Nothing is as simple yet satisfying as great grilled chicken breast. There’s a mastery of the grill required to get the perfect flame-kissed exterior while locking in moisture and flavor. It’s a feat not all can accomplish. Rush it, and you’ll burn the outside, undercook the inside, and take too long, and you’ll end up with dry, rubbery chicken that no amount of barbecue sauce can rescue.
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When it comes to chicken recipes, they can either evoke a Pavlovian response or a trigger in some cases. We either think of amazing flavors layered over juicy, tender bites. Or we think of dry, bland, overcooked chicken. It’s rarely both.
But chicken, when cooked properly, is an amazing protein with limitless possibilities for flavor pairings. It’s simple, comforting, and, when grilled, downright delicious.
But, the high heat of the flames and the need to cook the chicken to a safe internal temp, with minimal margin for error can make things tricky. Unlike a perfectly grilled hamburger, which can go a little over or a little under and still be a satiating bite, chicken needs to be 165 degrees F. Anything under it’s risky, and anything over and the lean white meat can start to dry out.
We found the trick to tantalizing chicken is leaving the bone in, the skin on, and using a two-zone fire. The bone and skin add richness and flavor with the little added excess fat basting over the meat, and the direct and indirect heat allows to both sear the chicken skin, keeping it crispy, with a hint of smoky flavor, and also gently cook the chicken pieces to the perfect temperature. With minimal BBQ spices or whatever flavor profile you choose, we found this to be the best chicken we’d thrown on the grill.
🍗 The cut: What is a bone-in chicken breast?
When it comes to grilling chicken, there’s one thing we do think adds more flavor. That is using bone in. Sure, boneless chicken breasts work great for quick meals like chicken fajitas, but when grilling chicken, whether it’s a spatchcocked chicken or chicken leg quarters, we find the flavor comes from using bone-in. And the same goes for the best grilled chicken breasts.
A bone-in chicken breast, it’s just that. A chicken breast that has been cut from the chicken, leaving the breast bone on the back. Often with skin as well. Where this does make slicing the chicken a wee bit harder than boneless, we find it’s worth it with the flavor we get in every bite.
Bone-in chicken breasts and split chicken breasts are the same thing. However, split chicken breasts are often cut in half, making for smaller portions and faster cooking times. Both bone-in and split chicken breasts work for this easy grilled chicken recipe.
You can find boneless chicken breasts at every market in the USA and most around the world, but you may need to ask at the butcher counter or buy from a trusted online meat shop for bone-in.
Ingredients
We use classic split chicken for this simple recipe with some basic pantry staples but
- Bone in chicken breasts, we prefer bone-in skin on for the best flavor.
- Kosher Salt
- Ground black Pepper
- Cumin
- Paprika
- Granulated garlic
- Cayenne pepper
How to grill chicken breast
This is an uncomplicated recipe for basic grilled chicken. Feel free to mix and match any flavor profile for this and make it your own. From lemony garlic chicken to herb-crusted, it’s the perfect protein for any flavor combo.
Prep the chicken
- Start by taking the chicken from the package and patting it dry with paper towels. On a clean work surface, trip any extra skin, if needed, with kitchen sheers. If desired, you could pop it in a chicken marinade if you have the time and want to infuse a little more flavor. Just remember to pat the chicken well dry before grilling, as excess marinade can cause flare-ups.
- Then, mix the rub together in a small bowl. You could opt to use your favorite barbecue spice mix, like GirlsCanGrill Chicken blend or a simple herbaceous blend like Over Easy if desired. Rub both sides of the chicken chicken liberally, and using your fingers, be sure to work some of the spice mix under the skin. Pull the skin back to cover as much of the chicken breast as possible.
grill the chicken
- Meanwhile, prep your gas grill for a two-zone fire. Start by turning all burners on and allowing the grill to preheat with the lid closed. Clean and oil the grill grates. Turn two of the four (or two of the three) burners off on the grill, creating a cool side and a hot side. If you want to smoke on a gas grill, place a smoker box on the hot side of the grill filled with wood chips. Close the lid and allow the grill to preheat to 350-375 degrees F.
- When the grill is ready, place the chicken breasts skin side down on the cool side of the grill (the area with the burners turned off). We skip adding oil directly to the chicken because we ensure the grill grates are liberally oiled before adding the meat to avoid pulling or eating the meat. Allow the chicken to cook for 15 minutes for the skin to golden brown.
- Rotate the chicken and close the lid, allowing it to cook for another 15 minutes. Then flip the chicken, still on the indirect heat area, so the bone is on the grill grates and cook 10 minutes longer, until the thickest part of the chicken breast registers 160 degrees F with a digital meat thermometer, taking care that the probe does not touch the bone or it will get an inaccurate reading. We rotate to make sure that all the skin-on chicken breasts get evenly cooked, as it’s unlikely they will be an even thickness. The times will change based on the size of the chicken breast, but with chicken, although you want to keep the lid closed to lock the heat in, it’s best never to go too far from the grill.
- At the very end, for crispy skin, transfer the chicken using long tongs to the grill’s hot side. Place it skin side down and sear the skin, rotating as needed to avoid flare-ups. Because of the dripping fat from the skin, you want to keep a watchful eye on it at this stage. You can also brush the chicken with your favorite BBQ sauce and place it on the hot side of the grill to set the sauce for 5 minutes.
- When the barbecue chicken is cooked through, remove it from the grill with long grilling tongs and transfer it to a clean cutting board or baking sheet. Tent the grilled bone-in chicken breast with foil and rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Girl Carnivore Expert Recipe Tips
For a charcoal grill:
Prep the chicken as directed in the recipe card and your charcoal grill for a 2-zone fire by arranging lit coals on one side of the grill. If using smoking wood, add it to the hot coals now. Close the lid, adjust the air vents to allow the grill to preheat to 350-375F, and wait until the smoke runs clear blue before adding the chicken and cooking as directed in the instructions until the chicken reads 160 F with an instant-read thermometer.
We love Cowboy lump charcoal. It’s real wood, so we find that we don’t have to add wood for juicy grilled chicken to get that authentic barbecue flavor. However, we love hickory or oak with BBQ chicken if you’re using smoking wood. Check out our shop page for more of our favorite grills, fuels, and tools.
For a pellet grill:
Prep the split chicken breast recipe as the full recipe card instructed, and set your pellet smoker to 375 degrees F. Because a pellet smoker doesn’t have a cooler or hot side, you will want to keep an eye on the chicken breasts, rotating them as needed until they reach 165F.
For the best flavor, we love Jack Daniel’s pellets. We pair this with a few wood chunks in the hot corners of our Traeger to get more grilled flavor.
What to serve with grilled chicken
Grilled chicken is one of those main dishes that goes with any and all of your favorite side dishes. Dress is up with smoked cabbage and rajas con crema. Or make it a family favorite with a poblano crema and grilled corn. It pairs great with red chimichurri or classic chimichurri sauce and is wonderful dunked in Alabama white sauce.
We often grill an extra bone-in breast or two to use with our easy 1000 island dressing in quick salads for the week. If the grill is already lit, there’s no point in not meal-prepping for the week.
How to store leftovers and reheat
Store leftover grilled chicken tightly wrapped in foil or in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat it by slicing it from the bone and serving it cold in sandwiches or chicken salad. To reheat it, wrap it in foil and place it in an oven preheated to 325 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes.
Leftover grilled chicken is wonderful, diced up, and used in our favorite Mexican chicken soup or white chicken chili.
More easy grilled chicken recipes
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Grilled Chicken Leg Quarters
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Grilled Spatchcock Chicken
Campfire Recipes
Cast Iron Frittata
Poultry Recipes
Grilled Chicken Chilaquiles Verdes
Grilled chicken breast is a versatile dinner idea that can be enjoyed in various ways. Its simplicity allows for easy options for your family with different marinades, seasonings, and side dishes. And once you master grilling it, it’s a straightforward, easy recipe. Fire up the grill and indulge in this flavorful and nutritious dish today.
Grilled Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 4 lbs Bone in chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Ground black Pepper
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Granulated garlic
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
Instructions
Prep the chicken:
- Remove the chicken from the package and pat dry.4 lbs Bone in chicken breasts
- Remove any excess skin or fat with kitchen sheers, if needed.
- Optional, marinate the chicken in a great marinade if desired and pat dry when ready to grill.
- Blend the spice mix together in a small bowl.1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt, 1/2 tsp Ground black Pepper, 1 tsp Cumin, 1 tsp Paprika, 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp Granulated garlic
- Rub the bone-in breasts liberally on both sides with the spice blend. Using your fingers, work to get the spice blend under the skin. Gently pull the skin back to cover as much of the breast as possible.
Prep the grill:
- Prep the grill for a two-zone fire by igniting all of the burners and allowing the gas grill to preheat.
- Clean and oil the grill grates.
- Turn off 2 of the 4 (or 2 of the 3) burners to create a hot side and a cool side of the grill.
- Close the lid and allow the grill to preheat to 350-375 degrees F.
Grill the chicken:
- Place the chicken breasts, skin side down on the cool side of the grill grates.
- Close the lid and let the chicken cook for 15 mintues.
- Rotate the chicken, still skin side down, moving the furthest back piece to the front and so on. Close the lid to cook for another 15 minutes.
- Flip the chicken, bone side down and cook for another 10 minutes or until the thickest part of the breats internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F with an instant read thermometer.
- The times will change based on the size of the chicken breast, but with chicken, although you want to keep the lid closed to lock the heat in, it’s best never to go too far from the grill.
- For the last 3 to 5 minutes, use long grilling tongs to transfer the chicken to the hot side of the grill, skin side down to add a little char to the skin. Rotate the chicekn as needed to avoid flareups from the dripping fat from the skin.
- If using bbq sauce, baste the chicken before this step to allow the sauce to set.
- According to the USDA, chicken is safe to eat at 165 degrees F. Always use a digital meat thermometer for the most accurate results.
Rest and serve:
- Transfer the chicken to a serving platter or cutting board, tent loosely with foil and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Prep the chicken as directed in the recipe card and your charcoal grill for a 2-zone fire by arranging lit coals on one side of the grill. If using smoking wood, add it to the hot coals now. Close the lid, adjust the air vents to allow the grill to preheat to 350-375F, and wait until the smoke runs clear blue before adding the chicken and cooking as directed in the instructions until the chicken reads 160 F with an instant-read thermometer. We love Cowboy lump charcoal. It’s real wood, so we find that we don’t have to add wood for juicy grilled chicken to get that authentic barbecue flavor. However, we love hickory or oak with BBQ chicken if you’re using wood. Check out our shop page for more of our favorite grills, fuels, and tools. FOR A PELLET GRILL:
Prep the split chicken breast recipe as the full recipe card instructed, and set your pellet smoker to 375 degrees F. Because a pellet smoker doesn’t have a cooler or hot side, you will want to keep an eye on the chicken breasts, rotating them as needed until they reach 165F. For the best flavor, we love Jack Daniel’s pellets. We pair this with a few wood chunks in the hot corners of our Traeger to get more grilled flavor.
Nutrition
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Save Recipe BookmarkRecipe FAqs
Keep it simple. Chicken is best paired with oak or hickory for that classic smoky flavor.
You can, but you will want to decrease the cooking time. We find bone-in chicken to be the best option for this great flavor.
We find that preheating your grill between 375-400 is the best way to grill bone-in chicken pieces.
