Bobby Flay's Grill It! - Bobby Flay [23]
I can’t imagine that there are many people out there who could find fault with a juicy grilled chicken breast. (A dry, charred-on-the-outside, raw-in-the-middle one maybe, but in this chapter I’ll give you the tips to ensure that never happens to you again.) The great thing about chicken is how many different ways you can season and flavor it. Chicken is a global kitchen staple and is therefore a perfect match with most ethnic cuisines imaginable.
While I would guess that most people prefer (or at least think that they do) white breast meat, there are so many other options to consider. Grilled chicken thighs are a personal favorite. The meat is tender, juicy, and flavorful. Their popularity is on the rise and you can find them in your supermarket aisles both bone-in and skin-on and boneless and skinless. Pound for pound, thighs are also less expensive than breasts. Regardless of the cut, I generally prefer to cook my poultry on the bone as it makes for a juicier end result.
When it comes to shopping for chicken, I look for one of two kinds: either kosher or free-range. These may be a bit pricier than your standard brands, but what you get in return—a more flavorful, juicier, and better-tasting bird—is worth the extra cost. You should be able to find one or the other, if not both, at most major supermarkets. There are also great shopping resources available on the Web (see Sources).
Perfectly Grilled Chicken Breasts
I would say that one of the most frequent cooking questions I am asked is, “What’s the secret to cooking moist chicken?” And though it may sound flip, my answer is always: don’t overcook it. It’s really that simple. While it is true, for safety reasons, that chicken must be cooked all the way through, that doesn’t mean that it has to look and taste like leather. Boneless chicken breasts take fewer than 10 minutes to cook and need to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing, to allow the juices to recirculate through the meat.
It will also help if you pound the chicken to an even thickness so that it cooks evenly and keep the skin on to add extra moistness while cooking. If you are watching your weight or don’t want to eat the skin, just remove it after you cook the chicken. Finally, make sure the grill is good and hot. Since the breast will cook quickly, you want to make sure you get a good crust on the outside before the inside is cooked.
When you buy boneless chicken breasts they have a tapered shape and a tenderloin attached. For grilling purposes it is best to remove the tenderloin, since its thin shape will cook much too fast to be any good before the rest of the chicken is cooked. Grill the tenderloins together for about two minutes per side until just cooked through.
Serves 4
4 (8-ounce) boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat your grill to high.
Place the chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and, using a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy sauté pan, pound the chicken lightly to an even ½-inch thickness.
Brush the breasts on both sides with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the breasts on the grill, skin side down, and cook until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over and continue grilling until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes longer. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should register 155 degrees F.
Remove from the grill, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Individual Grilled Chicken “Muffuletta” Sandwiches with Spicy Olive Relish
It’s not exactly like the muffuletta that you will find at Central Grocery (where the sandwich originated in 1906) in New Orleans, but I incorporated two of the key ingredients—olive relish and provolone cheese—to make my own grilled chicken version. Muffulettas are always served cold, and you could assemble the sandwiches and then weight them