Chicken breasts are by far the most difficult protein to cook perfectly on the grill, but, man, when you nail it, isn’t it delicious?! Chicken breasts are very lean and must be cooked to USDA minimum temperature in order to kill off salmonella, so they’re easy to overcook which leads to dried out, tasteless protein. Follow these tips below to nail it every single time.
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Tips to make perfectly grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts on a gas grill:
- Invest in quality poultry shears
- Invest in an instant-read thermometer
- Butterfly (with your new poultry shears) and pound chicken breasts to avoid overcooking and drying out of thinner portions – this video provides a quick and easy method for butterflying and pounding
- For the juiciest chicken breasts, I prefer using a dry brine (pre-salting chicken) and adding flavorings (seasoning, fruit juices or balsamic vinegar) just before grilling chicken breasts for the juiciest chicken.
- The issue with dry brining is that it takes at least 3-4 hours for the salt to penetrate the meat, so wet brining is best if you’re short on time. We choose to wet brine more often because we’re impatient and sometimes grill on a whim.
- Here’s the brine we typically use:
- 3 cups of orange juice
- 2 ounces of salt – we use Morton table salt as it dissolves easier
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Mix all ingredients until salt is diluted and put in a large Ziploc bag or brining bag and let sit for no more than 2 hours. Season with your desired spice blend/rub after removing from the brine and drying the breasts.
- Mix all ingredients until salt is diluted and put in a large Ziploc bag or brining bag and let sit for no more than 2 hours. Season with your desired spice blend/rub after removing from the brine and drying the breasts.
- Chicken tends to stick to hot grill grates easily, so oil your grates with a clean spray oil (no CFC propellants)
How to cook the chicken on your gas grill:
- Do NOT close the lid on your grill
- Cook chicken breasts on medium-high heat (425 degrees Fahrenheit) for 5-7 minutes per side (until your internal temperature hits 157-160 degrees)
- Turn chicken frequently to cook evenly on both sides and pay attention to “hot spots” on the grill…you may see some pieces of chicken start to blacken. While it may look appealing, it will become dried out and crunchy…gross!
- Keep one of your burners on a lower temperature so you can transfer chicken that’s cooking too quickly and slow the burning so it doesn’t dry out the meat
- Do NOT overcook! I recommend removing the chicken when the internal temperature hits 157-160 degrees Fahrenheit and covering with foil so the carryover cooking brings it up to the USDA minimum of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
We have posted some great recipes over the years, so follow the tips above and find a recipe below you like and enjoy some delicious chicken!
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JOSEPH ARCESE says
Why NOT close the grill?
Whitney Carlson says
Hi Joseph, Leaving the grill open ensures we don’t overcook the meat since we cut our chicken into thinner pieces. It’s easier to control the internal temperature of the meat with the lid open when you have thinner cuts…if you close the lid you risk overcooking it and drying it out.
Chaz DeSimone says
I barbeque everything with the lid closed, but your recipe sounded intriguing. So after marinating with Stubbs Chicken Marinade overnight (because it says at least one hour) I grilled exactly as you instructed. The result was amazing. Tender, juicy, flavorful chicken with just enough blackened goodness. Thanks. (BTW I was comparing Stubbs to Lawry’s marinade, similar flavor, and Stubbs won out.)
Whitney Carlson says
Just now seeing this comment, Chaz, but I’m so glad that your chicken turned out well using this method! It’s almost grilling season again (yay!).