• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Grilling Companion logo

  • Grilling Recipes
    • Chicken
    • Beef
    • Pork and Lamb
    • Seafood
    • Pizza
    • Vegetables
    • Appetizers and Side Dishes
    • Dessert
    • BBQ Sauce Recipes
    • View All Recipes
  • Tips
    • Grilling Tips
    • Grilling Products
    • Meat Temperature Chart
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

5 Tips for Better Grilled Chicken Breasts

October 8, 2020 · 1 Comment

grilled chicken breasts

I figured I better write this before the poultry boycott at my house fully propagates throughout the family. You see, I have overdone in. At least 3 in every 5 meals in this house features boneless skinless chicken breasts as the main feature. As a result, my 9 year old son has proclaimed that he is done with this particular protein. As for his impressionable 5 year old little brother, well, he can’t be far behind. So with that timeline in mind, I present this man’s top 5 tips for better grilled chicken breasts.

Tip #1 – Trim the fat

First things first, there is usually some pretty nasty fat hanging off of those chicken breasts and maybe some skin remnants. No one wants a bite of chicken fat, so trim those bits off like shown in this photo.

trim fat from boneless skinless chicken breasts

Tip #2 – Pound them down to size

This is the key step. All chicken breasts have an uneven thickness. If we don’t even things out, that thin side is going to overcook before the thick side cooks through. Cover the chicken breast with a sheet of parchment paper or an empty zip lock bag and pound the thick side down with a meat mallet or the bottom of a small sauce pot. The goal here is to create a more uniform thickness of about an inch thick throughout the breast so that it cooks evenly.pound chicken breasts down to size

Tip #3 – Brush with Oil before seasoning

Now that we have a more uniform thickness to our trimmed chicken breasts, it is time to season. Before we season though, we want to brush both sides with some olive oil. The oil does two things for us. First of all, it will help prevent sticking to the grill. Secondly, the oil helps caramelize the outside of the chicken breast and the rub ingredients to create some great color and taste. Once both sides are all oiled up, season them with some Kosher salt, fresh black pepper or a nice rub of your choice.
DSC_4868

DSC_4873

Tip #4 – Grill visually and flip only once

Now we are ready to light a fire under this chicken! The two most common mistakes at this step are cooking the chicken breasts too long (over a temp that is too low) and flipping the breasts too often. One problem creates an overcooked, rubbery mess and the other ensures that parts of your chicken breast will stay adhered to the grill grates until your next cleaning.  For temperature, preheat the grill to medium high with the lid closed for 15 minutes. Then grill with the lid open over the hottest part of the grill and DON’T TOUCH the breasts. If you try to flip too early, the meat is going to stick to the grill. Watch the breasts and they will turn more opaque as the cook through. When they are almost all the way opaque like this, it is time to flip:DSC_4876

Tip #5 – Use a thermometer

Once you flip the breasts over, now it is time to make sure they are cooked to the correct temperature. This is where a good instant read meat thermometer comes in to play. Most people are grilling several chicken breasts at the same time and each of those are going to hit the target temperature (160 degrees) at different times. Don’t risk under or over cooking, use a thermometer and remove them when the thickest part of the breast hits 160 degrees.limited edition thermapen

Previous Post: « Himalayan Salt Plate Grilling
Next Post: Teriyaki Sauce Recipe for Grilling »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Featured Recipes

pesto chicken on a cedar plank

Pesto Planked Chicken

Guacamole Burger

Tex Mex Burgers with Guacamole

Man cannot live by pork chop alone. Every now and then you must sauce it up a bit. This smokey green sauce blends great with a pork chop. The combination of roasted poblano peppers, tomatillos and garlic make a savory sauce. This might also make a great base for a roasted corn and black bean salsa, which I might have to try some day soon. I'll let you know when I do. It's best to cook this recipe on a charcoal grill, so that the smokey flavor gets infused into the peppers and tomatillos and a side of mushrooms

Boneless Pork Chop with Tomatillo and Poblano Pepper Sauce

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Stubbs Mopping Sauce

Hollowed and sliced onion

Grilled Onions

More

Copyright © 2023
Privacy Policy