Grilling: Chicken

If you want to cook a whole turkey on the grill, calculate your cooking time at 15 to 20 minutes per pound

In this story: Preventing dryness 'Under a brick' Whole birds RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Randall H. Harber
CNN News Editor

Chicken is one of the most popular meats to grill. There is nothing like the smell of it, pungent and appetizing. But chicken can also pose a lot of problems. There is no accounting for all the chicken that has been served blackened on the outside by flare-ups, or still raw next to the bone.

Not to despair, there are good ways to deal with chicken that will deliver crispy skin and well done, but still moist meat next to the bone.

In his book "On the Grill", A. D. Livingston (Lyons Press, 1999) says begin by cutting away excess fat, which is in the skin. If you suffer flare-up, he says, move the chicken, don't worry about squirting the flames with water.

MESSAGE BOARD Beverages Appetizers Side Dishes Main Course Soups, Stews and Chilies Vegetarian Pasta and Salads Desserts Breads     Wine.101 Wine Labels Learn how to read them. Wine Prices Find out how much you'll pay. Wine Varietals Use our glossary. Alcoholic Drinks Compare the nutritional value of wine against other alcoholic beverages. Message Board Name your favorite wines Champagne A complete guide     ALSO A layman's guide to better barbecue: Raichlen's new book targets master grillers, weekend chefs, even the grill-less     BARBECUE BASICS Raichlen's barbecue basics: Definitions Raichlen's 10 commandments Do you know the difference between direct and indirect cooking?     RECIPES Asian Grilled Chicken Basic Barbecue Rub Butterflied Chicken under Bricks Cedar-Planked Salmon Coca-Cola Barbecue Sauce Sweet Sesame-Soy Marinade The Only Marinade You'll Ever Need

Raichlen advises using a two-step method -- have part of the grill hot by doubling up on the charcoal while having another part cooler by using a single layer of briquettes. Move the chicken from the hot part to the cool part of the grill, he advises, to crisp the skin and minimize flare-ups.

Because chicken is prone to dry out, using a marinade that adds moisture to the meat is a good idea.

In addition, a basting sauce can be used during the cooking, but don't use a basting sauce that has a lot of sugar in it until very near end of cooking. Sugar burns quickly. If you put a basting sauce or barbecue sauce with brown sugar in it on the chicken as it starts to cook, it will be burned by the time the chicken is done.

The way around this is to use a basting sauce -- sometimes called a mop -- containing oil and wine but not sugar. Another quick basting sauce is one made of apple cider vinegar, mustard and a pinch of salt.

Livingston says he simply keeps the brown sugar out of his basting sauce until about 8 minutes before the chicken is done. He then adds the sugar and bastes the chicken.

A barbecue sauce, your own or a commercial variety, can be brushed over at the end.

In the "Best Little Grilling Cookbook," Karen Adler (Celestial Arts, 2000) uses only a marinade. Adler mixes up the marinade based on soy sauce, lemon juice, and rice wine vinegar. The cut-up chicken pieces are placed in the marinade for 6 to 8 hours, then grilled over medium-hot fire for 20 to 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chicken is done.

or chicken pieces "under a brick." In this method, the chicken can be left in a marinade or simply grilled fresh and sprinkled with salt. The cooking grate is oiled and the chicken halves or pieces are placed skin-side down over indirect high heat. The bottom of a sheet pan is oiled and placed over the chicken, then bricks are placed in the sheet pan to press the chicken flat against the grill grate.

The result is that the chicken bastes itself, cooking in its own juices so that after cooking for about 15 minutes a side, the chicken comes out moist and tender. Usually the skin will be crispy as soon as the juices from the chicken run clear. If the skin isn't crispy enough, a minute or two over direct heat will usually do the trick.

An adaptation of this Italian method can be found in "Weber's Art of the Grill: Recipes for Outdoor Living" (Chronicle Books, 1999), written by Jamie Purviance. Purviance uses split 3-pound chickens and throws in a sweet, tangy barbecue sauce.

This is also a good method for apartment dwellers who don't have access to an outdoor grill but can use a grill pan with ridges instead. The chicken is placed in an oiled pan; another skillet -- its bottom covered with aluminum foil -- is placed on top of the chicken. Weights -- foil wrapped bricks for example -- are then placed in the top pan. Adjust the heat a bit lower than you would get on the grill and let the chicken have a little extra time. The result will be the same: moist chicken with crispy skin.

When it comes to whole birds, the two methods to use are indirect grilling or using a rotisserie if your grill has one. Using the indirect method, a whole chicken will cook in about an hour and a half. The rotisserie method speeds things up, cutting from 15 to 30 minutes off the cooking time.

Whole ducks and turkeys can also be done by the indirect method using medium heat. A duck will cook in two to two-and-half hours. For turkeys use 15 to 20 minutes a pound.

The birds are done when the flesh around the thigh is pricked and the juices run clear.

Beef
Pork
Poultry
Seafood
Shellfish
Vegetables

A layman's guide to better barbecue: Raichlen's new book targets master grillers, weekend chefs, even the grill-less
August 25, 2000
'Summertime' barbecue cook-off
July 3, 2000
Chat transcript: Chef Bobby Flay discusses great grilling
May 26, 1999

Meat Cuts Manual
The Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichlen
Workman Publishing
The Lyons Press
Ten Speed Press, Celestial Arts and Tricycle Press
Chronicle Books
Beef.Org
EatChicken.com
National Shellfisheries Association
National Pork Producers Council
US FDA/Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN)

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.