One of the yummiest but most difficult meats to grill during the summer season is chicken. It takes plenty of practice and a whole lot of patience. If you are one of those that struggle keeping your chicken moist and flavorful, these 10 helpful tips sheknows.com might help.

1. Clean Your Grill - Despite what you may have heard, using a dirty grill DOES NOT make your food taste better. Old burned on bits of what ever you cooked before not only hinders the taste, but it's just not very sanitary. EXTRA TIP - After you are done cleaning the grill, take a paper towel and wipe some cooking oil on to prevent sticking.

2. Use Brine - The salt used in your typical brine rearranges the proteins in the meat, so the chicken retains more water and stays juicy on the grill. CAUTION - Only brine 2 to 3 hours. If you brine longer your chicken might get rubbery.

3. Pound - Chicken breast typically comes at an uneven thickness. Place the chicken between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap and pound it until the piece of meat is even. This will help eliminate uneven cooking.

4. Keep it even - If you are making chicken kebabs, make sure to cut the pieces evenly. The best size is around 1 1/2 inch cubes. Again, this is to prevent uneven cooking.

5. Try Something Different - Most people tend to lean towards chicken breast. If you are one of those, try something new - dark meat. The dark meat tends to be more tender and it's getting easier to find boneless. Many stores are now selling boneless chicken thighs.

6. Use Two Separate Temps - If you are cooking your chicken on a gas grill, Set one set of burners at a lower temp and other other at a higher temp. If you are using a charcoal grill, build a bigger bed of coals on one side and a smaller bed on the other. This way if your chicken starts to get too dark before it's done, you can move it to the cooler side until it is thoroughly cooked.

Chicken wings with sauce
Maxim Shebeko
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7. Slow On The Sauce - If you like basting your chicken with sauce while it's on the grill, try not to do so until just a few minutes before the chicken is ready to come off the grill. Sauces tend to burn easy and doing so gives your chicken a unsavory taste and smell.

8. Cover Up - Try to keep the lid closed as much as possible. Keeping the lid closed traps the heat so the chicken cooks more evenly on all sides. It also helps cook the chicken faster thus keeping it more moist.

 

 

9. Check The Temp - The best way to tell if chicken is done all the way through is by using a meat thermometer.  Stick the thermometer so it reaches the center. The chicken should be at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit before you remove it from the grill.

10. Safety First - Be careful not to cross contaminate during this whole process. If you use tongs to put the chicken on the grill, wash them before you cook with them. Wash your hands if you handled the raw chicken and also the container you had the raw chicken in before you touch anything or reuse the container. The last thing you want to send home with your guests is Salmonella.

 

 

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