Let's Talk About Grilling Chicken

When you grill chicken, two things can happen.  The first is that the chicken, when served, is not juicy or can be tough.  Secondly, it can be burned on the outside and uncooked in the middle.  So, here are a few tips.  When you grill chicken, do so over a medium or low grill.  Never cook chicken on a high grill.  You are going to fail and fail badly every time.  I use a medium grill.  First, I preheat the grill to about 350 degrees.  Then, when I put the chicken on the grill, I turn the grill down to medium, or medium low if it is a hot day.  First thing, try to brown the chicken on both sides.  Once brown, cook until ready as described below.  I normally rub a little EVOO on my chicken before putting it on the grill.  You should never oil the grill only the food.  You can add S and P, but never start with the sauce.  The chicken can be marinated before, but never, put the sauce on until the chicken is almost done - say 125 internal temperature on its way to 135 degrees.  They save that chicken should be cooked so that the internal temperature is about 165 degrees F.  If you do this before you take the chicken off the grill, all of the results and failures cited issues will occur - not internal juicy and burnt on the outside.  I have started using an instant thermometer for all of my cooking. Before, I would cut into the food to see the degree of doneness, which is a no-no in grilling circles.  

When you grill chicken, you should take the chicken off the grill when the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees.  Cover the chicken and let rest for about 10 minutes. The chicken will continue to cook and finally reach about 160 degrees when served.  If you insist on cutting into the chicken, then use this rule, when the center of the chicken is JUST starting to become cooked - the chicken in the thickest part of the meat is just turning from translucent to cooked, take it off.  In fact, if it is still slighly translucent, that is best.  While you can get an instant thermometer for cheap, the Thermapen company makes some of the best one around.