How to Grill Chicken Breast on a Gas Grill? [Quick Method]
We love grilling meats on our grills. As the grilled meat has a flavour of its own. Every bite of the grilled meat has a smoky and charred yet soft and delicious flavour to it. And we cannot get enough of it. Especially summer, which is the season of barbecue. A lazy Sunday afternoon is perfect for you to have a barbecue brunch with your family and friends. And if you have a gas grill, it makes it much better. As they are economical and pretty easy to use. However, if you haven’t bought one yet, we recommend you should. To know more about them, check our article on the best gas grills under $1000.
Although the popular known fact is that grills are the perfect for steaks and burgers, we cannot ignore the other foods. Especially when you do not eat red meat or are tired of eating it. Another very delicious and easy meat you can grill is chicken. And not any part of the chicken, we are talking about the fleshy breast part of the chicken. When you grill the chicken breast on a grill, you are left with a tender, juicy and delicious result. But when cooking chicken, you also need to be very careful of overcooking. So for your help, we bring you this article on how to grill chicken breast on a gas grill.
How to grill chicken breast on a gas grill?
Grilling a chicken breast can be a proper task. As this part of the chicken is pretty lean, boneless and skinless. So if you do not do it properly, you either end up with an overcooked piece of meat, or an uncooked lump. Hence, follow the proper steps to grill a chicken breast on a gas grill.
Prepping the chicken breast
Before you do anything, you need to prep the chicken breast before it goes on the grills:
- First, make sure the chicken breast is at room temperature. If it is frozen, let it thaw. As you should never use frozen meat on a grill.
- Usually chicken breasts are pretty thick and uneven. And as these are uneven, they may not cook evenly. So you have to pound it down. You just need to put the chicken breast in a Ziploc bag or a freezer bag. And then you pound it with the help of a meat mallet. If you do not have that, you substitute it with a rolling pin or even a saucepan. Do not completely flatten it, a half of an inch is perfect.
Seasoning the chicken breast
Obviously, before you put it on the grill, season it. Like in steaks, you can grill chicken breasts with different seasonings. And they vary from dry rubs to marinades.
So dry rubs are, as the name suggests, dry ingredients/spices which you can use to season your chicken. Whereas marinades are usually wet ingredients used to season the chicken. Both can make your chicken super delicious. Hence, we will not specify a single category for you. And talk about both of them.
All our measurements are for a single chicken breast piece.
Our favourite dry rubs
Basic Dry Rub – Our first favourite among the dry rubs is the basic dry rub. And it has the basic components like the:
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 Ground Black Pepper
- Olive oil as needed
Spicy Dry Rub – Then we have our spicy dry rub for the chicken. And it has the following ingredients:
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp ground thyme
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper powder
- Olive oil as needed (only for the rub to stick on the chicken)
Applying dry rub to chicken breast –
- If you want to use any dry rubs, you need to take all the ingredients into a bowl. And then combine them thoroughly.
- After that, you just rub it on all sides of the chicken breast.
- Always do it just before grilling the chicken.
Our favourite marinades
Basic Chicken Marinade – You can never go wrong with the basic marinade. It includes:
- Olive Oil (Enough to let the whole chicken breast soak in it)
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper
- Lemon zest (Half of a lemon peel)
Garlic Herb Marinade – If you love the garlic taste in your meat, you will love this:
- Olive Oil (Enough to let the whole chicken breast soak in it)
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp chopped thyme
- 1 tsp chopped parsley
- 1 tsp chopped basil
- 1 tsp chopped rosemary
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Marinating the chicken breast.
- First take all the ingredients of the marinade in a Ziploc bag.
- Then you add the chicken breast to the bad and zip it.
- And try to spread out the marinade. So that it covers all parts of the chicken breast.
- After that you just need to keep the bag in a bowl to rest and let it marinate.
- Always try to marinate the chicken before at least 4 hours grilling it. So that it draws all the flavours. If you keep it overnight, it is much better.
The Grilling:
After all of that, we have reached to the actual grilling process for the chicken breast:
- First, you need to grease the cooking grates with cooking spray or vegetable oil.
- Then you will have to preheat your gas grill. So switch on the grill and let the temperature rise. Wait until it reaches a temperature of around 375-400°F. As this appropriate temperature for grilling chicken.
- Put the chicken breast on the grill and let it cook for a while.
- Flip it over to create the perfect sear marks.
- So the cooking time of the chicken can vary from 4 to 7 minutes.
- Always keep a thermometer at hand and keep checking the temperature of the inside of the chicken. And pull it off the grill when it reaches 165°F.
- Finally, let it rest for 5 minutes. At this time you can cover it with a foil to let it cook with the residual heat.
- Then serve it whole or cut into pieces.
With this we come to the end of the grilling procedure for a chicken breast. And you can also serve the grilled chicken with stir-fry vegetables, mashed potatoes or any sauce.
FAQs
Do I have to pound the chicken breast before grilling?
We recommend you pound the chicken breast before you grill. As pounding the meat makes the uneven flesh even. And also helps in uniform cooking of the meat while you grill.
How long should I grill the chicken breast?
So there is not a specific time under which the chicken breast cooks. But it may vary from 4 to 7 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat. The most important thing you need to notice is that the chicken’s temperature does not rise above 165°F. So the moment it reaches that temperature, you will need to remove it from the grill. After that, when you rest it for 5 minutes, it cooks itself in the residual heat.
How do I defrost the chicken breast?
Defrosting is a long process. So it will take a bit of time. You just fill your sink or a big bowl with cold water. And then you submerge the chicken breast in it. Also, change your water after every 30 minutes until it is thawed.
When do I add the sauce to chicken breast while grilling?
If you want to add a sauce to your chicken, do it at the later few minutes of grilling the meat. When you add the sauce right from the starting, it just burns off. And it will leave you with a bitter tasting chunk of meat.
What should be the temperature of the grill for grilling a chicken breast?
Always make sure that your grill is at a temperature of around 375-400°F before you grill the chicken breast. Even the temperature of 450°F is okay. But never go till 500°F, as it will leave your chicken breast stringy and overcooked.
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- 8 Best Gas Grills under $500 – Buyer’s Guide
- 8 Best Gas Grills under $200 in 2021
- 4 Best Electric Smoker under $200
Conclusion
So we have given all the steps you need to follow to make delicious grilled chicken breast. And you must make this simple recipe. As this is not time taking yet mouth watering. We hope you make it and love it too.
For more grilled recipes, you can go to our articles on steaks, ribeye steaks, burgers, ribs.
And to know more about gas grills, you can check our article on the best gas grills under $1000.
