Grilled chicken must be the most frequently botched food in America. We’ve all seen the sad results: chicken burned on the outside but still raw in the center, a breast dried to the texture of straw, bland meat seasoned with no more than a commercial barbecue sauce sauce, or, in more recent times, the poultry flavor obliterated by a blast of rude spice. Outdoor cooks haven’t neglected a single way to kill that innocent bird over and over again.
Properly grilled chicken is a delight, lightly browned and crusted on the surface, succulent and tender in the center. Seasoned well, it boasts broader appeal than any other backyard food. For an everyday family meal, chicken offers solid value, and it’s easy and relatively quick to grill when you know what you’re doing. It is also great for entertaining because everyone likes chicken and—unlike a lot of other foods—few people shun it for health or dietary reasons.
Perhaps most important to us, chicken can embrace an incredible range of complementary flavors. In the pages ahead, we’ll use the grill for Harissa Hot Wings, Tequila-Lime Chicken Tacos with Charred Limes, Chicken Pasta with Sage and Capocollo Sauce, and Chicken Breast Haystacks with Green Tomato Butter. We’ll also skewer them for rotisserie roasting, and even smoke one on top of a beer can. For times when you’re in a traveling mood, we’ll present ample opportunities to enjoy Italy one night, India the next, and then move on to Morocco, Mexico, the South of
France, and Southeast Asia, before returning home at the end of the week to American Barbecued Chicken Pizza. Nothing else you can grill offers such a full turf of tastes. If you’ve been keeping your chicken cooped up in a cubbyhole of flavors, it’s time to let that bird fly.
Backyard cooks often assume that grilling chicken is a no-brainer. Most of us earned our stripes at the grill with hamburgers and hot dogs, which aren’t much tougher to make than peanut butter sandwiches. Chicken seems like an easy next step, but it’s actually more of a short leap. To land there on your feet, you have to hurdle the two most common mistakes in grilling.
The most prevalent problem, oddly, is a tendency to forget that we’re cooking. Intent on enjoying the outdoors, spending time with family and friends, and imbibing our favorite libation, we often neglect the basic correlates of all cooking, time and temperature. To cook anything well, you must apply a proper level of heat for an appropriate period of time. Too often in grilling, we don’t bother to measure and control the intensity of the fire, and we judge the cooking time on the basis of how long it takes to drink a beer.
That approach works to some extent with forgiving foods like burgers and dogs, but with chicken and other delicate or fine ingredients, it’s a recipe for disaster. We all understand this almost instinctively inside, working in our kitchens: no one would ever try to bake a chicken potpie by guessing about the oven temperature and then just letting it cook until they’re ready to eat. Outside, though, we want to play looser—but the same principles apply.
The second major mistake is to fail to recognize and then seek true grill taste. Every cooking method, from boiling to broiling, contributes its own distinctive characteristics to food. Perfectly fried chicken for example, presents a heady combination of crunchy skin and juicy interior, whilea slowly simmered special chicken soup preserves the individual integrity of the various ingredients as it tenderizes and harmonizes them.
The goal in grilling is to deepen the inherent flavor of food through the chemical process of high-heat browning (what scientists call the Maillard Reaction). With poultry, fish, and meat in particular, the browning and crisping of the exterior requires direct heat at the right temperature. The fire needs to be hot enough to shrink the muscle fibers on the surface, thereby concentrating the flavor, but not so hot that it burns or chars the outside before cooking the food through. When done well, the result is a robust amplification of the food’s natural flavor along with a tasty textural contrast between the crusted surface and the succulent interior. It’s an outcome distinctive to grilling, unlike anything obtained by any other cooking method except open-flame rotisserie roasting.
The only way to get that premier flavor is to fully cook all surface areas of poultry, fish, or meat over direct heat. The principle is simple, but it runs counter to the way that many Americans grill at home. To cook entirely with direct heat means keeping the grill open, just as chefs do in restaurant kitchens, rather than covered. When you lower the lid for cooking, as many American grill manufacturers recommend, you convert the grill to an oven and cook partially with the heat reflected off the cover. In effect, you are grilling and baking at the same time, a situation that remains unchanged even if you open the lid occasionally to turn the food and expose other areas to direct heat. The resulting flavor reflects the method, providing only a modicum of grilled texture along with a disappointing baked taste.
Using a cover does simplify the cooking process, particularly for inexperienced cooks, and that is the main reason manufacturers suggest it. You put the food in and leave it there until ready, just like in an oven, and you’re less likely to torch your vittles or your eyebrows. With an open grill, you must watch the food, cooking it one side at a time, turning it every few minutes, and moving it around as necessary to avoid flare-ups. You must also manage the temperature of the fire and keep track of timewell enough to gauge doneness. Some industry promoters say all that is just too difficult for an American backyard cook, though it’s how people grill at home everywhere else in the world. Personally, we like paying attention to the cooking, but even if we didn’t, the flavor trade-off would make the slight extra effort worthwhile.
Covered cooking on a grill does make sense in bad weather, or when you want to bake or roast food outside. Just because you’re using the grill in those situations, however, doesn’t mean that you’re grilling. To call all food cooked on a grill “grilled,” as some of the marketing professionals do, is somewhat akin to claiming that every dish prepared on a kitchen burner is “stoved,” regardless of whether the process is actually sautéing, deep-frying, or boiling. Most great baked chicken dishes—from the coq au vin of France to the King Ranch chicken of Texas—can be cooked in a baking dish in a covered grill if you wish, but you won’t be grilling. There’s no use of direct heat and no grill flavor. We stick with actual grilling in this book except in the chapter on whole chickens, which are too large to cook entirely with direct heat.
Grilling imparts a bona fide heartiness to chicken that poultry often lacks. It brings out the authentic natural flavor while crisping the skin or skinless surface in a way that highlights the internal tenderness and juiciness. Spice rubs, marinades, sauces, and relishes can add other special flavors to the chicken, but they shouldn’t distract from the distinctive grill taste.
Controlling the temperature of the fire is the main key to success. With the partial exception of thighs and drumsticks, chicken grills best over a steady moderate heat. The only effective way to gauge and then maintain that temperature is the time-honored hand test that people have used for eons in all forms of cooking. Place your hand a couple of inches above the top of the cooking grate and count the seconds until the heat of the fire forces you to pull away: one to two seconds meanshot, three seconds indicates medium high, and four to five seconds denotes moderate. You will seldom grill poultry, fish, or meat at lower temperatures, but some fruits and vegetables thrive at a range down to seven or eight seconds.
The hand test may sound a little primitive for our technological age, but it provides a more accurate and universal gauge of heat than any modern gadget made for a grill. The thermometers built into the hood of many grills today register only the heat inside when the cover is closed, not the true grilling temperature right above the fire. In open grilling, these gauges don’t measure anything. The temperature knobs on gas grills marked “hot,” “medium,” and “low” may provide more help over time, but not until you’ve determined the proper settings for your purposes since many cases, these calibrations refer to closed oven temperatures rather than grilling temperatures.
The hand test works equally well for charcoal and gas fires. Necessary temperature adjustments are, of course, simple on gas grills, but they are not much more difficult on charcoal models. For the moderate fire that you want for most chicken preparations, ignite just enough pieces of charcoal to result in single layer of coals under the cooking grate and allow them to burn down until they’re gray. Spread them evenly so that they still touch but don’t crowd one another. You can fine-tune the heat level by adding or removing coals, adjusting the vents, or moving the, the grate closer to the fire, depending on the design of your grill.
Chicken thighs and drumsticks grill best over a two-level fire, starting for a few minutes on high heat and then finishing on medium. On gas grills with three or more burners, you acan usually keep a hot fire and a medium fire going simultaneously from the beginning; on smaller models, you simply turn down the heat at the appropriate point. With charcoal grills, you establish two different cooking areas, one with coals in a single layer for moderate heat and another with coals piled two to three deep for a hot fire.
We grill at home with both gas and charcoal, and most of the time, we see little difference in the results. Some gas grills won’t get hotenough to properly sear steaks and other red meat, but they generally work fine with chicken. For us, the choice between the fuels is mainly a matter of mood. We choose gas for everyday grilling because of its speed and convenience, and we change to charcoal for entertaining to create a more casual, relaxed party atmosphere. If you only want one grill, pick the type that fits your personal style and budget.
Tending the fire, watching the food and the time, and cooking with direct heat—in an open grill these are the essentials of good grilling. If you get them right, you’re most of the way home to a fine meal. There are a few other tricks, though, that can make a big difference in how gracefully you arrive.
Grate Truths. Before you start grilling, always make sure that the cooking grate is clean, hot, and lightly oiled. Preheat the grate for 5 to 15 minutes with the cover down, getting it as hot as possible. Raise the cover and measure the temperature above the grate using the hand test, taking the time to adjust the heat to the appropriate level if necessary. When you’re ready to cook, carefully brush the grate with a thin coat of oil, applied with a cloth rag or a kitchen brush—don’t spray oil on the grill or use an excessive amounts, which could cause flare-ups. And when you’ve finished cooking, scrape the grate clean with a wire brush or a crumpled wad of aluminum foil before it cools.
Be Prepared. Lay out everything you will need to grill the night’s dinner. The cooking goes quickly, so you don’t want to be searching at the last minute for basic ingredients, necessary seasonings, special tools, paper towels, or anything else.
Time the Grilling. Determine in advance how long you expect to be cooking the food, checking the recipe if necessary. Then set a timer to alert you to turn the food, or to check it for doneness, and carry the timer with you. We use a small inexpensive pocket timer, the type available in most kitchen stores.
Check for Doneness. Chicken is cooked through when the internal temperature reaches 170° to 175°F and the juices run clear when it is pierced. If you’re grilling a bone-in breast, chicken half, or other sufficiently large part, use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness, taking care that the probe doesn’t touch the bone. On a cut that’s too thin for a thermometer to register accurately, such a boneless breast, cut into the meat when you think it’s ready, to make sure the center is white.
Forget the Frills. Other than a timer and instant-read thermometer, the only special grill tools you really need are long, strong spatulas and tongs for turning food. Everything else is mainly a personality statement.
Control Flare-ups. When dripping fat produces a leaping flame in one spot, move your food to a different part of the grate, at least temporarily: you don’t want burned surfaces. Prevent flare-ups in the first place by maintaining a clean grate, cutting excess fat from meat, and keeping oil in any marinade to the necessary minimum.
We tested all the recipes for this book with supermarket chickens. These commercial birds, usually under two months in age, work great on the grill. Their youth guarantees tenderness, and their highly regulated upbringing ensures a reliable mildness that’s adaptable to a wide range of flavors. Stores seldom sell anything below Grade A, the highest rating given by USDA. inspectors, and the top grade remains a bargain.
For special occasions, or simply according to personal preference, you may want to buy more expensive, premium chicken. The options, unfortunately, can be as shrouded in fog as the Golden Gate Bridge. The only really clear, straightforward term is “kosher,” meaning that the chicken has been processed according to Jewish dietary laws. The treatment includes brining, to help draw out the blood—and that adds internal seasoning. Retailers often sell kosher chickens frozen, which we have always found to be excellent.
“Organic,” “natural,” “free-range,” “field-grazed,” and similar terms may or may not mean much. Government regulations for the “free-range” label, for example, require very little ranging, though some producers do allow for much more than the minimum. Until the terminology becomes standardized, you must ask what the seller means. Was the chicken caged, penned, or allowed to roam? Was it raised humanely and sustainably, and without antibiotics? Was it ground-fed with pesticide-free feed, or maybe even permitted to graze in a grain field? Be an informed consumer. If the meat department personnel can’t answer questions to your satisfaction, shop elsewhere. At farmers’ markets, you may be able to talk directly to the raiser.
With any kind of chicken, we prefer to find it unwrapped in the display case, so that we can see and smell it clearly. That practice is common in natural foods stores and is now spreading to large chain supermarkets. If you’re limited to prepackaged choices, look for a “sell-by” tag to check freshness and avoid any packages that contain a pool of drained juice at the bottom. The chicken should always appear appealingly moist it, with no off color or bruising. And there shouldn’t have been any need for a shot of seasoned chicken broth—an added ingredient that must be listed on the label when present. Finally the reason some chickens look more yellow than others is probably because their diet contained a higher portion of corn.
In your shopping cart, keep the chicken away from salad greens or any other food you will eat raw. Ask the check-out clerk to bag it separately, so that any leaks will not come into contact with your other groceries. If it’s a hot day, or you’re not going home soon, keep the chicken chilled in thecar, either with ice from the meat department or in a cooler. At home, put the chicken in the fridge’s coldest section, generally the lowest rack, toward the back, and plan to use it within a couple of days at most.
When preparing chicken for cooking, we work with it on a plastic cutting board that can go directly into the dishwasher or on the new disposable cutting sheets. We let it sit briefly at room temperature before cooking, which helps level its internal and external temperature for more even cooking. But be sure never to leave it in the warm sun or keep it out for very long. More important, perhaps, because the problem is so common, never put cooked chicken back on the same plate you used to carry the raw chicken to the grill, unless you’ve washed it thoroughly with hot water and soap in between. Any amount of raw juices can taint cooked food.
In a reversal of the truism, the sum of the parts may be greater than the whole chicken. By playing to the strengths of the individual parts in grill preparations, as we do in the recipes, you can elevate results and increase the variety of ways to enjoy the bird.
Boneless breasts. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts made the Grilling Hall of Fame years ago, where they still stand proudly in the American trinity beside burgers and dogs. An edible sponge in terms of absorption of flavors, the stripped-down breasts beg for embellishment and seldom reject a decent effort. Grilled well, they almost crackle when you take a bite, and they shred effortlessly if pulled apart with fingers or a fork. For the best results, pound breasts under plastic or wax paper—with the smooth side of a mallet—to an even thickness before grilling. You may see individual breasts ranging in size up to Three quarters of a pound, but for grilling, we opt for medium-sized individual breasts or breast fillets of six to eight ounces.
Boneless thighs. Many supermarkets today carry boneless thighs alongside the boneless breasts. Thighs offer a deeper flavor and dark, moister meat. While many people prefer the silky, almost slick texture, others think that thighs taste slightly greasy. But thighs cook more forgivingly on the grill than other parts because of their higher fat content.
Bone-in chicken halves, breasts, thighs, and drumsticks. Slightly trickier to grill, bone-in chicken halves and parts remain a favorite because they come out juicier and tastier than their boneless cousins. Markets generally sell them skin-on, part of the reason for their flavor advantage. In addition to calories and fat, the skin adds another dimension of taste, holds in moisture, and provides a handy pouch for dry-spice seasonings. On the grill, bone-in parts require more time and concentrated attention, but if you follow our recipe instructions about turning the chicken, you will get juicy, cooked-through meat and crispy brown skin. Remove the skin before eating if you wish, but you’ll be giving up a lot of zest to forgo a little fat.
Wings and other things. Wings have become wildly popular for grilling. You may find them whole, with the wing tips intact, or stripped down to just the meatier drummette. Most people grill them with a good coating of sauce or spice so that they develop chewy, crispy edges. Among chicken innards, livers make the best candidate for the grill. Easy to cook when skewered, for the best flavor and texture, livers should remain a bit rosy at their centers.
Whole birds. You can’t grill whole chickens over direct heat but all the other ways of cooking them outside add great new possibilities for a grill cook’s repertoire. You can roast them at moderately high oven heat in a covered grill, smoke them Southern barbecue-style, cook them butterflied under a brick, or sizzle them on a spinning rotisserie. For something different, invest in one of the little party animals of the chicken family, game hens or poussins. Cornish game hens (a.k.a. Rock Cornish game hens) are just small whole chickens, neither gamy nor Cornish, nor even necessarily female. Their 1½-to 2-pound size, a perfect serving for one hearty eater, comes from a short life of about one month rather than from special breeding. Poussins are even younger chickens, typically closer to 1 pound in weight, and also typically pricey for their size.
The range of choices for whole birds, and the breadth of alternatives with the various parts, gives the outdoor cook a fabulous foundation for culinary creativity and enjoyment. When you add the resonance of full grill flavor to the opportunities, and then the wide world of seasoning embellishments, chicken becomes the cook’s best friend. Whether we’re craving Buffalo Chicken Salad or Santa Fe Satay, Worcestershire Chicken with Chunky Pecan Butter or Curried Chicken Roti, it’s time to take our friend to dinner.