How long to grill chicken to get the juicy and mouthwatering taste? When we buy chicken from the market, many options like breasts, wings, whole, thighs, boneless, or bones. But no matter their formation, we need to know the total time to grill them until they are okay enough to eat and delicious.
If you are the one who wants to know every detail about how long to grill chicken, this article is just for you. Here you will find out about how long it takes to grill different types of chicken and what happens if you overcook them or mistakenly don’t give them enough time to cook properly. Go through the following, and you will become an expert in grilling chicken in no time. Learn how to have the best grill for chicken here.
What if someone asks you how long to grill chicken if you want to give it the chicken hell of a taste. Well, the answer to this question is not as simple as you think.
Generally, the average grilling time relies on two aspects: how large chicken pieces you are using and the number of bones in it. The overall temperature of the barbecue grill also matters.
There are too many bones in the chicken; then, it is pretty evident that it will take much more time to cook than usual. As you know, the thigh portion and the drumstick have giant bones, and that’s why a significant amount of time is needed to cook them than the other parts properly.
Another aspect of grilling the chicken is that it relies heavily on the grill you are using or how much heat it can generate. And it is evident that the higher the heat, the less amount of time it will take.
Table of Contents
How long to grill chicken?
We will make you familiar with the different kinds of aspects and details about grilling the chicken with perfection through this article.
We will start with how much heat is perfect to grill the chicken without having any trouble.
So how do you know the correct amount of temperature of chicken that is already cooked? We suggest you use a digital thermometer that tells you the exact temperature.
It is worth remembering that 165 degrees Fahrenheit is the lowest temperature of the inner parts of the chicken. You have to cook them at least this exact temperature, and only then would the chicken be considered okay to eat. Anything above this temperature is also regarded as perfect for a grilled chicken.
Chicken is not like red meat, which is generally hard and takes longer than usual to cook. It doesn’t need that much time heat to be cooked thoroughly. If you cook them longer than usual, that will only make them hard to eat.
If you somehow cook chicken for a very long time than necessary, it will burn, and the aroma would be missing.
There are two explanations for the fact that the inner temperature of the grilled chicken should touch the 165-degree mark. The first one is this helps to kill the germs and destroys the harmful bacterias. The other explanation is that if you give less time to cook chicken, it will not taste good, and the flesh will be tender.
How long to grill chicken cutlets?
Making chicken cutlets is perhaps the simplest way to cook chicken. We are not telling you this because you can cook it even if you are new to the party. But the fact is that it takes very little time to cook, which is why grilling chicken cutlets are so popular nowadays.
In this section, you will know the essentials about how long to grill chicken cutlets. So instead of just giving you an idea of how much time it takes, why don’t we teach you a new recipe?
We want to share a mouthwatering chicken cutlet recipe with you, and when you finish reading it, you will have no further problems adjusting the exact grilling time.
What do you need for the recipe?
For this recipe, all you need is some medium-sized garlic cloves, some extra virgin olive oil, chicken breasts with no bones, lemon juice, black pepper, salt, and rosemary.
Set up your grill
First, set up your barbeque grill. Give it five minutes to heat up properly. Don’t forget to clean up and oil the grill.
Mix them together
Take some extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, garlic, and lemon juice in a big vessel. Mix all of these and some black pepper and salt according to your taste. Now save some of this mixture for later usage.
Now bring the chicken back in the picture and create a layer on the pieces by the batter.
Put the chicken on the grill
Put the chicken pieces on the flaming side of the grill, turn them around from time to time, and wait for four minutes until the chicken is cooked correctly. When one side is cooked enough, turn the piece over so that the other part gets enough heat. Then wait around 30 seconds and move them to a serving plate.
Now pour the rest of the mixture, which you saved for later use, over the chicken, and the chicken cutlets are ready to eat.
So you see that it will take no longer than five minutes to grill the chicken cutlets. You can do it with the help of some straightforward ingredients available.
How long to grill chicken in the oven?
Are you thinking about how long to grill chicken when you have some free time and not many things to do? We tell you that you can make grilled chicken anytime, anywhere without much hassle if you know the perfect tricks. Even if you don’t have any grill, you can always use your oven, which will be your savior this time.
In this section, it’s time to talk about how long to grill chicken in the oven to do it with perfection.
Many people consider grilling chicken in an oven as a challenging job. But it is not. It would help if you kept a few things in mind, and then grilling chicken would give you no trouble.
For grilling chicken, you can choose any chicken pieces. But we suggest you select the thigh portion and the drumstick to get the best result.
If you like your chicken juicy, then don’t forget to choose the bony parts. In case you want the crunchy outside, then you can select the more fleshy ones. Chicken thighs with bones are the ones that taste best after grilling.
Using the baking plate
Whenever you put the chicken portions on a baking plate, don’t forget to create gaps between them. This step is necessary because the chicken will not grill if you put too many chicken portions on the plate. Instead, it will start creating vapor which generally ruins the aroma of the grill.
The heat of the oven
To get the authentic taste and aroma, you have to be extremely careful about the exact amount of heat needed for proper grilling. 160 degrees Fahrenheit is enough for grilling the chicken, and you need to give it one hour to cook properly. If you cook it longer than usual, the chicken will lose its taste.
Is it mandatory to thrash the chicken?
Many people think that it is customary to thrash the chicken before putting it on the grill. But, if you beat the chicken, it makes the outer part flavoury. So you can do this, but this step is not mandatory.
Does the chicken become dull whenever grilling it in an oven?
As we told you earlier, you need to keep the exact temperature in mind, or things could go wrong. Set the oven temperature to 160 degrees and put the chicken into the oven. Grill it for about an hour at the same temperature.
After an hour, examine the chicken to see if it is soft enough or not. So whenever you set the temperature of your oven right, you can get tasty and flavorful chicken.
Side dishes that go best with grilled chicken
When it comes to grilled chicken, there are many choices for you to make. It is a perfect small dish that you can take before the main course of a meal. We can mix and match it with several kinds of other recipes.
In the following, we are giving you some tips on teaming it up with other foods.
You can enjoy grilled chicken with pasta or rice. This also goes well with different types of salads, and you can try them all. Mashed potatoes, garlic bread, roasted corn, and grilled mushrooms are the ones you must give a try.
How long to grill chicken thighs?
You are learning some essentials about how long to grill chicken, and now in this section, you will know how long to grill chicken thighs.
As we all know, grilled chicken thighs are a mouthwatering dish for those who are genuinely obsessed with chicken. You can prepare it as your lunch or dinner or the time you are throwing a party. It is that kind of recipe which can save you from lots of trouble.
How will season grilled chicken thighs?
You can always marinate the chicken thighs before doing the grilling. But if you consider seasoning it with some ingredients, you can use Taco and Cajun after blending. If you want to try something new, you can add Italian seasoning and crazy salt.
What are the ways to know that the chicken is ready?
Well, the chicken must not look uncooked or dark red from the inner portion. But you have to remember that you cannot understand that the chicken is thoroughly cooked or not by its color. Often some completely cooked chicken generates the color pink in the chicken.
In these cases, as we said earlier, you need to use a digital thermometer to catch the exact temperature of the inner part of the chicken. This is the simplest way to know that the chicken is ready to eat or not. Using a thermometer can also reduce the chances of cooking the chicken longer than usual.
The process of grilling
Set the grill temperature to moderately high heat, like 350 to 375 degrees. Process the chicken for about four minutes on each side till the pieces get a golden color. You should place a cover well while the chicken is being prepared.
Turn the chicken pieces over and lower the temperature to 300 degrees till the chicken is completely processed and the inner temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Now keep the chicken for five minutes and then enjoy.
When you consider choosing the chicken thighs without bones or skin, you need to prepare the meat for about six minutes per side. If you feel that only six minutes is not enough, you can process it for two to four minutes to be sure.
Final thoughts
So now that we have come to the end of the article titled as how long to grill chicken, you have learned about how long to grill chicken if you want to eat them with the ultimate satisfaction. We hope that you had so many questions about it and we are pretty sure that we were able to cover them all. Just remember that there is no right time for grilling chicken, and it is that kind of dish suitable for all.
So why don’t you take some time from your daily routine and give it a try? Don’t forget to inform us how it all turned out after reading about how long to grill chicken.