By Kent “The Deck Chef” Whitaker
Ready for grilling and barbecue double speak? One of the easiest meats to grill is chicken. And… one of the hardest meats grill is chicken. Why? Because many people fear undercooking chicken so they tend to go a bit overboard. That leads to overcooking and the dreaded dry bird! Here’s some tips, and a recipe, for Fearless Grilled Chicken!
White and Dark
Chicken has two distinct types of meat – dark and light/white. Everybody that has eaten chicken or poultry knows that simple fact. Here’s the trick that grilling gurus, competition barbecue teams, and countless chefs know and use White meat, such as breast meat, is leaner and can dry out if over cooked.
Darker meats lend themselves perfectly to grilling as they have a higher fat content. Think about it. How often have you eaten dried grilled wings, drumsticks, or thighs? You rarely see those barbecue contests on TV include breast meat. The choice is more likely to be chicken thighs. Dark meat has more fat, which makes it juicier, taste awesome, and harder to dry out when compared to chicken breast.
Thermometer Love!
I have to say that I love my thermometer when it comes to chicken. It’s actually the true secret weapon when it comes to avoiding dried out poultry. A meat thermometer helps ensure that everything is fully cooked no matter if you’re baking, smoking, or grilling. So season your dark or white chicken cuts, grill until they are fully cooked, and enjoy.
Oh, here’s where fully cooked is defined by the USDA as; “All Poultry including, breasts, whole bird, legs, thighs, and wings, ground poultry, and even stuffing should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C).”
So why is chicken so popular on the grill?
There are several reason including that chicken is often more affordable than other selections. Plus, chicken is easy to cook, it’s very versatile when it comes to how many different ways you can season and cook it, and let’s face it – chicken wings are pretty awesome for tailgate grilling!
Grilled Tennessee Whiskey Chicken Breasts
Kent Whitaker’s Grilled Chicken Breast – Photo by Kent Whitaker
Time to put my money where my chicken breast is! Get your thermometer ready! Hey, I’m from Tennessee but born in Kentucky! That means I appreciate being from both the home of good Tennessee Whiskey as well as Kentucky Bourbon. This recipe is from my newest book – Great American Grilling. The only difference is that I include thighs, wings, as well as breasts in the book. And, of course you can use some bourbon from Kentucky as well. Just combine, baste, grill and enjoy!
3-6 chicken breasts, bone in or boneless.
1 cup favorite barbecue sauce
1/4 stick butter melted
3 tablespoons Tennessee Whiskey or Kentucky Bourbon
2-3 tablespoons honey
Directions: Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and divide. You can double the sauce as needed depending on the number of pieces you’re planning on grilling. Marinate the wings in half of the sauce while covered and chilled for several hours. Before you grill; place the divided half of the sauce in a sauce pan and reduce the mix slightly over medium high heat. You want a thicker version of the sauce when you baste. Grill the wings over medium high heat while basting with the thickened sauce. Turn as needed. Discard any remaining sauce used as the marinade. Check your thermometer – see above! Serve hot!
Whiskey Note: Tennessee Whiskey can be found in many of my barbecue sauce recipes. The term Tennessee Whiskey commonly refers to a whiskey/whisky that is made using the Lincoln county Process named after Lincoln County Tennessee. The Lincoln County process means that product is charcoal filtered and store in wooden barrels or vats for the multiyear aging process. Two of the most familiar brands using the Lincoln County Process are Jack Daniel’s and George Dickel. But… both are located just outside of Lincoln County! The George Dickel Distillery, which uses the traditional Scottish spelling of “Whisky” minus the “e,” is located in Coffee County and Jack Daniels is located in Moore County.
About KENT WHITAKER
Kent Whitaker, also known as “The Deck Chef,” is a culinary writer and cookbook author. He’s also penned Young Reader and History titles. The former winner of the Emeril Live Food Network Barbecue Contest also covers football, motor-sports, and bass fishing. Kent currently lives in East Tennessee with his wife, son, and a couple of dogs that love when he fires up the smoker or grill. You can find him online: thedeckchef.com, twitter: @thekentwhitaker, and instagram: @greatamericangrilling.
