Chicken is an easy and tasty dinner option to serve a few nights a week. It’s easy to cook; there are so many ways to cook it, not to mention a ton of side dishes to pair with chicken.
But perfectly cooked or grilled chicken does require a bit of skill. In fact, there are some common mistakes people make when grilling chicken.
Here are 9 tips for perfectly grilling chicken, each and every time:
- Don’t use the same cutting board for your chicken as you do for veggies and other sides. This helps ensure food safety rules are followed.
- If you are cooking a thick piece of chicken, like a thick chicken breast, it will be hard not to overcook the outside and undercook the middle. Consider using the butterfly method or pound/tenderize the meat to make it easier to cook more evenly.
- If possible, thaw the chicken overnight in the fridge, as opposed to on the counter or at room temperature.
- Buy the right chicken. Our chicken is all natural and individually packaged for easy freezing and storage. We also have pre-seasoned chicken breasts, which our customers love. You can read some of our Good Ranchers reviews. Shop all of our meat subscription boxes and save 20%.
- Pat the chicken dry before grilling or cooking it. Dry chicken helps to achieve a lovely crisp on the outside, and will not dry it out. We suggest taking the chicken out of the package and letting it air dry for at least 30-minutes before cooking.
- When grilling chicken, stab the chicken with a fork to ensure the chicken marinade seeps into the chicken for a juicy and delicious meal. Try one of these four easy chicken marinade recipes next time you’re grilling chicken.
- Don’t over grill or overcook your chicken. We know this is hard because chicken should always be thoroughly cooked through, but don’t take it to extremes and ruin your chicken. If no juice comes out when you cut your chicken, it is overcooked. If there is a bone in your chicken, like a chicken leg, pink near the bone is still ok. We suggest getting a meat thermometer if you’re super worried about cooking it enough, and like all things, it takes a bit of practice and grill mastery. Chicken should be cooked at 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let the chicken rest when you take it off the grill or out of the oven to let the juices redistribute.
- Unlike other meats, don’t flip the chicken too soon or too often. Have you ever flipped the chicken after just a minute or two and the skin or a layer of chicken sticks to the pan or grill? That means you flipped it too soon.
Now that you’re ready to grill your chicken like a true professional, subscribe to our all-natural chicken subscription box and save 20% and get free standard delivery. Read our grilling blog for more tips and recipes on how to grill like an expert.
Please note: Good Ranchers prices, meat subscription boxes, availability and locations may change.