Grilled chicken gets a bad rap.
Why? Well let’s start with the obvious.
- Chicken is a very bland bird. It is tasteless. It ranks right up there with plain spaghetti.
- Second, people tend to OVERcook the chicken – now we not only have bland but now we have dry.
How do I grill my chicken so it doesn’t dry out?
- Marinade – impart some flavor into that bird. But be wise with your marinades! Make your own. Bottles marinades usually contain high levels of acids and preservatives making the food taste unnatural.
- ¾ Method – How do professional chefs ‘know’ when something is done? It’s called the ¾ Method. You cook the chicken ¾ of the way through on the first side. You will see the coagulation taking place. In other words, the chicken will start to turn white on the bottom side that’s closes to the heat. This ‘white’ will continue UP the chicken as it cooks. Once you see it is over ½ way white (or cooked), flip the chicken over and you only have mere minutes to cook the other side.
- Acids – Marinades don’t penetrate meat deeply, so soaking your meat for hours on end may be more of a timesaver than anything else. However, marinating in an acidic marinade can weaken the protein bonds near the surface so that they turn mushy and gummy. Worse, they can no longer hold moisture and dry OUT your meat which defeats the whole purpose. No more than 2 hours is needed to marinade your meat!
How To Make the Perfect Grilled Chicken
Full Printable recipe & instructions below
- The key to this marinade working is in the herbs. Fresh herbs. It’s summertime so it shouldn’t be hard to find fresh herbs in your market, or maybe you’ve grown your own. Here’s your chance to use them.
- Use good oil – not that garbage Canola oil either.
- Make the marinade a few hours before grilling time and let the chicken soak – NO MORE THAN 2 HOURS!
- Turn the grill on Rocket Ship! Get those burners going. HOT!
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on a plate at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.
- Cook on high heat like we explained above using the ¾ method.
- Insert a thermometer into the widest part. When it reads between 150°-155°F remove the chicken to a clean plate and let sit for 5 minutes to continue cooking and let the juices redistribute. Final internal temp should be 165°F
SIMPLE Grilled Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
FOR THE MARINADE:
- ¼ Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
- 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- ¼ Cup Olive Oil
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Oregano, minced
- ¼ Cup Fresh Parsley, minced and lightly packed
- ¼ Cup Fresh Basil, minced and lightly packed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add the fresh lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce to medium bowl.
- Whisk in olive oil. Add the garlic, herbs, salt and pepper.
- Whisk together until well combined.
- Add chicken to large bowl and pour marinade over.
- Refrigerate up to 2 hours.
- Remove chicken from marinade.
- Heat grill to medium high heat.
- Place chicken on grill for 7-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of chicken breast, turn and continue cooking until no pink remains and chicken is 165° F with an internal thermometer.
- Let chicken rest up to 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
1 Comment
Anonymous
June 18, 2020 at 1:00 pmThank you so much for the cooking tip! My chicken is always dry. I tried your 3/4 method and it worked perfectly!