The best grilled chicken
Sunday's usually mean grilling at our house! Today we're grilling some chicken breast. Historically, grilling chicken breast has been hard to get right. In order to get the center done (ie, 160º), the ends were always overcooked. I stumbled across this method one day while randomly cruising YouTube.
Prepare the grill
I usually start with getting the grill ready. I'll go ahead and fill up my charcoal chimney and get it lit. It usually takes about 15 minutes for it to get ready. That's plenty of time to prepare the chicken breasts.
Prepare the chicken
First, I take the time to cut off any obvious fat on the chicken breast.
Beat your meat
Next, I beat it flat. Mmmhmm. That's right, beat it flat. I put the chicken into a 1 gallon zip lock bag, squirt a little olive oil in the bag then use a big rolling pin to beat the chicken flat. While inexact, I think they generally turn out to be about 1 inch or a smidge over. The important thing is that it's generally the same thickness all over so that the "middle" is done at the same time the edges are.
Season
Season to taste! I think some lemon pepper seasoning works great here or even just some salt and pepper. I personally prefer a rub. I usually use poultry rub from Kroger/Walmart but we were recently at a local farmers market and picked up a couple different rubs.
To apply the rub, I sprinkle a liberal amount on the chicken, making sure it's covered all over then pat it in--not rub. I turn it over and repeat the process.
Cook the chicken
Once the coals are ready and I've allowed the grill to heat up ~15 minutes, I'll throw the meat on.
When I'm grilling, I prefer to bank the coals on one side so I can have a hot side and a cool side. I use the charcoal bins that came with the grill but I place it to one side as in the photo below.
For the chicken breast, I put the prepared chicken breast directly over the hottest part of the heat, close the lid, and allow to cook for two minutes.
Next, flip it and allow it to cook for two more minutes, and check the temperature with an instant thermometer. USDA says chicken should be cooked to 160º so that's what I do. If the chicken hasn't reach the desired temp yet, I move it off the direct heat and place it on the indirect side to allow it to continue to cook. The coals are really hot and if left on the direct heat, the chicken can burn.
Once it reaches 160º, I'll take it off the grill, and allow it to rest for five minutes. Some of our favorite sides are grilled corn on the cob, zucchini/yellow squash kabobs, grilled carrots, and potato pouches.
How do you grill chicken?