I can't grill!!!

[Anonymous]

I am trying so hard to learn to grill, but have not mastered it yet! Today's challenge are chicken breasts that are really thick, so it's hard to cook through without burning the outside. If anyone could share their grilling tips with me, I would be most grateful!

[Anonymous]

the best home bbqed chicken i had was grilled sans sauce and marinade. only when it was close to done, it was brushed with bbq sauce.

[jsteele]

The best way to handle chicken on the grill is to cook with indirect heat. Of course, real grilling involves charcoal, so you need something to hold the charcoal in the middle of the grill. Once the charcoal is good and hot, you put the chicken pieces along the outside edges of the grill so that it is not directly above the charcoal. Grill for 10 minutes or so, turn the chicken pieces over, and grill for another 10 minutes. Use a thermometer to check the temperature. Try to get it to about 180 internal temp. Turn the chicken and continue grilling if necessary. Grill with the top on the grill. Sauce can be brushed on at any time. I like to marinade beforehand and then brush on more throughout the grilling.

[Anonymous]

if the outsides are burning, the grill is probably too hot for what you are cooking. You could try searing the outside at high heat, then turning it down to medium to finish the cooking.

You could also try one of these ways of making the chicken cook faster:
* pound it into thinner pieces
* cut into pieces more similar to thighs (2-3 pieces per breast)
* slice into thinner pieces

I also find that organic chicken breasts are not quite so ridiculously large.

A note about food safety: don't brush the "used" marinade on the chicken throughout the grilling. Probably OK when you flip, but not after that. Either make up a separate batch of marinade, or bring it to a boil after you remove the chicken before basting with it.

[Anonymous]

Preheat the grill on high and then turn down to medium to cook it, slice the chicken in half length wise to make for thinner pieces that cook faster

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:The best way to handle chicken on the grill is to cook with indirect heat. Of course, real grilling involves charcoal, so you need something to hold the charcoal in the middle of the grill. Once the charcoal is good and hot, you put the chicken pieces along the outside edges of the grill so that it is not directly above the charcoal. Grill for 10 minutes or so, turn the chicken pieces over, and grill for another 10 minutes. Use a thermometer to check the temperature. Try to get it to about 180 internal temp. Turn the chicken and continue grilling if necessary. Grill with the top on the grill. Sauce can be brushed on at any time. I like to marinade beforehand and then brush on more throughout the grilling.

This is 100% correct. You can also put the charcoal on one side of the grill and put the chicken on the other side with the thicker, rounded end closest to the charcoal. Cover with a disposable pan and cook until the bottoms are no longer translucent. Flip the chicken over so the pointed ended is now facing the chicken and cook the chicken uncovered until it's just about done. Now place the chicken directly over the coals and cook the chicken to 160 degrees and you have the nice grill marks.