A great tasting, moist and tender grilled BBQ skinless boneless chicken breast. A simple short brine gets you the moist chicken breast you want. A light coat of BBQ sauce then grills carefully. Umm, chicken heaven.
Editors Note: This is another recipe update. While this recipe was not “underappreciated,” it was in need of a rewrite, some better photo editing and some clarification of technique. Originally published August 1, 2011.
Everybody wants to grill skinless boneless chicken breast, but they all get hockey pucks. To address this issue, I started with a simple brine to help with the moisture problem you can have with SBCB. Add a little cayenne for taste to the brine.
Let set in the brine for about 30 minutes while the grill is heating. Rinse, pat dry and a light coat of sauce. Grill carefully for about 30 minutes and add another coat of sauce a few minutes before removing. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve.
My Rating:
Tasty, and easy to do. A classic recipe. I was a high four but having redone this a number of times; I’m at a low five along with my wife.
Pro Tips: Notes for grilling skinless boneless chicken breasts:
The Chicken Breasts: Skinless boneless chicken breasts have gotten much bigger over the years. It is always easier to cook chicken that is about the same size and thickness. So try to even it out when you pick your chicken.
If you get these really plump ones, flatten them down a little with a meat mallet or bottom of a pan.
The Brine: The recommended brine is relatively heavy in salt. According to Cooks Illustrated, this concentration of brine is recommended for chicken for 30 minutes to 2 hours. The chicken gets saltier if over 1 hour so I’m suggesting 1-hour max.
To me (a safety guy), I don’t like raw chicken at room temperature for more than 20 minutes. Actually, 20 minutes will do a fairly good job of brining these.
While we no longer recommend rinsing chicken, you should always rinse carefully after brining. Also, don’t add any more salt after a brine is used. You can grill an SBCB and keep it moist without the brine, but it requires attention and skill. Skip the brine at your own risk.
Grill temperature is also important in our keep it moist quest. For any chicken, I feel you can not “sock the heat to it.” The outside will be burnt before the center is safe to eat. Also, the light coat of sauce can burn easily.
I like to cook all chicken with a grill surface temperature of about 450 degrees, give a take a little. This is medium on my current grill which is a “hot” grill. It is medium-high on most gas grills. Please see my guide A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill and get it right.
I like to add a very light coat of BBQ sauce at the beginning to create a base for the last coat. You do not have to do that, but I recommend it.
Use the BBQ sauce of your choice. I love Gates BBQ of KC sauce but used Bulls Eye Original, which Cooks Illustrated likes (me too). My Memphis BBQ Sauce would also be great.
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A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill
Trim skinless boneless chicken breast of any trim-able fat. Try to use chicken breasts of about the same size. And if you get some that are very plump, flatten them down a little with a meat mallet or bottom of a pan.
Mix brine of 3 cups water,1 1/2 tablespoons table salt, 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) . Add chicken and submerge and refrigerate for 30 minutes (no more than 1 hour).
Clean and oil grill grates and preheat to a surface temperature of 450-500 which is about medium-high on most grills. I recommend a surface thermometer to be able to control your grill well.
Remove chicken from brine and rinse lightly under running water. Pat dry.
Brush lightly with BBQ sauce of your choice.
Place over direct heat.
Flip about every 5 minutes. About 3-4 minutes before done, brush both sides with sauce. Remove from the grill at an internal temperature of 165. About 30 minutes of total grill time. But total time will vary by the exact grill temperature and thickness of the breasts. Thinner breast may be in the 25-minute range, and those huge thick ones may take 35 minutes.
Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
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BBQ Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast on a Gas Grill
Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoon BBQ sauce of choice
Brine
- 3 cups water - cold
- 1 1/2 tablespoons table salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper - optional
Instructions
- Trim skinless boneless chicken breast of any trim-able fat. Try to use chicken breasts of about the same size. And if you get some that are very plump, flatten them down a little with a meat mallet or bottom of a pan.
- Mix brine of 3 cups water, 1 1/2 tablespoons table salt, 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) . Add chicken and submerge and refrigerate for 30 minutes (no more than 1 hour). Clean and oil grill grates and preheat to a surface temperature of 450-500 which is about medium-high on most grills. I recommend a surface thermometer to be able to control your grill well.
- Remove chicken from brine and rinse lightly under running water. Pat dry. Brush lightly with BBQ sauce of your choice.
- Clean and oil grates. Place over direct heat.
- Flip about every 5 minutes. About 3-4 minutes before done, brush both sides with sauce. Remove from the grill at an internal temperature of 165. About 30 minutes total grill time.
- Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
- This brine is relatively heavy in salt so a maximum time of 1 hour please. Rinse to remove extra salt. The brine is optional but recommended.
- Total grilling time will vary by the exact grill temperature and thickness of the breasts. Thinner breast may be in the 25-minute range, and those huge thick ones may take 35 minutes.
- If you have a breast that has a large variation in thickness, using a meat mallet to even things out a bit is a good idea.
- I like a very light coat of BBQ sauce at the start to create a base for later. It does not burn but omit if you which.
Have a question or something not clear? Ask in the comments.
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Nutrition is for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated.
Originally Published August 1, 2011
This Recipe Featured in These Recipe Roundups
Kris
So the reason you use table salt instead of Kosher salt in this brine is to speed up the process? I always use Kosher salt in my brines.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Kris,
I don’t think it matters as long as the equivalent amount of salt is used. It is all sodium chloride.
1 teaspoon table salt = 1 1/4 teaspoon Morton kosher salt = 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Dan
Chuck
Used siracha instead of cayenne and also did a honey brown sugar glaze, So Good !
DrDan
Hi Chuck,
Welcome to the blog.
I love sriracha sauce, especially on tuna sandwiches but also with chicken. It adds something special. My wife does not share my enthusiasm so it doesn’t appear in the “cooking for two” recipes.
Thanks for the note and Happy New Years.
Dan
Don
I was really suspicious of this one… putting BBQ sauce on too early is recipe (pardon the pun) for burned chicken. However, I dutifully did as instructed and put a LIGHT coating of sauce on at the start. I was also VERY careful to watch the grill temp as instructed. The result was the best BBQ Chicken I’ve ever made. Our youngest LOVED it and has been begging me to make it again!
DrDan
Hi Don,
Welcome to the blog.
That light (very light) coat of sauce really does add a lot. I have been doing it for 30 plus years. It does go against the “no sauce until the end due to burning rule” But if you think about it, the meat is much cooler than the surface temperature which prevent the burning. It adds some taste and it holds the sauce so much better at the end.
Thanks for the note and glad it worked well for you.
Dan
Adriana Enríquez
Wow! I’ve never brined chicken before and I really think his made all the difference. I was so impressed with how juicy and delicious the chicken came out. My family loved it and finished it all. Can’t wait to make it again.
Greg T
Thank you for this! Every time I cooked chicken on the grill it was burnt, dry, and gross. I gave up grilling chicken for the last 4 years and just stuck with oven methods that I could get a consistent enjoyable meal from. Yesterday I found this recipe and figured it was worth a shot. Holy diver! This was the best grilled chicken I’ve ever made! We opted for an hour brine, and it was a bit on the salty side. Will do a 30 min brine next time!
Such a detailed explanation without much fluff, great breakdowns, excellent followups in the comments. Really one of the best recipes from start to finish. I’m hooked and now digging through the website to find more things to try. Thank you!
Jack
I thought i would use lemon pepper, leave off bbq sauce
Jack
Would it be o k to use lemon pepper power in the brine, with water, salt for boneless skinless chicken breast. Iam trying on grillgrates at 450 to 500 degrees. What do you think?
DrDan
Hi Jack,
That would be fine if you are ok with the lemon taste with the BBQ sauce. I can’t say how much since I never use lemon pepper.
Dan
Sparks
Don’t like a wet brine with chicken.
T e d
I bookmarked this brine recipe and have used it several times. I also use it with wings and tinker with ratios. Not sure that doubling everything is the wayto go. This one is a winner.
DrDan
Hi Ted,
First, sorry for the delayed response.
This ratio I call 1:1. 1 cup water to 1 tablespoon table salt. If you add a sugar of some type then match the salt. You can double the salt but if you do never brine for over 2 hours and it may still taste too salty.
Thank for the note.
Dan
Tia
I made these last night and they were amazing! I loath dry chicken breasts, so I rarely grill them. These were so juicy and delicious! I’m never going back to non-brined chicken breasts. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
DrDan
Hi Tia,
Sorry for the delayed response.
Yes, the brine can make a huge difference. You can get good without it if your careful but not great. Better with.
Thanks so much for the note.
Dan
Sheila
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was simple and delicious. We had a great family dinner yesterday. Everyone was enjoying this grilled chicken and it was indeed chicken heaven.
DrDan
Hi Sheila,
Thanks for the note. Glad it worked well for you.
Dan
inductioncookwaregirl
Sorry to hear about the passing of your dog — I was looking recipes but you had my attention with the pictures of your dogs before I even got to the recipes!
I hadn’t thought of brining chicken breast but it sounds like an easy solution to dry chicken breast. Not popular in this family! When baking chicken breast with a simple sauce, I also find that it can be dry. Any reason you can think of that brined chicken couldn’t be baked in the oven? Thanks!
DrDan
Thanks for the thoughts about Jake. Gone but not forgotten.
You can always brine chicken breast but be sure to rinse and not to add any more salt.
Dan
Cheryl
better get that dogs eye checked out, doesnt look good
DrDan
In this picture, he is blind and the eye you are looking at is artificial. He died a few months later of cancer.
Dan
Jason rimler
came out great, forgot to poke holes but seemed fine, I put BBQ sauce in the brine intstead of sugar. Family loved
Rick
Hi Dan –
I was excited to try this recipe yet cautious as my wife is a retired chef. I did everything according to the recipe but the chicken came out rubbery. Temp was 165° when I took it off the grill. I flipped the meat every 4-5 minutes, total cooking time was 30 minutes. The chicken ended up in the trash. I really hoped I could finally grill chicken the right way but failed.
DrDan
Hi Rick,
Sorry it didn’t work well for you. You might want to try a brine for a few hours next time. A simple brine of 1/4 cup of kosher salt dissolved in 1 quart (4 cups) of warm water. I like to add a 1/4 cup of brown sugar also. Add the trimmed chicken and brine in the refrigerator for a few hours. Rinse well, add some pepper and grill.
Dan
Lauri Freers
I’m planning to try this today, Do you have any recommendations for a Foreman grill regarding the 2nd coat of Barbecue? I’m going to be using small sized pieces cut thin so It will cook quickly–there may be no time for the 2nd coating of sauce(?).
DrDan
I haven’t used a Foreman for many years. I have no idea of time etc. I’m worried that the direct contact with the grill surface that the Foreman requires would burn the sauce quickly. So I’m not even sure of the first light coat.
Dan
Kristopher S
Incredible! The best BBQ chicken I’ve had!
DrDan
THANKS
Dan
Dani M.
Hello! Question…is any additional seasoning is required?
DrDan
Not for me. The salt is in the brine and lots of spice in the sauce.
Dan
ROSE
Excellent! Everyone loved it!
DrDan
Thanks so much for the note.
Dan
Ian
Hi,
Hopefully you see this comment before I start cooking.
If I have the time to let the brine sit in the fridge for a couple of hours, would I still need to poke holes in the breasts? I do a similar brine when I make pork chops and have never poked any holes in them, regardless of how much time I let them brine, which is usually a couple of hours.
Thanks,
DrDan
As you assumed, the holes are to speed things up some. If you have 2 hours or even one then now holes will be fine. But it is OK for them holes even at 2 hours.
Dan
Ian
I erred on the side of caution and went with holes, even though I knew I was going to be brining the breasts for about 2hrs. They were great. I’m now thinking I’ll do the same thing for pork chops the next time I make them to see if there is a difference.
If you are interested, my pork chop brine is 3 cups of water (2 cups brought to a boil + 1 cup cold water), when the water is boiling I add 3 tbsp of kosher salt, couple of crushed garlics, 1 tsp of peppercorns and a bay leaf or two, I put all that into the boiling water and when the salt has dissolved, I add the cup of cold water.
Thanks,
Ian
jen
never heard of your site but google made it my top pic when I searched ‘best barbecue chicken breast.’ very yummy, I ended up brushing the chicken every few min with the sauce and it came out really thick and caramelized. thanks for the recipe!jen
Dan Mikesell
Hi Jen,
Thanks for the note. I actually do similar to what you describe most of the the time, but you can get to a burnt point fairly easily and I hate to send people close to that point. So I went with a light base then adding at the end which still gives a nice coat with some nice caramelization. I do believe the brine is so important here to prevent the old “hockey puck” syndrome.
Dan
Christopher Smith
Tried this yesterday amazing. The best chicken I have ever grilled. Thanks
Sylvia
Can you make brine without salt v
DrDan
No, the salt is required for a brine. It is what does the work of pulling the moisture into the meat.
N. Law
Well worth you trying this one ! More often than not, trying to make B-B-QUE chicken without skin or bones turns out terrible. Very dry and the chicken on the outside is hard. However, this recipe will prevent that. It is simple to make and tastes great. Chicken remains moist and outside is NOT hard. I made it in the oven and I will definately try it on the grill.
DrDan
Thank for the note and rating. I do believe the brine is so important for this to escape the “hockey puck” syndrome common with the skinless boneless breast.
Thanks for the note and rating.
DrDan
Ken Balsillie
Question: Some meat is cooked to a “doneness” by touching a utensil to the surface of the meat~might this be true for SBCB as well? I realize this method might be in conjunction with the time. Thanks
DrDan
I’m not a fan of the touch method. Almost impossible to be correct outside of very controlled conditions and lots of repetition. Like a profession cooking a steak of a set size and thickness over the same heat repeatedly. Also time is never good. I only give an approximate time for planning reasons. Always cook to a final temperature on meats especially chicken or ground meat. See https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/kitchen-cheat-sheets/#temperatures
DrDan
Bob
Thanks a lot for the quick response, DrDan. We do have a meat thermometer and will be shopping for that grill surface thermometer. As for today, I’m going for it! Will let you know how it went.
Bob
Pretty new to grilling, Dan. Do I leave the lid closed or open? Also, we have a 3-burner, brand new Brinkman propane grill, but it has no temp. gauge on it. Is there a way to tell without a gauge? Also, you talked about leaving brine for 1-2 hrs in fridge. do you mean chicken in brine, as long as it’s in the fridge? Thanks a lot…going to try your recipe today.
DrDan
So lets go in order. Lid closed. Temperature gauges on the hood of grills are useless anyways. Next time you order from Amazon or shopping at Lowe’s or similar store pick up a grill surface thermometer (about $10). For now go with medium-high. Most three burner can get to 550 or so on high but medium is usually about 400ish. Here you would want to be 450-500 range. You MUST have a meat thermometer to be successful at all with grilling so you need that before you start. Overcooked will be hockey pucks and undercooked dangerous. A cheap $10-$15 one will do. And yes the chicken is in the brine in the refrigerator.
DrDan
Ana
Can I use the oven instead?
DrDan
Oven needs a little different technique. Check out https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/30-minute-skinless-boneless-chicken/ . Try this but cut back the spices some and coat top with sauce the last 5 minutes or so. I use cast iron but any oven safe pan that can tolerate as stove top should be fine.
DrDan
Jennifer
This sounds very good, however I don’t have sugar! Will the brine still be ok without it?
DrDan
Skip the sugar… I only use it some times.
DrDan
Wendy
My chicken came out fabulous!! Thanks
Bryant
Just made this recipe to the letter. Now for the payoff. Review to follow…
Bryant
Ok. Overall I was pleased. My grill temp was 550F at start. I wouldn’t recommend getting grill as hot as you can, as I did. I have a three burner propane grill. Grill temp lowered to 450F after chicken was on. Also worthy to note I doubled this recipe, so two breasts would have cooked faster. Brine kept chicken from drying out. If I cooked again this same way, grill burning wide open, I would cook for about 16 minutes. 5 minutes on each side then 3 and 3. OR, grill temp of 475F start temp instead of 550F+. Hope you find this helpful.
Bryant
Thanks for the recipe Dan!
DrDan
Thanks for the notes Bryant. Yep I agree the the 550 was a bit high but do-able if you watch carefully. I like the 450-500 range better.
Thanks for the rating too
Dan
John
Awesome tip about the brine, and the grilling! I have now done this 4 times. Will never sklp the brine again. Thank you!
Noelle G.
Thanks for a great idea with the brining of the breasts…but now I am so curious… what’s happening in the cast iron pan next to the chicken in your grill pics, it looks like homemade skillet fries and I would love the details on that as well :)
DrDan
Hi Noelle, Thanks for the comment. The potatoes are grilled French Fries. The Recipe is at https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/grilled-french-fries/
Sandy
This looks great, but 30 min seems like an awfully long time to cook a boneless chicken breast. Am I wrong? We can normally do 5-7 on a side and it’s done!
Any other info is appreciated
DrDan
Hi Sandy,
The time is an approximation for reference and is my actual time . The variables are chicken size and thickness, temperature of the chicken at start and the grill surface temperature. Most of the chicken breast we get are about 10-12 oz. For these breast, you can’t “sock the heat to them” or you will have burnt outside long before the 165 internal temperature you need for safety. Smaller would cook faster. I try to rest them some at room temp before cooking to help some too.
The grill surface temp should be in the 450 degree range. That was high on my old grill but medium to medium high on my current grill.
If you’re cooking to the correct internal temp you are most definitely NOT WRONG. The skinless boneless chicken breasts can become “hockey pucks” so easy if over cooked.
Thanks for the comment.
DrDan
Angela
So good!! Thank you!
DrDan
Thanks for the note and the rating
DrDan
sue
I had never heard of brine with chicken before. This was so moist it was unbelievable. I used the quick method….and used a thermometer to check the chicken on the grill since I use charcoal. I agree this is the only way to cook boneless breasts.
Thanks so much for this recipe and blog.
DrDan
Thanks for the note. Yep brining a chicken breast can get some great moisture. But using the thermometer is what most people don’t don’t do. They are doomed to overcooked dried out chicken…
Thanks so much for the note and enjoy the blog.
DrDan
Mary
This might be a silly question, if you were making 6 chicken breasts do you triple the brine recipe?
DrDan
You just need enough brine to cover the chicken. Double should do but triple is fine.
DrDan
Dan Mikesell
Thanks, glad it worked well for you. DrDan
Mary Hopkins
Delicious! Will never cook BSCB any other way ever again!! Thanks!
MKH
Aubrey Means
I made this today and cooked my chicken on high heat, flipped every 5 min. and it burned to a crisp, inside was fine but the outside was completely black. I’m no expert obviously, I was just trying to follow the directions, but why did mine turn completely black and yours looks so tasty? I had to cut all the outside off in order to eat it, which meant all my BBQ flavor was gone. Thankfully I brined it so it wasn’t tough inside. But what would you suggest I do differently in order to cook it long enough but not burn it to death?
Dan Mikesell
A couple of possible answers. First the grill. High on my old grill (the one in the picture) was 500 surface temperature. My current grill high is about 650. That is burn city.
Second, the BBQ sauce. The more sugar, the faster the burn.
So suggested solutions: 1) if you have a “hot” grill. Turn it down a little. Second, leave the sauce off until the last 5 minutes.
Give those two things a try.
Dan
Dr Dan
The brine is what the mixture of water, brown sugar, salt and cayenne is called. I only did it briefly here but longer like 1-2 hours in the fridge would be great if you have the time.
Wade Morton
so is the brine the mixture of water and brown sugar and salt and cayenne? or is the brine something that you add to the water mixture?
Dr Dan
Yep I was trying to facilitate the brine since I wanted to cook soon. I think it helped some since this was quite moist.
Chris
What are the knife pokes for? Facilitating the marinade/brine? I was just curious.
Chris
Woof! That looks tasty, Dan.
Too funny, I was just commenting on your blog and you did on mine!
Dr Dan
A dog always makes your cooking look good.
Inspired by eRecipeCards
Love seeing the dog in your posts. i always photograph my cat sniffing around my food.
Dr Dan
It tastes exactly like it looks.
Aimee
Yum! That chicken looks soo tasty!
Jeffrey and Juli
Wow, does this look good!