How to Grill Moist Barbecue Chicken

Nothing says summer like barbecue chicken.

Barbecue is defined as a slow cooking method used to keep a variety of meats tender and juicy. First introduced to Americans in the late 1800s, nothing says summer like barbecued chicken on the grill. Whether it is whole chicken, pieces, or boneless, the key to moist chicken is to brine it first, sear in the juices and make sure not to not overcook.

Things You'll Need

• Non-stick spray
• Marinating brush
• Meat thermometer
• 9-by-13 inch baking dish
• 9-by-13 baking rack
• Paper towels
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 8 to 10 pieces of chicken
• Barbecue sauce

Instructions

1. Brine your fresh chicken for one hour. Brining gives your chicken the chance to balance flavors and the salt helps to keep moisture in. Place your whole or split chicken pieces into a water bath with ice assuring that all pieces are completely covered. Add the brown sugar and salt to the ice water bath and let the chicken sit. Remove and pat down with paper towels.

2. Preheat your oven to 375 F. Place the baking rack in the baking dish. By using a baking rack, the chicken never touches the pan. This allows even cooking on every surface of the chicken, crisping the skin and trapping in the juiciness. Put chicken in the oven and cook for 25 minutes.

3. Clean your grill surface and set to medium heat. Residue on a grill can easily stick to and negatively impact the flavor of your chicken. Use medium grill heat to prevent charring the outside of the chicken while assuring an appealing crunch.

4. Remove baked chicken from oven, coat with barbecue sauce and place on grill. Flip every 5 to 10 minutes to ensure even cooking. As you are cooking, add additional barbecue sauce. Adding more sauce assures that your chicken will have a rich flavor and a sturdy crust that keeps in the moisture.

5. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes on grill until your the meat thermometer registers 170 F. Because you evenly baked the chicken, cooking time is reduced. Let your chicken sit for 10 minutes to finish cooking. Also let your chicken sit for 10 minutes because this allows juices that were pushed away from the edge during cooking to redistribute.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are short on time, use the microwave as a substitute for the regular oven. Simply microwave the chicken instead of baking for 10 minutes then continue with grilling directions.

• It cannot be emphasized too much to let your chicken sit before your carve into it. Letting the chicken sit keeps all those juices in.

• Undercooked chicken is not safe to eat. Be sure to cook to an internal temperature of 170 F.

• When grilling, do not poke with a meat thermometer too often. Every time you do, you lose moisture from your chicken.

References

• Grilling Recipes: Moist Barbeque Chicken
• BBQ Recipe Secrets: General Tips for Grilling Chicken