Charcoal-Grilled Bone-In Chicken Breasts
By America's Test KitchenPublished on July 1, 2011
Time
1½ hours, plus 30 minutes brining
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
⅓ cup table salt 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces each), ribs removed, trimmed of excess fat and skin (see note)Ground black pepper Vegetable oil for cooking grate1 recipe glaze (see headnote)
Before You Begin
To help ensure that each breast finishes cooking at approximately the same time, buy pieces of similar size. Barbecue sauce can replace the optional glaze in step 4. If using glaze, we recommend one of these recipes: Orange-Chipotle Glaze, Curry-Yogurt Glaze, or Soy-Ginger Glaze.
Instructions
- Dissolve salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge chicken, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Rinse chicken under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Season chicken with pepper.
- Meanwhile, light large chimney starter filled with charcoal (6 quarts, or about 100 briquettes) and allow to burn until coals are fully ignited and partially covered with thin layer of ash, about 20 minutes. Build modified two-level fire by arranging all coals over one half of grill, leaving other half empty. Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, and let grate heat up, about 5 minutes. Scrape grate clean with grill brush. Dip wad of paper towels in oil; holding wad with tongs, wipe cooking grate. Grill is ready when side with coals is medium-hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above grate for 3 to 4 seconds).
- Cook chicken on all sides over hotter part of grill until skin is lightly browned and meat has faint grill marks, 6 to 8 minutes. (If constant flare-ups occur, slide chicken to cooler side of grill and mist fire with water from spray bottle.) Move chicken, skin-side down, to cooler side of grill, with thicker side of breast facing coals. Cover loosely with aluminum foil, cover grill, and continue to cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 150 degrees, 15 to 25 minutes longer.
- Brush bone side of chicken with glaze (if using). Move chicken, bone-side down, to hotter side of grill and cook until browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Brush skin side of chicken with glaze; turn chicken over and continue to cook until browned and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to plate and let rest, tented with foil, 5 minutes. Serve, passing remaining glaze separately.
Time
1½ hours, plus 30 minutes briningYield
Serves 6Ingredients
⅓ cup table salt
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces each), ribs removed, trimmed of excess fat and skin (see note)
Ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for cooking grate
1 recipe glaze (see headnote)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
⅓ cup table salt
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces each), ribs removed, trimmed of excess fat and skin (see note)
Ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for cooking grate
1 recipe glaze (see headnote)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
⅓ cup table salt
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces each), ribs removed, trimmed of excess fat and skin (see note)
Ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for cooking grate
1 recipe glaze (see headnote)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
To avoid the charred skin and dried-out meat that plague most chicken breast recipes, we brined the chicken, which gave us juicy, seasoned meat. Covering the chicken with a piece of foil created an oven within an oven, minimizing temperature fluctuations and promoting even cooking. To solve the problem of flabby skin, we finished the breasts on the hotter side of the grill, cooking on both sides until the skin was brown and crisp.
Before You Begin
To help ensure that each breast finishes cooking at approximately the same time, buy pieces of similar size. Barbecue sauce can replace the optional glaze in step 4. If using glaze, we recommend one of these recipes: Orange-Chipotle Glaze, Curry-Yogurt Glaze, or Soy-Ginger Glaze.
Instructions
- Dissolve salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge chicken, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Rinse chicken under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Season chicken with pepper.
- Meanwhile, light large chimney starter filled with charcoal (6 quarts, or about 100 briquettes) and allow to burn until coals are fully ignited and partially covered with thin layer of ash, about 20 minutes. Build modified two-level fire by arranging all coals over one half of grill, leaving other half empty. Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, and let grate heat up, about 5 minutes. Scrape grate clean with grill brush. Dip wad of paper towels in oil; holding wad with tongs, wipe cooking grate. Grill is ready when side with coals is medium-hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above grate for 3 to 4 seconds).
- Cook chicken on all sides over hotter part of grill until skin is lightly browned and meat has faint grill marks, 6 to 8 minutes. (If constant flare-ups occur, slide chicken to cooler side of grill and mist fire with water from spray bottle.) Move chicken, skin-side down, to cooler side of grill, with thicker side of breast facing coals. Cover loosely with aluminum foil, cover grill, and continue to cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 150 degrees, 15 to 25 minutes longer.
- Brush bone side of chicken with glaze (if using). Move chicken, bone-side down, to hotter side of grill and cook until browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Brush skin side of chicken with glaze; turn chicken over and continue to cook until browned and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to plate and let rest, tented with foil, 5 minutes. Serve, passing remaining glaze separately.
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