Make The Best Grilled BBQ Chicken In Your Neighborhood With This Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to grilling chicken? ›

Cook your chicken breast on the grill for 6-8 minutes on one side. Flip your chicken. After 6-8 minutes open your grill lid and flip your chicken breast with tongs. A great tip is to only flip your chicken breast once so that it stays nice and juicy (and creates delicious grill marks!)

“When you barbecue you are cooking with a slow circumvented unit of hot air with the lid closed. Grilling is done with the lid up and you're cooking with direct heat on the bottom, instead of all around the source.

The ideal grill temperature range for chicken is between 350 and 450 degrees Fahrenheit. This range is narrowed down by whether you're grilling chicken breasts, thighs, or drumsticks. Discover the best temp for chicken breasts and thighs below.

Cook the Chicken

Using grill tongs, pick up the largest dark-meat pieces, and arrange the chicken pieces directly over the hot coals. Sear the pieces for two to three minutes on each side until the skin is golden brown. For leg pieces, rotate a quarter turn every 90 seconds. Keep your eye on the chicken.

So, should you oil your chicken before grilling? In the words of cluck-yes! Not only does it prevent your chicken from sticking, but it also helps retain moisture, adds a layer of flavor, and ensures a perfectly golden exterior that's sure to make even the most stoic grill master shed a tear of joy.

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.

Depending on size, cooking the chicken on the BBQ will take about 1.5 hours, so aim to spend 1 hour with the chicken facing bone down and half an hour breast side down. We also recommend that you baste it every 10 minutes or so with lemon juice.

For the most part, chicken should be grilled at 350º to 450º F over direct or indirect medium heat. The only exception is when you're smoking the chicken. Often used with wings or whole chickens, smoking meat involves indirect cooking over very low heat, 225º to 250º F, with the addition of smoldering wood chunks.

Chefs agree that bone-in chicken thighs and legs are some of the best cuts to grill, because the bone helps the meat retain moisture. "There's fat in the bone that's going to melt and keep the meat moist, and it'll also provide a lot more flavor," Wilschke notes.

How do you BBQ like a pro? ›

Grilled chicken typically provides a nice char, which gives the poultry more flavor and texture compared to baking or sauteing. It's especially nice during the warmer months because you get some fresh air — and the technique prevents the house from being overwhelmed with cooking odors.

Oil – Olive or avocado oil is excellent to use to help crisp the skin. Spritzer – I use a combination of equal parts apple juice, apple cider, and water. Rub – You can use simple salt and pepper or a more complex spice blend like my BBQ Rub.

This is a personal preference and serves no purpose for food safety. If you choose to do this, however, preventing cross-contamination when soaking and removing the poultry from the water is essential.

Cook Low and Slow:

One of the secrets to perfectly grilled meat is cooking it low and slow over indirect heat. This method allows the flavors to develop slowly while keeping the meat tender and juicy throughout the cooking process.