Now you can have great super moist grilled skinless boneless chicken breasts. Start with a combination brine/marinade then a simple reverse searing method to keep the moisture going.
We all grill skinless boneless chicken breast but so many become hockey pucks. I have published a number of recipes that are quite good at avoiding hockey puck-itis. But this recipe adapted from Cooks Country pulls out all the stops with great results.
When I saw this in Cooks Country, it just called my name. While I didn’t stick to the script completely, the combination of a brine/marinade and reverse searing is everything you can do to keep that chicken breast moist. It works.
Will the original recipe is a charcoal grill recipe with some comments for gas, I’m keeping it all gas.
Even with my super-duper gas grill, this takes a bit longer than with charcoal. Why do you ask? Well, the radiant heat thing is the best explanation I have.
I modified the brine/marinade to make it more scalable for the number you need and defined the gas grill method more.
My Rating:
I’m going with a five but a lower five. After all, it is just grilled chicken.
Pro Tips on Super Moist Grilled Boneless Chicken Breasts
This will be a very “your mileage may vary” type of recipes. The variables are quite a few. The thickness and size of the chicken breast. The grill… not only the power of the grill but the configuration will affect this recipe. So keep your eyes open and the thermometer at hand. You will be rewarded with ultra-moist chicken.
The Chicken:
It is always better to be cooking chicken breasts of about the same size and thickness. If one breast is significantly thicker than the others, use a meat mallet or bottom of a pan to even it out.
Also, with chicken breasts, letting them sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes while you get the grill setup is a great help in getting the right internal temperature without burning the outside.
The Grill:
The method I describe here mirrors the Cook’s Country method. It is a bit fussy but has been tested throughly and does great.
Having said that I have done this recipe multiple times with both this technique and my normal chicken breast technique. The results are nearly identical, and I find my less confusing. See How to BBQ Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast on a Gas Grill if you want an example.
The Marinade/Brine
The main thing that makes this recipe work is this combination of brine and marinade in one. A very very nice touch.
Start by mixing brine/marinade in a ziplock bag of two tablespoons oil, two tablespoons water, two cloves crushed garlic, one teaspoon sugar, one teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Trim chicken breasts. If your chicken is very thick, then pound that area down a little with a meat hammer to even them out some.
Add to the brine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat grill on maximum. Clean and oil well. Turn off half of the grill. Place chicken on the side you turned off but keep the edge of the chicken breast within 4 inches of a light burner. The thicker end of the chicken should be towards the heat.
Cook undisturbed for about 10-12 minutes. You should have some grill marks and no pink left on the bottom surface before flipping. When you flip, place the thinner end to the lighted burner side.
Cook until internal temp of 140. About another 10-12 minutes. Then place over the lighted burners for about 5 minutes per side until internal temp of 165.
Remove from grill and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 2 | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 35 minutes | 30 minutes |
|
|
| Now you can have great super moist grilled skinless boneless chicken breasts. Start with a combination brine/marinade then a simple reverse searing method to keep the moisture going.
|
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Start by mixing brine/marinade in a ziplock bag of two tablespoons oil, two tablespoons water, two cloves crushed garlic, one teaspoon sugar, one teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Trim chicken breasts. If your chicken is very thick, then pound that area down a little with a meat hammer to even them out some.
- Add to the brine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat grill on maximum. Clean and oil well. Turn off half of the grill. Place chicken on the side you turned off but keep the edge of the chicken breast within 4 inches of a light burner. The thicker end of the chicken should be towards the heat.
- Cook undisturbed for about 10-12 minutes. You should have some grill marks and no pink left on the bottom surface before flipping. When you flip, place the thinner end to the lighted burner side.
- Cook until internal temp of 140. About another 10-12 minutes. Then place over the lighted burners for about 5 minutes per side until internal temp of 165.
- Remove from grill and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips:
- Do not brine. The marinade is a combination marinade with a brine. Do not rinse before cooking this one.
- Try to use chicken breast of about the same size. Flatten with a meat mallet or bottom of a pan to make the same thickness.
- Allow to rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before starting to grill will be helpful getting the internal temperature of the chicken right without burning.
- Cook to a final internal temperature of 165 the rest for at least 5 minutes before serving
- This is a very "your mileage may vary" type of recipe. The variables are quite a few. The thickness and size of the chicken breast. The grill... not only the power of the grill but the configuration will affect this recipe. So keep your eyes open and the thermometer at hand. You will be rewarded with ultra-moist chicken.
________________________________
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. Rating is done by clicking on the stars above.
Originally Published May 22, 2016
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Andy B
We grill quite a bit, and I always try to get bone-in chicken breasts due to the dryness issue. This recipe is FANTASTIC, no more need to use bone-in skin-on. They turned out great, and I hit the 165 internal temp on the nose, first try, just by following your directions. Thanks for the excellent info!
Julie a.
Dan, first off your pups are gorgeous! Secondly this recipe wears a huge success. I feared grilling chicken breast until I came across your recipe. My chicken breast had bone on it and it came out perfectly. Needless to say I’m saving this one and making it again. Thanks so much!
Jonathan Walker
How do I do this for a charcoal grill?
DrDan
Hi Jonathan,
Sorry for the delay. I was re-writing the privacy policy. Great times.
I personally have not done charcoal for 30 years but one of my commenters on the grilled chicken legs (which uses the same surface temperature) left these instructions that others have had luck with.
“I’ve made these several times on a charcoal grill. I use about 4 lbs of charcoal (~50 briquettes) and distribute them on one-half of the grill. Cool the drumsticks over the direct heat, but use the other side for any flare-ups or if you have smaller drumsticks that cook faster. I’ve never measured the surface temp, but rotating every 5 minutes to get a good char until the temperature is right, seems to work out perfectly. I usually end up with 40 min of coin time and apply BBQ sauce liberally in the last 10 min. We’ve only had success with this recipe, and we’ve found it’s hard to overlook the chicken, just avoid flames and burning early on!”
Hope that helps. The time will be less but as always, cook to a final temperature not by time.
Dan
Laurie M
I tried this today, I’ve only got one burner on my bbq….so I got it real hot about
500 then let it cool to about 350 and put them on and did them low and slow
putting the fatter side towards the center, I oiled the grill well as directed, and
hoped for the best. Wow….these are amazing! So juicy!!!! and beautiful color
and flavours., I added a bit of smoked chipotle to the brine for a subtle smoky
zing. These are great! So glad I took the chance. Thanks!
DrDan
Hi Laurie,
Sorry for the delayed reply.
Those one burner grills can be a bear. Glad you came up with a way. The main think about a chicken breast is not to hit it too hard with heat. I hate to say “low and slow” for this but just not high and quick.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Chris
Thanks!
Chris
Grill open or closed for the initial 10 minutes per side?
DrDan
Closed.
General rule: Things under 1/2 inch thick can usually be cooked open. 1/2 to 1 inch is usually closed and 1 inch or more is always closed.
Dan
Paula
I tried this for the first time and it was a success. Very moist and delicious. I will diffenately do this again.
Jill
Thanks for the tips. Trying this technique tonight and will post again. Your Goldens are gorgeous! What are their names?
DrDan
Hi Jill,
Thanks for the note. This is recipe is a combo of the marinade that acts a little like a brine and the indirect cooking which is probably the most important part of the moisture.
The dogs are Molly (shorter, wider and lighter color) and Lilly. They are litter mates and have become blog mascots.
Dan
Steve M.
Anything that has sugar as an ingredient will burn, not advisable, unless you like charred chicken!
Paula
I didn’t find that a problem
DrDan
Hi Paula,
I agree, the minimal sugar in the brine is not an issue. A large amount of BBQ sauce with sugar can be. Actually, my technique for BBQ chicken breasts starts with a very light brushing of sauce that creates a base for the final BBQ coating. It does not burn either. If you don’t use high heat on a chicken breast you will be fine. If you use high heat, you will make a hockey puck anyways.
Dan