Grilled Chicken

There is a fine line between well cooked chicken and over cooked chicken. The fear of undercooked poultry has led to chicken dishes often being dry and tasteless. Here are a couple of tips on grilling chicken properly:

1. Lightly pound the chicken prior to placing it on the grill. Be careful not to pound it too much. You are trying to create an even cooking surface for the meat. Obviously, if only a portion of the chicken is touching the surface of the grill, it will not cook evenly.
2. The internal temperature for the chicken should be around 165 degrees. You can tell whether the meat is cooked by touching it. If it is spongy, the chicken has not fully cooked.
3. Be liberal with the salt and pepper. Too often people under season meat on the grill. The salt and pepper season the entire piece of meat, not just the outer surface.
4. Let the meat rest! 10 minutes is a good rule of thumb. If you cut into the meat too early, you will lose all of those juices that keep it moist and delicious.
5. Sear the outside on a higher grill temperature and then cook the rest on a lower grill temperature. You want to create a nice crust for the chicken, but continuing to cook the chicken on such a high temperature will dry it out.