Name: Grilled Bone-In Chicken Breasts with Barbecue Sauce
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup table salt for brining; 1/2 cup granulated sugar for brining; 4 split bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts , 10 to 12 ounces each; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; Barbecue Sauce

Why This Recipe Works

For the best grilled chicken breast recipe, we first brined the chicken in a combination of sugar and salt, which improved the flavor and texture of the meat. To get chicken with a good sear and moist interior for our grilled chicken breast recipe, we decided to try a version of an old restaurant trick, covering the chicken with an aluminum roasting pan, which creates an oven effect but also allows air to circulate around the cooking food. After giving the breasts a few minutes over the coals to acquire a good sear, we moved them to the cooler part of the fire, covered them with the pan, and cooked until the meat cooked through.

Before You Begin

Although they won’t be quite as plump or deeply flavored, the breasts can also be grilled without brining them first. To do so, simply omit step 1 in the recipe below and sprinkle the breasts generously with salt and pepper before placing them on the grill. Also, if the fire flares because of dripping fat or a gust of wind, move the chicken to the area without coals until the flames die down. See related recipes for barbecue sauce suggestions.

Instructions

Dissolve 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup sugar in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge chicken in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle chicken with pepper.

Meanwhile, ignite enough charcoal briquettes or hardwood charcoal to fill slightly less than two shoeboxes and burn until completely covered with thin coating of light gray ash, 20 to 30 minutes. When coals are medium-hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill surface for 4 seconds), spread coals out over half of grill bottom, leaving other half with no coals; position grill rack over fire.

Place chicken, skin side down, on rack directly over coals; grill until well-browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Move chicken to area with no fire and cover with disposable aluminum roasting pan; continue to cook, skin side up, 10 minutes. Turn and cook 5 minutes more. During last 2 minutes of cooking, remove roasting pan, brush breasts generously with barbecue sauce of choice, cook about 1 minute, turn over, brush again, and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to serving platter, brush with additional barbecue sauce to taste, and serve.