YOU Magazine - August 2015 - Where's the Beef? Tips for Grilling Chicken By Kirk Leins
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Where's the Beef? Tips for Grilling Chicken
By Kirk Leins


Where's the Beef? Tips for Grilling Chicken - By Kirk Leins

Overcooking a steak or burger means it's medium instead of medium-rare. Overcooking a chicken breast, however, translates into something that's tougher than a professional cage fighter!

Because chicken breasts are a relatively thick cut of meat with very little visceral fat, grilling them to perfection can be a difficult task. You can decrease the thickness by butterflying and/or pounding thicker pieces to shorten the cooking time.

To butterfly a chicken breast, split the breast in half by cutting through the center horizontally until the meat can be opened up, resembling a butterfly.

To pound a chicken breast, start by laying one breast (shiny side up) on top of a piece of plastic wrap. Then lay another piece of plastic on top of the breast. Using the flat end of a meat mallet, start by pounding the center of the breast and work your way out toward the edges until the entire breast is between 1/2 and 3/4 of an inch thick. Don't pound too hard, or the meat can tear.

Marinate or season. Then grill 3 minutes on each side over a medium-high flame.

Think Thighs
Boneless and skinless chicken thighs carry more flavor than chicken breasts, at a fraction of the cost. Since they are one of the bird's dark meat portions they carry a bit more fat and are far less apt to dry out on the grill. Marinate or season, and grill for approximately 4 minutes on each side until firm to the touch when fully cooked.

Zone Those Bones!
Bone-in chicken is dense and requires a fair amount of cooking. And, the high flames from the grill have a tendency to flare up when fat leaches out of the meat, leaving the outside looking done when the inside is far from cooked.

Creating heat zones on your grill allows perfect doneness without burning. For a gas grill, simply keep the middle burner off and turn the outside burners to medium. For a charcoal barbecue, light your charcoal and allow it to heat to a grayish-white ash. Then use a poker to divide the charcoal into two piles on either side of the grill.

You will be doing the majority of the grilling on the center portion of the grill where the flames won't be leaping at your chicken. Be sure to place a small, disposable aluminum pan between the flames or coals to catch drippings.

Check if the meat is done with a meat thermometer—160 degrees Fahrenheit for breasts, 180 degrees for legs and thighs. Make sure you insert your thermometer into the thickest part of the piece, and do your best to make sure it doesn't touch bone, as that will throw off the reading. It's a good idea to pull the chicken off the grill 5 degrees under the magic numbers, as residual heat will finish the cooking while the meat rests.

And remember ...

Don't use lighter fluid or your chicken could taste like chemicals. Opt for natural wood charcoal over briquettes for flavor.

Make sure your grill is cleaned with a steel brush. Moisten a hand towel with canola oil, and using a pair of tongs, coat the grill right before cooking.

Don't cook cold chicken that's been sitting in the fridge. Bring the meat to room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking.

Sauce or glaze with 10 to 15 minutes left to cook, or the sugars in the sauce will burn. If marinated, pat the meat dry and brush it with a little vegetable oil to keep it from sticking.

Happy grilling everyone!


Kirk Leins has been cooking his entire life. No stranger to professional kitchens, he currently devotes most of his time to cooking instruction, food writing, and producing television. Kirk also provides his services as a personal chef in and around the Los Angeles area. He has made several TV appearances on both the national and local level, and is the Executive Chef for YOU Magazine. Sign up for Kirk's free newsletter and cooking blog at www.NoTimeToCook.com.





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