The Simple Trick for Perfectly Grilled Chicken Breasts, According to Experts

With this beautiful spring weather beckoning me outside at every opportunity, lately I’ve been opting to cook dinner on the grill as often as possible. Which means, I’ve been doing a little research on all my go-to grilled dishes and discovering new grilled favorites. However, despite my recent quest to gather grilling knowledge, there’s one food item that I seem to fail at every time: chicken breast.

Grilled chicken breast often turns out dry or flavorless, which is a very disappointing outcome when you’re looking forward to delicious, juicy chicken. But because chicken breast is so affordable and versatile, I was determined to find a hack to avoid the dreaded dryness.

In chatting with three chicken experts, I discovered that there is, in fact, a simple trick to make foolproof grilled chicken breasts.

The Grilling Pros

The Trick to Perfectly Grilled Chicken Breasts

“The most important method for great grilled chicken breasts is a simple technique that works wonders,” says Keckler: “Flatten each breast to an even thickness using a kitchen mallet.”

Now, where Keckler and Miles opt for simply pounding, Clay advises you butterfly your breast before tenderizing it to increase uniformity in thickness. “The reason for butterflying is because chicken breast is not uniform, it tapers from thick to thin which isn’t ideal. Butterflying just makes the meat cook more evenly,” he says, “you can then opt to use a meat mallet to further flatten the meat.” 

This method works well, says Keckler, because “by flattening the meat, we not only tenderize it but ensure the breast cooks evenly and more quickly with much less chance of drying out over a hot grill.”

Step one, either butterfly and pound or simply pound the breast to an even thickness. “Flatten the chicken breasts to about 1/2 inch thickness by placing them between two sheets of plastic wrap or inside a zip-top plastic bag,” suggests Keckler, “then gently pound them with a rubber mallet.”

After pounding, step two is seasoning or marinating if you wish to imbue the meat with some extra flavor. 

How to Season and Grill Chicken Breasts

Clay brines his breast in a salt solution (of around 3 to 5 percent salinity). He likes a wet brine because “when completely surrounded by a salt solution, all parts, cracks, and crevices of the chicken are salted evenly instead of just what your hands/fingers are able to sprinkle on the meat.”

Keckler likes to coat the meat in Italian or balsamic dressing and Miles, for his part, opts for an overnight marinade of yogurt or buttermilk, explaining that adding a marinade “tenderizes the meat and locks in moisture.”

Finally, put the chicken on a hot grill, so you only need a few minutes per side. While you want the internal temperature to be 165°F, Clay suggests: “Instead of 165°F, go to about 155°F internal then take off to rest for 5 minutes, then slice. ‘Pulling early’ at 155°F greatly improves the meat’s texture, eliminating any chance of it being dry and stringy.” The chicken should rise to safe temperature as it sits.