Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts an easy grilling recipe! (2024)

FAQs

How long should you marinate chicken breasts before grilling? ›

How do you grill chicken breast without drying it out? Brining is the secret to juicy grilled chicken breasts. It requires a bit of extra time, but the soak in the a brine helps to tenderize the meat, which makes it less tough once it's grilled. Also, a brine is a great way to add flavor if you want.

All it takes is 30 minutes in a simple brine solution of 1/4 cup kosher salt dissolved in 4 cups water. This is all the time you need for the chicken breasts to absorb enough moisture so they can better hold up to the heat of the grill without drying out.

Brine Before Grilling to Prevent Dry, Rubbery Chicken

Brining is simply submerging the chicken in a salt-water solution before grilling. This prevents the chicken from overcooking on the grill and also helps it get great grill marks, as the increased surface moisture and sugars brown quickly.

A typical marinade is made up of three essential components: an acid (such as vinegar, wine, or citrus), an oil (such as olive oil or sesame oil), and a flavouring agent (such as herbs and spices). These elements work together to transform the taste and texture of your dish in different ways.

Should I rinse the marinade off the chicken before grilling? There's no need to rinse the marinated chicken under water, but you do need to pat it dry before transferring it to the grill. This will prevent the excess marinade from dripping and causing flareups.

The ideal grill temperature range for chicken is between 350 and 450 degrees Fahrenheit. This range is narrowed down by whether you're grilling chicken breasts, thighs, or drumsticks.

How Long You Should Grill the Chicken Breast: While all grills are different, most of the time you'll be golden if you grill your chicken breasts for about 9-10 minutes, flipping the chicken breasts over at the halfway point so you get beautiful, even sear marks on each side of the chicken.

Barbecue sauce typically contains sugar that will brown faster than the meat. This can make it difficult to tell when the chicken is done. To ensure you don't pull the chicken off too soon, add the BBQ sauce when you're nearly done cooking the meat.

Because overcooking is the main culprit for rubbery chicken, then not overcooking it is the logical solution. Prep the chicken properly: use a meat tenderizer to flatten it out into an even piece or slice the chicken breast in half lengthwise if it's really large.

How do you make chicken tender and not rubbery? ›

Use Direct and Indirect Heat

Grilling only on direct heat zones is generally better for smaller chicken portions, like chicken breasts, tenders, and wings, which are less than a few inches thick.

Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.

Marinating Does Not Tenderize Chicken

The idea that marinating tenderizes chicken (or anything, for that matter) stems from the mistaken idea that the acidic ingredients (vinegars, lemon juice, wine, etc) in the marinade somehow soften or "break down" the proteins in the meat, thus making it more tender.

If you slice into the breast right away, the juices inside are boiling and they will leak out of the breast and make it tough. You also have to make sure to allow the chicken breast to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking. This will take the chill off and allow the chicken breast to cook more evenly.

Don't you want that flavor lingering on the surface?” Though you might think that excess marinade equates to extra flavor, odds are, you're going to end up with something coated in burnt marinade or a slab of steamed meat, so you do want to gently dab away excess moisture.