Perfectly cooked grilled barbeque chicken breast happens to be one of my favourite ways to cook a chicken breast. Perfect grill marks, just the right amount of char, just a touch of caramelized barbeque sauce, a hint of smokiness without your chicken being too charred, black and overcooked in spots!
This post is all about the technique. You simply need two ingredients (not counting salt and pepper) – chicken and prepared barbeque sauce. You can use your favourite brand or you can make your own.
Let’s get grilling!
Chicken breast is very uneven and not uniform, which usually results in part of it getting too overcooked. For this reason, the essential first step to a perfect grilled chicken breast is pounding it to roughly even thickness.
Place your chicken breasts on a cutting board, cover with couple layers of plastic wrap (to catch the splatter) and pound gently with a flat side of a meat mallet (or rolling pin if you don't have a mallet.) Be careful not to pound too thin. We are not making a schnitzel! The goal is to make each chicken breast more uniform; it should still be at least 3/4 inch in thickness.
Season each breast lightly with salt and pepper. You can proceed to the next step, but ideally, chill the chicken uncovered in the fridge for 1-4 hours. This will infuse the chicken with seasoning and keep it nice and juicy one it hits the grill.
Scrape, lightly oil and preheat the barbeque to medium high. Allow it to heat for at least 5 minutes.
Place your chicken on the preheated grill. Grill undisturbed for 2-4 minutes until you see nice grill marks. Turn the chicken to get the grill marks on the other side for another 2-4 minutes. In the meantime, brush the chicken with the barbeque sauce, turn the heat down to medium-low. Again, flip the chicken and brush the other side. Look for that 165F safe internal temperature. With this chicken being pounded the cooking time is likely very close to 8-12 minutes, so won't take long. Don't overcook!
Remove your cooked chicken to a plate and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with additional barbeque sauce on the side.
Ingredients
Directions
Chicken breast is very uneven and not uniform, which usually results in part of it getting too overcooked. For this reason, the essential first step to a perfect grilled chicken breast is pounding it to roughly even thickness.
Place your chicken breasts on a cutting board, cover with couple layers of plastic wrap (to catch the splatter) and pound gently with a flat side of a meat mallet (or rolling pin if you don't have a mallet.) Be careful not to pound too thin. We are not making a schnitzel! The goal is to make each chicken breast more uniform; it should still be at least 3/4 inch in thickness.
Season each breast lightly with salt and pepper. You can proceed to the next step, but ideally, chill the chicken uncovered in the fridge for 1-4 hours. This will infuse the chicken with seasoning and keep it nice and juicy one it hits the grill.
Scrape, lightly oil and preheat the barbeque to medium high. Allow it to heat for at least 5 minutes.
Place your chicken on the preheated grill. Grill undisturbed for 2-4 minutes until you see nice grill marks. Turn the chicken to get the grill marks on the other side for another 2-4 minutes. In the meantime, brush the chicken with the barbeque sauce, turn the heat down to medium-low. Again, flip the chicken and brush the other side. Look for that 165F safe internal temperature. With this chicken being pounded the cooking time is likely very close to 8-12 minutes, so won't take long. Don't overcook!
Remove your cooked chicken to a plate and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with additional barbeque sauce on the side.
