How To Grill A Piece Of Chicken

Yes, it's pretty daunting. Grilling a piece of chicken can be challenging in so many ways — from deciding what heat level to set the grill on to knowing when it's done (and rid of any harmful bacteria). Here are some basic tips to help you master grilling a piece of chicken.

What you'll need:

- 1 skinless, boneless breast of chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper

How to do it:
Heat your grill to medium-high heat and grill chicken for about 8-10 minutes on each side or until an internal thermometer registers 165 degrees.

OK... that was easy, but:
Because temperatures of grills vary and not everyone has a cooking thermometer, it's easy to check the doneness of a piece of chicken by comparing it to the muscles in your palm. Raw chicken has the same feel as the muscle right below your thumb, so to be sure that it's cooked thoroughly, it should have a similar feel to that of your muscle when holding your thumb and pinky together (for well-done) or when holding your ring finger and thumb together (for medium). Because raw chicken is a health hazard, always aim closer to well-done than medium.

Pretty tricks:
To get the beautiful char marks that you see in magazines on your chicken, think about your grill as a clock and cook the chicken pointing at 10 and 2 at each side.

Spice it up:
Because chicken is such a bland piece of protein, it's easy to get creative with marinades or grill rubs. Feel free to experiment with fresh herbs, lemon juice, and spices.

See our Grilling and Barbecue Guide for more grilling tips and techniques, recipes, and meal ideas.
 

Anne Dolce is the Cook Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @anniecdolce