How to Grill Boneless, Skinless Chicken

Breasts
[Photographs: Joshua Bousel]
I'm in my fourth year of writing the grilling column here on Serious Eats, and with well
oer !"" recipes posted with no end in sight, I'm always trying to #eep it fresh and
creatie$ %he constant &uest for the 'est of the 'est to delier each wee# has (ust now
'rought around a glaring omission of some grilling basics that are long oerdue$
%his is an effort to 'uild some grilling fundamentals to ma#e your flame roasted meats as
great as they can 'e$
For the first installment: chicken breasts, argua'ly one of the most difficult of the
standard meats to grill$ It's all too common of an occurrence to get dry, chewy,
card'oardy 'reasts$ %his is all correcta'le though, and chic#en 'reasts can 'e fantastic on
the grill, it (ust ta#es a little #now)how$
Flat Breasts
The chicken breast is a very unforgiving meat, anything oer its ideal temperature will
almost immediately e&uate to drying out$ %he physical shape of the 'reast isn't #ind it this
respect, as its uneen height means the 'ul#y center cannot 'e coo#ed through without
oercoo#ing the thinner portions of the meat$
Easy solution to this pro'lem: een out the height$ %his inoles giving the chicken a
nice beating, which is also great for relieing any pent up aggression$
I li#e to put the chic#en in a reseala'le plastic 'ag for the pounding*the thic# plastic
doesn't 'rea# when whac#ed, and the sealed 'ag ensures chic#en (uice doesn't splatter all
oer the #itchen$ +nce safely in a 'ag, I go at it with my rolling pin, 'ashing the thic#er
parts of the 'reast until they match the height of the thinnest part$ ,on't go too thin here-
#eep the height around ./0)inch$ 1 'reast pounded out too much will 'e more su'(ect to
drying out oer high)heat$
A Fine Brine
Brining is the ne2t important step ta#en to aoid horrid dry chic#en$ 3ou can catch up
with 4en(i's science 'ehind 'rining, 'ut for our purposes here, you (ust need to #now that
soa#ing the chic#en in a salty 'rine reshapes the protiens in the meat in such a way that
they retain moisture 'etter when coo#ing$
That retaining moisture art is key, as it proides some assurance that the meat will
remain (uicy een if a tad oerdone, and 'e een 'etter if coo#ed correctly$ 3ou really
want this added protection when coo#ing chic#en 'reasts and there's really no reason to
s#ip it since the 'rine ta#es (ust a minute to put together, and the chic#en only needs
a'out ." minutes os soa#ing, which (ust happens to 'e a'out the amount of time it ta#es
to get a charcoal grill going$
Grilling
Before hitting the grill, the chic#en will li#e you much 'etter if you start with a clean and
oiled grate$ %he s#inless 'reasts hae no fat to protect them from the heat, which e&uates
to them easily stic#ing to a grate, a pro'lem a clean and oiled grill grate alleiates$
5ith an een thic#ness, a (uicy 'rine, and clean grill, the chic#en is (ust ready to face the
hot fire$ 3ou don't want to go too hot here, since the 6""789 of a new fire can too &uic#ly
dry out the 'reasts$ +n the opposite end, you don't want to go too low either 'ecause then
there will no 'rowning and you'll end with pale, unappeti:ing chic#en$ A me!ium"high
fire, #$%"&%'(F, is )ust about erfect, creating a golden crust without oerdoing the
meat$
In my e2perience, it only ta#es chic#en 'reasts a few minutes er si!e over !irect
me!ium"high heat to 'oth 'rown and 'e coo#ed through at the same time$ %hat 'eing
said, it's a good idea to always have a two"*one fire*with all the coals piled on one side
of the charcoal grate*in case the chic#en 'rowns 'efore it's done coo#ing through$ %his
way you can finish the chic#en up on the cool side of the grill, coered, and aoid
'urning the the 'reasts if need 'e$
Instant the thermometer in the middle of the 'reast*you #now the chic#en is done when
it hits ;<"89$ =pon a mandatory rest off the grill, the meat temperature will continue to
rise to ;<689 approed 'y the 9,1$ %his is all good and well if you li#e to play 'y the
rules, 'ut I personally pull the chic#en een sooner, at ;6"89, which results in a (uicier
and more flaorful 'reast$ I happily can say I haen't e2perienced any ill effects from this
yet, and oerall I'e 'een a far happier chic#en eater$
How To Grill Chicken Breast an! +ot
,ry -t .ut /ike The Sahara
June !>, !";" By 4ristia ;? @omments
3ears ago, I dreaded grilling 'oneless, s#inless chic#en 'reast, 'ecause it always turned
out ery dry$ I was horrified one time when I had my family oer for dinner and sered
them grilled chic#en$ Ay poor grandfather, who is the strongest person I hae eer
#nown, could 'arely cut his chic#en 'ecause it was so tough$ Ay family was ery polite
a'out the chic#en, Beerything is delicious, dearC as they chugged water (ust to get it
down$
So in my &uest to not inflict my poor family with dried out chic#en eer again, I
consulted with one of my coo#'oo#s,Bo''y 9layDs Erill ItF $ Bo''yDs adice, B donDt
oercoo# itC$ +oooooh, so that was my pro'lem$ It turns out I was grilling my chic#en
twice as long as I needed to$
I am happy to report that my grilled chic#en has improed dramatically and is a family
faorite$ 5e are no longer gu::ling water at the dinner ta'le$
5e loe to top our grilled chic#en with salsa$ Some of our faorites:
Aango Ged Pepper Salsa
@antaloupe Salsa
Peach Aango Salsa
Salsa with @anned %omatoes $
How To Grill Chicken Breast
;$ Pre)heat your grill to high$ I hae a three 'urner gas grill$ I light the outside ! 'urners
and #eep the middle one closed$
!$ @ut off the tenderloins$ %hey are so thin that they will dry out and 'e almost inedi'le if
they are coo#ed as long as the rest of the chic#en$ @oo# separately$ %hey will only ta#e
a'out ! minutes on each side on the grill$ +r sae them to ma#e chic#en nuggets for the
#ids$
.$ Place the chic#en 'reasts in a plastic 'ag or 'etween plastic wrap and pound the
chic#en with a rolling pin, heay pan, or meat mallet until a'out eenly H inch thic#$
0$ ,ri::le olie oil and your faorite spices oer your chic#en and toss to coat eenly$ I
hae stopped using dressings, marinades, and BBI sauce for s#inless chic#en$ I thin# the
sugar in those dressings causes the chic#en to 'urn and dry out$
6$ 5hen the grill hits at least 06" degrees, place the chic#en on the middle of the grill$
@lose the lid$ I donDt let the grill go too much oer 06" degrees$
<$ @oo# < minutes and flip$ 9lipping the chic#en more than once is a good way for it to
taste li#e sand$ It dries out the chic#en$
J$ @ontinue to grill another 0 minutes with the lid closed$ 1n instant)read thermometer
inserted into the center of the 'reast should read ;66 degrees 9$
>$ Gemoe from grill and let the chic#en sit for 6 minutes 'efore cutting into$ %his is
KEG3 important$ If you cut into the chic#en too soon, all of the (uices will come gushing
out and dry out the chic#en$ %rust AeF
5e li#e to eat our grilled chic#en on top of a garden salad pac#ed with fresh summer
egeta'les or topped with our faorite mango, red pepper salsa$
Grille! Chicken Breasts
Print
@hic#en 'reasts are one of the most popular and also one of the easiest items to grill$ ItDs
also easy to produce chic#en (er#y if you donDt #now what you are doing$ %hese step 'y
step directions will show you how to easily grill delicious, (uicy chic#en$ %here are so
many ariations with ru's, sauces and marinades that we could pro'a'ly do a whole site
on chic#en$ 5e will coer some of these ariations in time, 'ut this article focuses on
how to grill a chic#en 'reast properly$ %he great thing a'out 'oneless, s#inless chic#en
'reasts is that you can coo# them oer direct, high heat without much ris# for flare)ups
since they are so lean$ %his means you can coo# them really &uic#ly and sear in all of
those (uices$ %he directions 'elow are for relatiely thin chic#en 'reasts, less than an inch
thic#$ %imes may ary 'ased on the thic#ness of your 'reasts, heat of your grill, etc$ 9or
these reasons, we canDt recommend more strongly the use of a good, instant read
thermometer li#e the %hermapen$ 3our target temperature is around ;<" degrees$ +#,
we #now you are ready to get started, so letDs ta#e a loo# at step 'y step directions$
,irections
;$ Light the grill and leae it on high for direct heat grilling$ Aa#e sure you clean
the grates 'efore they get too hot$ It wouldnDt 'e a 'ad idea to oil your grates
either, you can do this with a folded paper towel, tongs and some coo#ing oil$
!$ Ginse the chic#en 'reasts under cold running water and then 'lot dry with paper
towels$
.$ If you hae a chic#en 'reast that is really thic# on one end, pound it down with a
mallet or pot until you get a more uniform thic#ness for the whole 'reast$ %his
will allow the chic#en to coo# more eenly$
0$ Gu' the chic#en 'reasts with a little olie oil$
6$ Season you chic#en with whateer seasoning you li#e$ %his could 'e as easy a
little #osher salt and some fresh ground pepper$
<$ Place the 'reast on the hottest part of the grill and donDt touch them for a'out ! M
. minutes$ 1s shown in the photo 'elow, you can actually tell that the chic#en
'reast is coo#ing through, they will get more and more opa&ue as they coo#$
J$ =sing tongs, lift each 'reast, rotate 06 degrees and then place them 'ac# on the
grill$ Presentation is half the 'attle and this will create some impressie grill
mar#sF
>$ 1fter ! to 0 minutes, lift the chic#en 'reasts with tongs and flip them oer$
?$ Erill for ! more minutes and then rotate again 06 degrees to ma#e our grill mar#s
on this side$
;"$ @ontinue grilling for another ! to 0 minutes and you should 'e doneF 1gain, to 'e
sure, use a good instant)read thermometer li#e the %hermapen, along with our free
Aeat%emps iPhone app to chec# the internal temperature of your chic#en$ 9or
thic#er 'reasts, you may need to close the lid for 6 minutes or so to coo# them all
of the way through$
;;$ Gemoe the chic#en 'reasts from the grill and place on a plate$
See, we told you this was easyF 3ou can een #eep a 'ag of fro:en, 'oneless and s#inless
'reasts in the free:er for last minute meal options$ Gemem'er, not eeryone loes stea# NI
#now, weird rightOP so itDs always good to #eep some fro:en chic#n 'reasts around to
throw on the grill so those fol#s hae something to en(oy$ %ry them with some gree#
seasoning, theyDll 'e deliciousF Pic# up a Killa5are Pi::a Erill and use this chic#en
recipe as the filler to some #iller grilled &uesadillas$