Barbecue dogma dictates that you absolutely must not move meat while it’s on the coals. While this advice keeps meat from sticking, tearing, and losing juices, professionals know that following it blindly eliminates the possibility of a layered crust—and the potential for success.
You don’t have to be a professional chef to make irresistible grilled chicken, whether boneless or not. On a carnal level, we all have grilling intuition: our eyes, noses, and appetites prompt us to turn, flip, and dress. What follows is a guide to applying those instincts at the right time, not before (or after), and many of the lessons apply more broadly to all types of meat.
Start with the basics. Heat the grill, clean the grates, place the meat on the grill, and don’t touch it until it’s brightly colored and pulls away gracefully. Despite your best efforts, some meats just won’t come off without a hitch, so use an upturned fish spatula to lift rather than pull on the sticky areas for the first move. Then switch to tongs for the fun part: the flipping.
Turn, and turn again. You’ve probably noticed the crosshatch marks on those juicy sirloins and chicken pieces in TV commercials. Their angles are there for vanity, but the extra grill marks are there for flavor (more color means more flavor). With their longer cooking times, larger or bone-in cuts give you plenty of opportunity to cultivate this type of crust, which gives you more time to rotate them before cooking. But even a single rotation, as you do with smaller, boneless cuts, will do the trick.
Use hot and nice places to your advantage. If a piece of meat is developing too much color but isn’t cooked yet, move it to a cooler area of the grill or lower the temperature. If the crust looks a little sad but you know the meat is almost done, expose it to intense heat.
Give each chicken breast or thigh exactly what it needs. Follow your instincts. Just because a recipe tells you to place and flip your chicken thighs doesn’t mean you shouldn’t line them up against each other like dominoes to reveal pockets of fat. It doesn’t mean you can’t hold a clump of fat over the fire to melt and puff up.
React to flare-ups rather than avoiding melting fat for fear of flames. If the fat ignites when dripping onto the coals, remove the meat and spray the flames with a cooking spray or simply let them die down. Then, brush the grates and resume cooking as usual.
Stay with it. Proper grilling is a skill you’ll improve on every time you put something on the grates, and no two cuts of meat will cook exactly the same. Make your marinade, then put away the recipe and follow your appetite to turn every grilled chicken thigh or breast into a crispy delight.
Grilled chicken thighs with tomatoes
Total time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon Provencal herbs
- 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 4 beefsteak tomatoes, halved through the stem
- 1 cup arugula
NOT
- Start by carving the chicken thighs: Hold each thigh on a cutting board, skin side up, and pierce the skin with a knife, then slide the knife perpendicular to the bone to make a deep cut. Repeat on each thigh to make two slashes through the skin and flesh all the way to the bone.
- In a large bowl or container, combine herbes de Provence, garlic, 3 tablespoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon mustard, and 1¾ teaspoons salt. Add chicken, stir, and mash marinade into cuts. Let marinate at room temperature while grills heat, or ideally, cover and marinate in refrigerator overnight.
- When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the refrigerator to bring it to room temperature if necessary. Turn the grill on to medium heat.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir vigorously until the ingredients combine to form a thick vinaigrette. Set aside.
- When the grill is hot, place the chicken on the grill, skin side down, and close the lid. Grill until the skin has dark brown char lines and releases easily from the grates, about 3 minutes, then uncover. If flare-ups occur, remove the chicken from the grill and let the flames die down, then wipe any grease from the grate with tongs holding a kitchen towel. Rotate the chicken 45 degrees without turning it over and let the chicken skin brown for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
- Flip the chicken and add the tomatoes to the grill, cut side down. Close the lid again and grill the second side of the chicken and the tomatoes until the chicken is cooked through and the tomatoes are charred and tender, 7 to 9 minutes. To check if the chicken is done, insert a knife into a cut. The juices should run clear and the meat should not be pink near the bone. If using a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 165 degrees.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the serving platter by spreading about a tablespoon of the mustard vinaigrette on the plate. Place the chicken and tomatoes on top of the mustard vinaigrette. Pour the remaining vinaigrette over the tomatoes. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then top with the arugula and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Grilled Chicken Thighs and Corn with Lemon Basil Butter
Total time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
- Juice and zest of 2 limes
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 4 ears of corn, peeled
- Flake sea salt, to finish
NOT
- Place chicken thighs in a large bowl and season with garlic, olive oil, 1¾ teaspoons salt and juice of 1 lime. Toss to coat. Let marinate at room temperature while grills heat or, ideally, refrigerate, covered, overnight.
- To make the lemon-basil butter, place the butter, lime zest, ¾ cup basil leaves, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a food processor and pulse until the basil is chopped and incorporated. Refrigerate overnight, or remove from the refrigerator if ready to grill.
- When ready to cook, turn the grill on to medium-high heat. If necessary, remove the chicken and lemon-basil butter from the refrigerator and place the butter near the grill to soften. Place the corn on one side of the grill, turning every 3 minutes or so, until cooked through and lightly charred, 10 to 20 minutes total. Remove the corn from the grill and trim off any charred kernels. Place on a serving platter and top with a little basil butter.
- While the corn is cooking and being sliced, place the chicken on the grill, flat side down. Grill until it releases easily from the grates, 5 to 7 minutes. Rotate the chicken slightly, without turning, to get more color on the first side. Pay attention to how the color develops, and when areas on the first side turn brown and look delicious, flip the chicken and grill for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Continue rotating and turning every few minutes until the chicken is cooked through. To check if the chicken is done, insert a knife into the thickest part of the meat. The juices should run clear and the meat should no longer be translucent.
- Remove the chicken from the grill, cut each thigh in half along its widest part, and place the slices on top of the corn. Pour the remaining basil butter over the hot chicken and sprinkle with the remaining basil leaves, remaining lime juice, and flaked salt. Grind a little extra black pepper on top.
