How To Grill Chicken Breast and Not Dry It Out Like The Sahara

Years ago, I dreaded grilling boneless, skinless chicken breast, because it always turned out very dry. I was horrified one time when I had my family over for dinner and served them grilled chicken. My poor grandfather, who is the strongest person I have ever known, could barely cut his chicken because it was so tough. My family was very polite about the chicken, “everything is delicious, dear” as they chugged water just to get it down.

So in my quest to not inflict my poor family with dried out chicken ever again, I consulted with one of my cookbooks,Bobby Flay's Grill It!. Bobby’s advice, “ don’t overcook it”. Ooooooh, so that was my problem. It turns out I was grilling my chicken twice as long as I needed to.

I am happy to report that my grilled chicken has improved dramatically and is a family favorite. We are no longer guzzling water at the dinner table.

How To Grill Chicken Breast

1. Pre-heat your grill to high. I have a three burner gas grill. I light the outside 2 burners and keep the middle one closed.

2. Cut off the tenderloins. They are so thin that they will dry out and be almost inedible if they are cooked as long as the rest of the chicken. Cook separately. They will only take about 2 minutes on each side on the grill. Or save them to make chicken nuggets for the kids.



3. Place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag or between plastic wrap and pound the chicken with a rolling pin, heavy pan, or meat mallet until about evenly ½ inch thick.
4. Drizzle olive oil and your favorite spices over your chicken and toss to coat evenly. I have stopped using dressings, marinades, and BBQ sauce for skinless chicken. I think the sugar in those dressings causes the chicken to burn and dry out.

5. When the grill hits at least 450 degrees, place the chicken on the middle of the grill. Close the lid. I don’t let the grill go too much over 450 degrees.



6. Cook 6 minutes and flip. Flipping the chicken more than once is a good way for it to taste like sand. It dries out the chicken.


7. Continue to grill another 4 minutes with the lid closed. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the breast should read 155 degrees F.

8. Remove from grill and let the chicken sit for 5 minutes before cutting into. This is VERY important. If you cut into the chicken too soon, all of the juices will come gushing out and dry out the chicken. Trust Me!




We like to eat our grilled chicken on top of a garden salad packed with fresh summer vegetables or topped with our favorite mango, red pepper salsa.

Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite grilling recipe you'd like to share?

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This post is linked to:

• Mouthwatering Monday at A Southern Fairytale
• 5 Dollar Dinners
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
• Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
• Works For Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family
• Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

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