Grillin’ Chicken

Video

How do you know when chicken is done? When do you apply barbecue sauce? This video answers common grillin’ questions like these—and offers insights that’ll change the way you grill chicken.

Lesson

If you’re not using the smoking method of cooking a whole chicken (we’ve found that to be the best way), you can butterfly it and cook it directly over coals or gas flames. In this lesson, we’ll show you how.

Grillin’ whole chickens

The easiest way to butterfly (flatten) a whole chicken is to have a butcher do it. You can do it yourself, too, by cutting the chicken down the breastbone and pressing down firmly to flatten it as much as you can. Flattening the bird makes it cook evenly.

Once it’s flattened, rub the flesh with a favorite rub (a simple mix of salt, sugar, herbs, and spices) or spice mix, and let it marinate in the fridge for an hour or so. (See Grill U’s Rub lesson for more info on this technique.)

Place the flattened chicken directly on a clean, well-oiled barbecue grill. To make sure it cooks evenly, wrap one or two bricks in aluminum foil and place them on top of the chicken to ensure it stays flat.

While the chicken is cooking, periodically brush it with BBQ sauce (also known as basting) until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reaches 155°F. Baste one more time on the skin side, then remove the chicken and place it on a heated platter. Cover with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. The internal temperature of chicken will rise about 10 degrees while it rests, so you will end up an ideal temperature of 165°F. Serve half of the chicken per person, with BBQ sauce on the side.

Grillin’ quarter chickens

If you’re cooking quarter chickens, clean them first, then apply rub. If you’re already marinating the chicken, remove it from the marinade or brining liquid and then apply rub.

Next, place the chicken on a clean, well-oiled grill 6 to 8 inches above direct heat for 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the chicken over and grill on each side for about the same length of time. After about 8 minutes you can brush the chicken liberally with barbecue sauce. Just before you remove it from the grill, turn it over once more and apply more sauce to the other side of the chicken.

The chicken quarters are done when the juices run clear when you puncture the skin with a meat thermometer and the temperature reads 155°F in the breast sections. When done, remove the chicken from the grill, brush with sauce, cover with foil, and let it rest for 5 minutes, so it can rise to 165°F. If you want to play it safe, wait until the temperature reaches 165°F before removing it from the grill.

Need more help knowing when chicken is done? See our lesson on cooking temperatures for chicken.