Grilled Chicken - Do I Marinade, Baste or Smoke?
What is the quickest way to Barbecue Chicken?
Chicken is one of the most versatile meats you can put on the grill or in the smoker. Easy to cook and capable of taking on almost any flavor, it also has the added attraction of being low fat and able to take most any seasoning.
When it comes to grilling most people either grill skinless breasts or parts. The problems people have are the breasts drying out or the parts catching fire. To keep skinless chicken from getting too dry try a marinade. First you need to decide what flavor of marinade to use. We prefer Lemon Pepper, Teriyaki or Carribean Jerk Marinades. Take your thawed skinless chicken, place in a zip-lock plastic bag, pour in the marinade of your choice. Seal and place in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours. Now you are ready to grill. When grilling this will trap in the moisture. Grill at a low temperature to reduce flare ups. If you want to baste with more marinade, use fresh, do not use the marinade that is left in the bag.
When people talk about barbecue chicken they are typically talking about grilled chicken with a good thick sauce. You can make great chicken easily with a hot grill and any sauce you prefer. First you cook the chicken in the microwave 5-7 minutes, reducing your grilling time, which would reduce the chance of burning the chicken on the grill. You will need to keep a close eye on the grill to avoid flare-ups, especially if you are using a sweet sauce that can cause burning. The biggest mistake people make is to add the barbecue sauce too early. Wait until the very end or you will get charred chicken, not very appetizing. Basting is the quickest way to barbecue chicken.
You can greatly extend the versatility of chicken with a smoker. Slow smoked chicken is a great meal that deserves greater attention than it gets in the barbecue world. Whether you want a whole tea smoked chicken, smoked chicken breasts or shredded barbecue chicken, smoking adds great flavor and in much less time than whole pork shoulders. Smoking chicken is a great way to learn the ins and outs of smoking and to improve you skill at a reasonable price.
The true versatility of chicken can only be expressed in the incredible multitude of recipes. Experiment with the different marinades or wood flavor for the smoker grill.
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