The Juiciest Grilled Chicken Breast
Grilling Chicken Breast that is juicy and full of flavor can be achieved by brining it and also being careful not to overcook it. Use this as a basis and add sauce to the chicken or serve the chicken in burritos, pasta, rice, in salads and in a ton of other different ways.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 bone in, skin on chicken breasts
- 2 quarts water
- 1/3 cup table salt (I use just a tad bit less)
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 2 dry bay leaves
- 1/2 Tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1/2 head of garlic
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the water with the salt, sugar, bay leaves, peppercorns, and garlic.
- You can peel the garlic and cut the cloves in half, or simply press on the garlic cloves a bit, it doesn’t really matter since this is the brine and you will discard it later anyway. You can also add lots of other things too, which will add different flavors to the chicken. Some other options are rosemary, thyme, orange or lemon peels, apples, ginger, etc. (I also added a teaspoon of coriander seeds.)
- Whisk this all together until the salt and sugar dissolve.
- Place the chicken into the brine so that it is completely submerged. There is enough brine that you should be able to use it for up to 6 chicken breasts. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
- After an hour, pour off the brine and pat the chicken dry with paper towels. You can do this up to a day in advance and keep the chicken in the refrigerator. This is awesome for dinner parties since it will be ready to go in advance and you will have more time for other things.
- Preheat your grill on high heat for at least 15 minutes, covered. Clean your grill grates. Take a wad of paper towels and holding them with a pair of tongs, dip them into a small bowl of oil and brush the grill grates 3-5 times. This will help to create a barrier on the grates, making them somewhat nonstick.
- Reduce the heat to medium high and place the chicken skin side down onto the grill grates.
- Grill the chicken until it is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes and then flip it over, continuing to grill it until the chicken is completely cooked through, 160 degrees Fahrenheit in the center of the chicken breast on an instant read thermometer, another 15-25 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breast and on the heat of your grill.
- If you are using a glaze, brush it on top of the chicken 8-10 minutes before it is finished cooking and again right before taking it off the grill. Glaze ideas: barbecue sauce, sweet chili sauce, pepper jelly, apple jelly, apricot or orange preserves, honey mixed with lemon juice and minced garlic.
- Take the chicken breast off the grill and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing it.