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Chicken breasts are not a very popular meat for summer BBQs, as they\u2019re perceived as invariably turning out dry and boring. But the truth of the matter is that the problem often lies with the chef and not the meat itself. Over the years I\u2019ve learned a handful of tricks for grilling chicken breasts so that they turn out flavorful and juicy every time. <\/span><\/p>\n Read on for how to confidently include this delicious white meat at your next summer grill-out. <\/span><\/p>\n When grilling any meat, you want a cut with even thickness all around \u2014 that\u2019s the only way it\u2019ll have a consistent temperature all the way through. Those giant chicken breasts you get at the store are always lopsided and inevitably cook unevenly. The thin side is done in 10 minutes, but the big end needs another 10 to get to temperature; by that point, half the breast is overdone and too dry to enjoy. <\/span><\/p>\n You have a couple options to even out the chicken to make it easier to grill. You could pound out the thick end of the breast, but I\u2019ve always found that to be an unpleasant process. It leads to a mess and makes for misshapen cuts of meat. <\/span><\/p>\n My preferred tactic is to use a sharp knife and slice the whole thing horizontally. It\u2019s still inevitably a <\/span>little<\/span><\/i> uneven, but not nearly as much as before. The internal temperatures may not be totally consistent, but since the cut of meat will be thin anyway, it doesn\u2019t matter as much. You could \u201cbutterfly\u201d the cut, which is where you cut horizontally but stop before you go all the way through. In my opinion, though, there\u2019s not much point to that; might as well just go all the way, as it makes for easier handling on the grill and plate. <\/span><\/p>\n Apply a light layer of salt to your piece of chicken \u2014 a \u201cdry brine\u201d \u2014 at least a few hours before cooking, up to a full 24. As Samin Nosrat explains in her book <\/span>Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat<\/span><\/i><\/a>, the benefit of this salting, which applies to any kind of meat, is that \u201cthe piece of meat remains moister, and you have a greater margin of error for overcooking.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Juicier chicken, with less risk of a dried-out, overcooked product. Win-win! There\u2019s no reason not to give the meat a dry brine. Here\u2019s how: <\/span><\/p>\n Right before cooking, you can also apply any other seasoning you like \u2014 there\u2019s no real reason to do it ahead of time with the salt. It\u2019s the salt that\u2019s doing all the work and any additional seasoning is just for flavor at the time of eating.<\/span><\/p>\nThe Keys to Grilling Perfect Chicken Breasts<\/span><\/h3>\n
Slice the Cut Horizontally<\/h3>\n
Salt Ahead of Time <\/h3>\n
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