Mistakes Everyone Makes When Grilling Chicken

Americans are huge fans of chicken dishes, with the average American consuming almost 100 pounds of poultry each year. Mild in flavor and succulent in texture, white meat is the perfect medium for absorbing marinades and spices, making it ideal for everything from simple meals to elaborate feasts. As such, it's little surprise that chicken plays a starring role in countless culinary creations from fast food staples like chicken wings to hearty classics such as chicken pot pie.

No matter whether it's chicken breast, thighs, wings, or even the entire bird, grilling is one of the healthiest — and tastiest — ways to prepare white meat. This includes grilling it over charcoal or in a pan on a stovetop. If done correctly, both cooking styles result in delicious, smoky chicken without the need for excessive oil.

Although grilling chicken might appear as straightforward as tossing it on the grill, achieving flavorful and juicy poultry can be surprisingly challenging. Ready to take your chicken grilling game to an entirely new level? Take a look at our roundup of the most common mistakes made by home chefs when grilling chicken!

The texture, flavor, and freshness of chicken can differ significantly. After all, even restaurants source their poultry from different suppliers, with some fast food chains serving high quality chicken and others relying on low quality poultry. What you get on your plate depends largely on factors like farming practices, feed quality, and processing methods.

Since you can't control the quality of the poultry used at restaurants, the least you can do is be mindful of the quality of the chicken you prepare at home. To ensure that you purchase the best possible product, be sure to have a closer look at the information on the label — if one is available. Some of the best poultry comes from chickens that have had access to the outdoors, so it's best to look for chicken marked "free-range" or "pasture raised." Unfortunately, the designation "cage free" indicates that the chicken probably still spent most of its time indoors. When it comes to the quality of poultry, the feed is also important, so choose options that are "organic," "antibiotic free," and contain "no added hormones." That said, it pays to be vigilant because even organic poultry may have been raised with antibiotics.

While it's very tempting to throw that frozen chicken breast that has been hiding at the back of your freezer straight on the grill, skipping the defrosting process might result in an inferior meal. This is because in addition to cooking in 50% less time than frozen meat, thawed protein also grills more uniformly, ensuring that the outside of the chicken doesn't become overcooked and dry before the inside reaches a safe temperature.

The best way to thaw frozen chicken is to transfer it from the freezer to the refrigerator ahead of time. However, keep in mind that each pound of frozen boneless chicken breast will take a full day to defrost. If time is of the essence, you can also thaw chicken by placing it in a leakproof bag and submerging it in cold water. If you do decide to go with the cold water method, be sure to grill the poultry immediately after defrosting to prevent it from developing bacteria.

If you absolutely have to grill frozen chicken, try to opt for boneless pieces since they will take less time to cook. Since the poultry is likely to lose quite a bit of moisture on the grill, coat the frozen chicken with fat to help retain juiciness. It's also best to wait until the chicken is at least partly cooked before seasoning it.

There is nothing worse than overly dry, overcooked poultry. Luckily, brining chicken meat prior to grilling can prevent this common mishap. At its simplest, wet brining involves submerging poultry in a saltwater solution. While optional, many home chefs also infuse brine with sugar, herbs, spices, and aromatics for added flavor. To make brine, combine your chosen ingredients with water and bring the mixture to a boil until the sugar and salt dissolve. Let the solution cool before submerging the raw chicken in the mixture for between one and five hours. An alternative to wet brining, dry brining involves rubbing the poultry with salt and spices.

Aside from making chicken more flavorful, brining helps white meat retain its juices during grilling. Whether you opt for wet or dry brining, this process works by breaking down muscle proteins in the poultry. Less muscle fibers in the meat mean less contractions during the grilling process, which in turn lets the poultry retain more moisture.

Skipping the marinating process before grilling poultry often results in a less flavorful and less tender final result. Usually made with three key ingredients — oil, acid, and seasoning — marinades serve a number of crucial functions. Acids like vinegar or fruit juice help dissolve the protein fibers in the meat, thus tenderizing it. The seasoning boosts the poultry's flavor. Finally, the oil helps the poultry maintain moisture, ensuring a juicier meal.

While you can purchase a ready-made marinade from your local supermarket, making your own version of the product at home lets you experiment with different flavors. It's also a better choice if you have specific dietary preferences. Once your ingredients have been mixed, marinate boneless chicken pieces between 30 minutes and two hours. Meanwhile, chicken breasts, wings, and drumsticks should be marinated between one and 12 hours. However, don't marinate chicken for too long, as the acidity in marinade can make the meat mushy.

There are a number of things that every home chef should do to prepare raw chicken for grilling. However, washing the poultry is definitely not one of them. While this may sound counterintuitive, washing raw chicken can spread bacteria like salmonella throughout your kitchen. Instead, prepare the chicken for cooking by patting it dry with a paper towel — especially if the poultry has been wet brined or marinated. In addition, always wash your hands and any surface that has come in contact with raw chicken, such as the cutting board and the sink, to prevent contamination.

Raw chicken should always be refrigerated to keep it out of the so-called "danger zone" — the temperature range between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit where bacteria thrive and multiply rapidly. Nevertheless, it's important to bring the poultry to room temperature prior to cooking so it cooks more evenly on the grill. The last thing you want is a chicken dinner that's brown on the outside and undercooked inside. The trick here is not to leave raw poultry out of the fridge for too long. The USDA recommends against leaving raw chicken at room temperature for longer than two hours — and no more than one hour in temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

When using a charcoal grill, some believe that the bits of food that have fused to the grates will only imbue your poultry with additional flavor. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. The last thing you want is the burnt remnants of last night's dinner stuck to your freshly grilled poultry.

Just as you scrub the pots and pans in your kitchen, grill grates need to be cleaned every time you use them. The best way to clean your outdoor cooker is to give it a good once-over with a stiff-bristled brush just before your next cookout. Simply preheat the grill and scrub away any unwanted residue before you place the next batch of food on the grates.

Once clean, be sure that the grill is nice and hot before placing the chicken on the grates. If you are using coals, wait until they are fully coated in gray ash. Black coals can surprise you with unpredictable bursts of flames that can char the exterior of your poultry. It's also important to let the coals heat up the actual grates, as placing chicken on cool grates can cause the meat to stick, making flipping much trickier.

Unlike steak, which can be eaten rare, chicken must reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe for consumption. Most of us realize that eating undercooked poultry can lead to a serious case of food poisoning.

Since overcooking poultry can leave it dry and unappetizing, aim to grill it to 165 degrees Fahrenheit or just above that temperature. To achieve this, it's important to take into account carryover cooking time. For best results, remove the chicken from the grill when it reaches around 160 degrees Fahrenheit and leave it for a few minutes. While the meat rests, its internal temperature will continue to increase due to residual heat. Resting the poultry before serving will also allow its juices to redistribute throughout the meat.

The most reliable way to ensure that the chicken has reached the right level of doneness is to check its internal temperature with a meat thermometer. In addition, when sliced, the poultry's juices should be clear in color and the meat should have no pink areas.

While you may think that grilling chicken on high heat will save time, in reality, extreme heat can lead to a substandard meal that's likely to leave you underwhelmed. The main problem with preparing chicken on high heat is uneven cooking. In other words, the intense flames or fierce heat can leave your poultry cooked on the outside but raw on the inside. This can be dangerous since consuming raw chicken poses a serious risk of foodborne illness. Cooking chicken on high heat can also dry out the meat and lead to excessive charring.

To make the most of your poultry, it's best to grill the chicken with the skin on (if possible), as this helps keep it tender and juicy. As a rule of thumb, grill the poultry on medium-low heat around 275 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Poultry is ready to eat when its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are preparing chicken on a charcoal grill, be sure to move it out of the way if the flames get too high.

While many amateur grillmasters believe that keeping a continuous eye on the chicken as it grills is the key to perfectly cooked poultry, there is one thing they are not taking into account. Unless you are grilling thin cutlets, keeping the lid open when grilling chicken can result in inconsistent cooking.

So what's the deal with closing the lid? The answer lies with heat retention. Grills heat up food from the bottom, which means that larger cuts of chicken may not cook evenly if the grill is left open to the elements. More specifically, the poultry is likely to overcook on the bottom and undercook on the top. Closing the lid on a grill creates an oven-like situation where heat circulates around the chicken, allowing it to cook more evenly. When grilling with a lid, it's also important to refrain from opening it too frequently, as this can result in heat loss.

Whether spicy, sweet, or tangy, well-prepared sauces can imbue poultry dishes with both depth and richness. However, one thing to remember is not to coat the chicken with sauce until the last few minutes of cooking on the grill. While you may think that adding sauce at such a late stage of the game will not give the poultry enough time to absorb it, there is no need for concern. Since the condiment only reaches the surface of the poultry, its role isn't to penetrate the meat. Alternatively, only slather the poultry with sauce after it has been fully cooked.

Brushing the chicken with sauce too early may actually burn its exterior, potentially ruining the entire dish. This is because many sauces are rich in sugar, which burns fast when exposed to heat. Let's be honest, nobody likes their chicken coated in a layer of bitter-tasting blackened soot. In addition, any burnt sauce on the surface of the chicken may make it tricky to see when the bird is ready to be taken off the grill.

Flipping chicken is just as important as turning steak on the grill. After all, you don't want your poultry overcooked and dry on one side and raw on the other. Achieving juicy, tender chicken isn't just about flipping the poultry, but also flipping it at the right time. For best results, flip the chicken once you notice that the meat is turning white. It goes without saying that the length of the cooking time will differ depending on the cut you are grilling and its thickness.

Home chefs who care about culinary aesthetics should probably aim to flip the chicken with tongs only once. This will leave those beautiful grill marks on the poultry. As summed up by one Stack Exchange user, "The longer you leave the food on the grill the more those marks burn themselves into the food. If you want the pretty 'clean' lines/pattern then don't move it." Obviously, this doesn't apply to chicken wings or irregularly shaped pieces of poultry since they don't show grill marks. In addition, keep in mind that every time you flip the chicken, you have to open the lid of the grill, exposing the protein to cool air and making it harder to maintain the heat required for even cooking.

While it may be tempting to prepare your entire meal, including chicken, veggies, and steak, on the same grill — or pan — cooking too much food too close together is never a good idea. This is because overcrowding can affect the flavor and texture of your poultry. As such, it's important to cook food in batches and distribute it across the cooking surface.

Different foods cook at different rates, which means that unless you monitor them carefully, you are likely to end up with overcooked and undercooked poultry and whatever else you are grilling. Different food groups may also require different heat levels. Additionally, packing the grill too tightly can interfere with the Maillard reaction by preventing the poultry juices from evaporating. This, in turn, can lead to soggy meat and, in the case of chicken wings, stop the skin from crisping up. Finally, an overly full grill can result in excessive drippings, which can lead to flare-ups that may scorch your poultry.

Many home chefs realize that allowing a steak to rest after cooking is essential because it gives the juices time to redistribute throughout the meat. However, not as many cooks are aware that the same principle applies to poultry. Just as with beef, when chicken is grilled, its juices migrate toward the surface. If you cut into the chicken immediately after grilling, these flavorful juices will spill out onto the cutting board or plate, leaving the poultry that much drier. The larger the piece of chicken, the longer you should let it rest.

There is another very important reason why you should wait before cutting into poultry — carryover cooking time. When you remove chicken from the grill or pan, its internal temperature continues to rise due to residual heat. As such, avoid cooking chicken until it reaches its final temperature — which should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit — while still on the heat source. Instead, remove the poultry from the heat when it's around 160 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing carryover heat to bring it up to the safe temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If in doubt, use a meat thermometer to make sure that the chicken is fully cooked.