How to Rest Chicken

After you’re done grilling, set the chicken on a plate or a cutting board. Wrap some aluminum foil around the chicken (don’t cover it completely, we just want to keep some of that heat in). Let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes for smaller pieces and around 10 minutes for larger ones. Try not to cut into the chicken until it’s fully rested. While you’re waiting for it to completely rest, prepare some other dishes to serve up in the meantime!

Serve the chicken immediately after resting is complete, while it’s still warm. Add your favorite sides, sauces, or salads to complete the meal.

And that’s all it takes to master the art of grilling! So, go forth and wow your next cookout guests and family with your newfound grilling skills!

Speaking of Delicious Side Dishes

We’ve got hundreds of delicious recipes to pair with your perfectly grilled chicken. There’s something for everyone and every occasion! Here are a few of our tasty ideas:

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