Grilled chicken
Make a quick and healthy barbecue meal. Although chicken can take hours to marinate, this easy spice rub I love to use is easy to prepare and unlike my favorite grilled chicken marinade, it doesn’t require much time. This BBQ chicken recipe uses colorful and spicy spices like cumin, paprika, onion, garlic, salt, coriander, and black pepper to enhance the flavor of the chicken.
If there is any leftover spice mix, I store it for later use. Also try it on drumsticks, chicken legs, chicken thigh pieces, and grilled chicken wings. The mixture is very versatile, so you can use it on other types of meat or vegetables. So fire up your grill and get ready, because juicy and tender BBQ chicken is just minutes away!
Great Seasoning for Grilled Chicken
Creating different blends of spices is something I really enjoy playing around with in the kitchen. When this seasoning recipe came up, I decided to create a Latin-inspired seasoning base:
- Freshly ground black pepper
- the stone
- Cumin
- Paprika (smoked or sweet)
- Coriander leaves
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
Salt and pepper serve as a base in many seasoning blends, adding a mild spice and essential flavor component. Salt was once so popular that it was used as currency because it was valued for its preservative properties and ability to add flavor to any food.
In sub-Saharan Africa, Moorish traders once regularly attributed salt the same value as gold per ounce. In fact, there are still nomads trading salt in Ethiopia’s Danak Plains.
Another interesting spice is cumin. It has umami, nutty, and bitter flavor, while coriander adds a sweet, citrus flavor with floral notes. Meanwhile, onion and garlic powders give your mixture a roasted allium flavor rather than sharp, raw ones.
With this recipe, you will almost double the seasoning you need. But the next time you grill chicken, you’ll save as much time and money as you need. You can turn this recipe into a blackening mix by adding chili powder for extra heat and brown sugar for sweetness.
Oil your chicken before grilling
The first step before placing your chicken on the grill is to rub it with no oil. You want to use an oil with a high smoke point and neutral flavor. I like to use avocado and olive oil. Oiling helps keep your meat from sticking to the grill plates. Another big advantage is how well the oil dissolves in the chicken, which releases additional fat-soluble flavor compounds into the mixture, enhancing the flavor of the meat.
Also, the oil provides a protective layer to your spice, reducing how hot it gets. As for how much oil you should use, you’ll need about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon per side. The same can be done with baked chicken breast.
The best way to grill chicken
Preheat your grill to ensure you get the best grill marks on your chicken. I like a medium-high setting between 400-500ºF (204-232ºC). When cooking on a gas grill, make sure that a burner is turned off to create indirect heat that allows you to finish cooking without burning thick pieces on the surface.
When cooking on a charcoal grill it is best to have a dual zone setting that utilizes both indirect and direct heat. Before throwing in your chicken, you need to make sure it is clean and well-lubricated with oil.
Start by placing your chicken directly in the heat zone. I usually gently press the meat into the grill to ensure good contact on the grates, which gives the meat a nice color. I also close the lid, which minimizes heat loss and ensures that all the pieces are cooked through the dry heat.
How long to grill boneless skinless chicken breasts
The cooking time for chicken breast depends mainly on the thickness of the chicken, whether it is cooked whole or in cutlets. Typically, thick steaks take 5-8 minutes to cook, while thinner steaks take 3-5 minutes to cook. Darker meats like legs, grilled chicken thighs, and wings need a few extra minutes because they contain more fat and connective tissue.
If you want, you can finish cooking with the grill’s indirect heat zone until the chicken is fully cooked. The zone should be between 160-165ºF(71-74ºC). Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes, then serve. Allowing it to rest encourages carryover cooking while giving the flavorful juices time to redistribute throughout the meat.
Ideas for using grilled chicken
- Pulled Chicken Nachos
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken sandwich
- Grilled Chicken Salad
- Pizza with barbecue grilled chicken
- Chicken Alfredo Pasta
- Baked Potatoes with BBQ Chicken
- Chicken Fajita Egg Scramble
Serve with grilled chicken
- Potato salad
- Lemon juice
- Barbecue sauce
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Soy sauce
- Vinegar coleslaw
- Oven-roasted zucchini strips
- Cornbread
- corn
- Macaroni Salad
- Traditional coleslaw
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a grill pan to cook chicken?
Absolutely! A grill pan is a great option if you want to cook on the stovetop. To prevent sticking, first, grease a grill pan with oil, then heat over medium heat. Cook your chicken breasts for about 3-5 minutes on each side, or a little longer depending on thickness. If you want, lower the heat to medium after turning the thicker pieces so they cook more slowly.
How long to cook grilled chicken?
The cooking time for grilled chicken depends on the size and thickness of the chicken. For example, dark, light, and bone-in pieces have different cooking times. Boneless chicken breasts should take about 10-16 minutes over medium heat. Bone-in thighs and legs take 20-30 minutes, drumsticks 16-24 minutes and wings 16-22 minutes.
How do I make diamond marks on my grilled chicken?
The trick to grilling a chicken breast easily without it drying out is to make sure your grill is hot enough. You want to set the chicken at a 45-degree angle to the grill (smooth side down), with the ends folded in at 4 and 10 o’clock. Char marks should appear after about 2-3 minutes. Once you have four marks, turn your chicken 45 degrees clockwise at the 8 and 2 o’clock positions to complete your diamond pattern. Cook the meat for 2-3 minutes before flipping to finish cooking.
Choosing the right spices to season roast meat
When using a dry rub on the best-grilled chicken, you can season the meat right out of the fridge. However, the chicken should be allowed to come to room temperature before placing it on the grill. When adding a rub to chicken, the amount you use will depend largely on how much salt is in the mixture. If the mixture has high salt content, you’ll want to lightly coat all sides of the chicken, and if it’s low in salt, you can be more liberal with the seasoning application.
As for spice pairings, the general rule of thumb for meats like pork, lamb, beef, and chicken is onion, garlic, pepper (green, white, and black), chili, paprika, coriander, cumin, and oregano. . Thyme, ginger, bay leaf, rosemary, and mustard.
Sage is also a great seasoning for chicken, as is tarragon and lemon zest. Tarragon is effective on chicken because it has a sweet herbal flavor. Also, in the case of chicken breast, it is one of the easiest meats to season because it is versatile and takes well to all kinds of spices. You’d be hard-pressed to think of a dish that doesn’t work with chicken.
However, certain spices work better when it comes to grilling. Spices like cumin, coriander, and paprika contain oil-soluble flavor compounds that are perfect for grilling. When these flavor compounds come into contact with olive oil, they disperse and dissolve better. Also, cooking with dry heat causes the spices to puff up and enhance the flavor of the masala. If the heat is too high, it will char the seasoning, which is desirable for BBQ.