The Best BBQ Grilled Chicken Breasts
The Best BBQ Grilled Chicken Breasts
Do you find chicken breasts hard to really get flavor out of? Or too dry for your preference?
White meat, like chicken breast, is for sure the leaner choice when eating poultry. Thighs and legs do have more flavor, but that would be thanks to their high fat content. Fat = flavor. It’s just the way the world turns. If you’ve had weight-loss surgery and are thinking “but the thigh meat goes down so much better!” …this is likely related to your size of bites or your speed of eating. Take bites the size of your pinkie finger nail and be sure to pause in between bites!
ALAS! There is a way to ensure great flavor in lean chicken breast. The key is to get your chicken into a brine solution hours, or even overnight, before cooking. I know…I know. You’re going to tell me you use frozen chicken breasts. While I would recommend fresh, if you do use frozen be sure to thaw out your meat before you place it in a brine solution.
What’s a brine solution? It’s a salt based solution that opens the pores of your poultry so it can take in more flavor. There are tons of ways to brine your meat, but to keep it simple I just place my chicken breasts in a gallon ziploc baggie and add the brine solution.
I would sit your meat in the brine for a least a few hours, but overnight is even better. Take the meat out of the brine and pat it dry before cooking. **ALSO** If your chicken breast is really thick, I encourage you to cut it in half so you have a thinner chicken piece to work with. It’s faster to cook and you won’t have a pink center with a charred outside. Not that I’ve ever done that…
The Best BBQ Grilled Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
Brine
- 6 cups water
- 5 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp ground mustard
- 2 tbsp dried minced garlic
Chicken
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup Barbecue sauce, low in sugar
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for the brine solution until the salt looks dissolved. Place the chicken in a gallon plastic baggie and add the brine solution. Do this a few hours prior to cooking; overnight is best. Refrigerate.
- Remove the chicken from the brine and discard bag. Rinse the brine off the chicken and pat dry.
- Preheat an outdoor grill. Spray grates with cooking spray then add chicken. Using a basting brush, brush the barbecue sauce on the chicken. Turn the chicken after about 5 minutes and baste the other side in sauce. Do this again until each side has been basted 2 or 3 times and chicken is done. Internal temp should read 165 for chicken.
