Grilling Chicken | A Great Meal To Be Had!

Although we grill a few steaks, here and there, I would say that grilling chicken has a tremendous priority because it is lean, taste super good and probably better for you than any type of red meat.

Personally, I grill only chicken breasts. You can grill cutup chicken parts, but I like to barbecue and slow-cook whole chickens on indirect heat. It is just easier and comes out  better and more moist than grilling chicken parts.

I grill chicken breasts all year around, and I use the barbecue to do so. Outdoor grilling just gives meat an extra and pronounced taste that’s hard to beat.

I always use frozen chicken breasts. In my neck of the woods, you can always find them on sale.

You can use fresh chicken breasts, but I find them uneconomical when compared to the frozen ones.

Always, buy the best frozen chicken breasts you can find. If possible buy 99 percent fat-free. Always buy the highest quality you can find and/or afford.

Before defrosting put the chicken breasts in a glass pie plate. To unthaw, put them in the microwave for about 20 minutes, of course on the defrost cycle. Defrosting times depend on how many and how thick.

But, let’s first try to defrost a half dozen thick ones at a time. Make sure you turn them over after ten minutes or so.

When defrosted, rinse the chicken with water and pat dry. Next, apply quality Extra-Virgin Olive oil. This gives us a base to adhere what is aptly termed a “rub” on.

Hey! Now, you are going to get our hands messy, but it is fun to do so!

Grilling is enhanced by adding a rub. If you are not familiar with what a rub is. It is a combination of dry spices that you literally “rub” onto the chicken, or for that matter, any type of meat or vegetable.

Rubs add a dimension to almost anything that you grill or cook. They bring out unbelievable tastes, texture and help to keep moisture in.

You will find that it is really neat to make your own rub. Almost all rubs have some of these same ingredients: Kosher Salt, Pure Chile powder, brown sugar, granulated garlic, paprika, celery seed, ground cumin, black pepper.

Mix those ingredients in equal proportions…add New Mexico ground red pepper, or hot cayenne pepper for those who want to really “kick it up”.

Try not to use regular table salt or regular granulated sugar in a rub, as they both have a tendency to draw moisture out of meat.

I do not marinate chicken breasts. If you want to add BBQ sauce, I recommend that you do so only in the last few minutes of grilling.  If you brush it before grilling, chances are that it will burn and you won’t like that.

You need to use only one burner on a gas barbecue, of course depending upon the number of chicken breasts. I use a high medium heat 375-400 degrees. Use direct medium heat on a charcoal grill.

Grilling time can be around twenty minutes or longer depending upon the size of the chicken breasts. You should turn the chicken only once, but I turn after five minutes of grilling one side.

Then, I keep repeating the five minute intervals until the chicken is done. I also, rotate their positions on the grill so they are all uniformly cooked.

I hope you have the same excellent results I have when grilling chicken.  Especially breasts, since they turn out real moist, you can eat them by themselves, or you can easily cutup and throw into a soup or salad.