Menu

BBQ Chicken Breasts on the Grill

July 27, 2016   9 Comments

Making BBQ chicken breasts (without skin or bones) on the grill is challenging.

BBQ Chicken Breasts on the Grill

Why? Well, you can end up with a “hockey puck” instead of an edible dinner if you aren’t careful because of the low fat nature of chicken breast. When you take away the bone and skin, you leave it exposed to the elements.

People have complained about my Chinese Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe because I insist on using the chicken breast with a bone attached. I was able to brine boneless, skinless breast with some success.

I decided to make my own BBQ sauce because so many of the bottled ones contain MSG or other ingredients that I would rather avoid. It is fun to make a sauce that fits your taste. Feel free to add your favorite flavors (molasses, liquid smoke, onion powder, etc.) to make this work for you.

If I didn’t have kids, I would hit this with some Tabasco or other hot sauce. My children complain when food is too spicy (argh!).

Two keys to grilling the chicken are:

1. Oil the grates!! If you don’t, the chicken will remain stuck there for eternity. Not kidding.

2. Using a thermometer, pull this chicken off at 160 F (not a moment longer). I take mine off at 155 F but you didn’t hear me say that. Do not just leave it and let it cook FOREVER because it will be bad. As it is, I was unable to get this perfect after watching it like a hawk.

My husband, who hates chicken breast, said it was good with LOTS OF SAUCE and said he cut it against the grain. Ha!

I liked it and (since I made so much of it) put it in my lunches for a week. My children liked it too but they like anything with sauce.

How do you cook chicken breast on the grill? Please share your tips.

BBQ Chicken Breasts on the Grill Recipe

4.0 from 2 reviews

Makes 10-6 ounce servings

Print  Pin

Ingredients

1 ½ cups ketchup
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
ground black pepper to taste

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3.5 pounds)

Instructions

Mix ketchup, vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire, and garlic cloves in a medium bowl. Add pepper to taste. Put the chicken in a Ziploc bag and cover with 1 ½ cups of sauce being sure to cover all the chicken. Marinate for 1 hour or overnight.

Store the extra BBQ sauce in the fridge for basting the chicken and serving with it later.

When ready to grill, heat to medium high. Using a brush, oil the grates so that the chicken will not stick.

Place chicken on grate and cook for 3 minutes. Turn the chicken over and baste with leftover BBQ sauce. Repeat until chicken is cooked through (about 6-9 minutes) – 160 F. Allow to rest before you slice and serve with the extra sauce.

Nutrition Facts

For 6 ounces = 310 calories, 5.9 g fat, 0.0 g saturated fat, 11.9 g carbohydrates, 10.6 g sugar, 51.8 g protein, 0 g fiber, 600 mg sodium, 2 Blue, 2 Purple, 3 Green WW SmartPts

Points values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for information only. See all Snack Girl Recipes

Other posts you might like:


Chinese Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe

Take-out can be a scary thing. You have no idea how much oil was used to cook your food. Yikes! This Chinese honey garlic chicken recipe will solve that problem....


How to Brine Chicken Breast

How to Brine Chicken Breast

Do you know how to brine chicken breast? It is like magic!.....



Get Free Email Updates! Yes please!


9 Comments:

Will definitely try! I just wrote a blog post last month called "death by chicken breast." I have a love/hate relationship with the boneless skinless chicken breast that teeters closer to the yuck, dry again side!

I hate dry chicken, so try hard to avoid wasting money. If I use breasts I pound them between parchment paper so they are similar thickness. If I use bone-in chicken I gently simmer in water for about 12 min before grilling and adding sauce. Like you, I pull immediately "just as reaching done" and not a minute more.

This is a great subject since chicken breasts are so healthy but boy, can they be d.r.y.! A month ago I searched the internet for tips on juicy grilled chicken breasts too. I found some simple advice, tried it and was very pleased especially since cooking time is greatly reduced. I put link below. I don't go in for any blackening since it is a known carcinogen, another reason for liking reduced grilling time. Since finding ''Bone Sucking Sauce'' which includes only ingredients found in my kitchen, I don't bother with making it anymore. The bottle brags of some distinction being the #1 BBQ Sauce in USA, which I find to be funny but true for me in that its yummy enough to eat with a spoon and as I said, the ingredients are real! I promise I do not receive any money for this endorsement!! :) Of the four recipes in this article, I tested the ''herbed grilled chicken breasts'', used my own spices but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. It was juicy, not dry! I serve it 'as is' with sauce on the side.

http://www.finecooking.com/articles/4-ways-grill-chicken-br…

i love chicken breasts, but I have to admit that after three attempts to grill it perfectly I just gave up. Just couldn't seem to get the timing right, usually ending up with tough burnt edges. This sounds so good that I'm going to try once more to achieve the right degree of doneness! Who could resist the looks of it in the accompanying photograph!?! I think something is to be said for bringing it to just under the recommended temperature of 160F. The last time I grilled chcken breasts I did try pounding them a bit for a more uniform thickness but I still wasn't happy with the end result. If I fail next time I guess I'll just hang up my tools and apron - or stick to steaks. My Scottsh ancestry makes me loath wasting good (and costly) food, but if nothing else I'm persistent!

I thought I heard on a cooking show that meat continues to cook for 5 minutes after off the heat. So if you pull them a bit early they probably fine if not served the second they are off the grill.

I like to marinate it with olive oil(don't have to oil the grates this way) lime juice, green onions, garlic, salt and pepper. I find it keeps it juicy!

I've used a Foreman grill for decades to cook boneless skinless chicken breasts and have never had a dry one. I marinate them in a little olive oil, water, and balsamic vinegar with spices for a few hours, then cook them for about 4 minutes at 325 degrees. No turning, no watching...they're always perfect, moist, and delicious. And it's a really quick meal. Not to be an advertisement for anything, but I've bought these grills for my kids, grandkids, and friends.

I've found the key to grilling chicken breasts is not to have the heat up too high. I grill chicken breasts regularly and rarely have a dry one - don't overcook, don't over heat the grill - takes a little longer but well worth it - still it only takes a few minutes - maybe less than 10? I cook by feel - a little practice and carefully watching them will result in juicy tender chicken breasts every time :)

I haven't made this yet but was surprised that you kept the sauce to use later on cooked chicken because it had raw chicken in it for marinating. Do you heat up the sauce before using on cooked chicken?

★★★


Add a comment:

(required)

(required, never published)




© 2024 Snack-Girl.com