When you need to cook chicken, grilling is one of the easiest and quickest methods that, despite its simplicity, allows you to obtain a rich taste.
You certainly have already noticed that not all chicken cooked on a grill tastes the same… It is because if you want to obtain the best result, you need to know one or two things about how to cook chicken on grill.
In this article, we are sharing some tips and tricks that will bring your dinners to another level.
How To Cook Chicken On Grill?
Here are a the steps to follow:
1. Prepare the chicken
Unlike fryers and other cooking methods, when you grill chicken, you need to flatten the meat. This simple step is already important, and it will affect the quality of the grilling (and taste).
The secret here is to obtain the same thickness on the entire piece of chicken.
Usually, when you grill chicken, you are grilling chicken breast. If you are, instead, using a thigh fillet, open it up first.
To flatten your chicken, follow these steps:
- Cut two pieces of parchment paper
- Lay one piece of parchment on the table, put the chicken on it, and cover it with the other piece of paper.
- Now, you can bash with a rolling pin or meat cleaver. You want to obtain a uniform thickness of about 1,5 centimeters.
2. Marinate the chicken
If you marinate the chicken before grilling, you’ll obtain a more peculiar taste, and the meat will also be more tender after cooking.
So, how do you marinate the chicken? You can simply submerge the pieces of meat in a marinade made of lemon juice and any herb you like (chilies, spices, or aromatics).
3. Grill the chicken
Before you put the chicken on the grill, make sure you heat it properly: turn it on for at least 15 minutes before cooking the chicken.
Put the meat on the grates and turn them only once. Just after cooking, wait for at least 5 minutes before serving: cover the meat, and leave it to rest for this small time. 1
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How Long Does It Take To Cook Chicken On The Grill?
Chicken should be grilled for 4-5 minutes on each side. As you may know, the secret to perfect cooking is to turn the meat only once.
You don’t want to overwork the meat otherwise, it will result in less and less tenderness.
Although this is less important with chicken compared to other types of meat, if you want to obtain an excellent result, keep this rule in mind.
The first time, you’ll feel insecure, but with time you’ll see that you’ll become more and more expert.
Furthermore, you can add salt on each side of the chicken directly on the grill.
You can put a salt amount on all the surfaces; don’t worry, this is also something that becomes easier and easier with experience. 2
How To Pre-Heat & Prepare Your Grill?
Preparing and preheating your grill before you start cooking on it is important. Here are some tips that would help:
- Preheating: Preheat your grill to 400 degrees F; this will help in burning the leftover items from the grate and will also help the food avoid sticking.
- Brushing: After you have preheated the grill, take a brush and brush off the leftover on it.
- Oiling: This step is not necessary to follow while grilling Chicken or any other food item that has a lot of natural fat. But make sure to follow this step while cooking plant-based food items. 3
How To Grill a Whole Chicken?
Here’s how you can grill a whole chicken perfectly:
- If you like your chicken crispy, then salt your chicken and leave it uncovered in the refrigerator overnight.
- Now you can either spatchcock your chicken, which is removing the backbone of the chicken and cooking it by laying it flat. Or you can truss your chicken.
- Now roast your chicken at 350 to 450º F for an hour and 15 minutes. A 4-5 pound chicken wouldn’t take longer than this to cook. 4
How To Grill Chicken Drumsticks?
Here’s how you can grill chicken drumsticks:
- Preheat your grill to a medium flame and lightly brush the grates with oil.
- Now put the chicken on the grate and cook it for 8 minutes; now flip it and cook the chicken for another 8 minutes on the other side.
- Now turn the chicken and cook for 5 minutes more or until you see the center is not pink. 5
How To Grill Skinless Chicken Thighs?
Here’s how you can grill chicken thighs:
- Preheat your grill to a medium flame and lightly brush the grates with oil.
- Put the chicken thighs on the grill and cook them for 6-8 minutes on each side. Avoid flipping the chicken thigh again and again.
- Now check the internal temperature of the chicken. If it reaches 165 degrees F, then it is done. 6
How To Grill Skinned Chicken Thighs?
Here’s how you can grill skinned chicken thighs:
- Preheat your grill to a medium flame and lightly brush the grates with oil.
- Now place chicken with skin side down on the grill and grill for 5-6 minutes.
- Now flip the side and grill the chicken for 6-8 minutes, or till the internal temperature of the grill rises to 165 degrees F.
How To Grill Chicken Wings?
- The first step is to oil your chicken wings, followed by seasoning them with salt and pepper.
- Now grill the chicken wings at a temperature of 350 to 450º F, flip when needed or cook till the internal temperature of the chicken wings rises to 160º F.
- To obtain a crispy layer, finish the grilling by cooking the chicken on direct heat (450º to 500º F).
- Apply sauce at the end and not in between cooking to avoid burning the sauce.
Wrapping Up
Grilling chicken is not at all tough. Once you know the right temperature and correct method, you can obtain a perfectly grilled chicken. We hope you found this guide useful.
FAQ’s
How long should I grill chicken breasts on each side?
You should grill chicken breasts for 5 minutes one each side.
How hot should my grill be for cooking chicken?
Heating your grill to the temperature of 425 and 450°F is an ideal for cooking chicken breasts.
What is the ideal temperature for smoking chicken?
Smoking chicken involves slow cooking the meat, and the ideal temperature for the same is 225º to 250º F.
Shefali Jain is a Content Editor & Writer at National Planning Cycles.
After completing her graduation in hospitality, Shefali decided to follow her passion and started writing. Shefali has been writing for two years now and contributes to our website as a skilled editor and content writer with strong research skills. Writing product and service reviews, biographies, and book reviews are some of her key areas, among many others in which she specializes.
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- https://www.smartchicken.com/grill-every-cut-to-perfection[↩]
- https://www.charbroil.com/how-tos/how-to-preheat-your-grill[↩]
- https://www.kingsford.com/recipes/series/perfect-poultry/how-to-grill-a-whole-chicken/[↩]
- https://www.scrappygeek.com/how-to-grill-chicken-drumsticks/[↩]
- https://www.theculinarycompass.com/grilled-boneless-skinless-chicken-thighs/[↩]