For The Juiciest Chicken, Do This Before Grilling

Come summer, many of us love to chuck a piece of chicken on the grill. However, the meat's low fat content means that it's all too easy to dry the chicken out as you wait for it to cook. The resulting meat is often tough, stringy, and unappetizing. (That being said, you also don't want to undercook the chicken, which is one of the mistakes everyone makes when cooking chicken.) In an attempt to negate this issue, some people have taken to pre-cooking their chicken — often by boiling it — before finishing it on the grill. The goal here is to cook the chicken through before grilling it.

When The Takeout asked Marissa Stevens, the recipe developer and food blogger behind Pinch and Swirl, what she thought of this method, she offered some alternative advice. "If you're going to pre-cook, poaching or sous-vide is definitely better than boiling," she said. "Both let you control temperature more precisely and help the chicken stay juicy. You can finish it fast on the grill for flavor and texture without worrying if it's cooked through."

When asked why she avoids boiling her chicken before grilling it, Marissa Stevens said, "You lose the chance to build flavor on the grill, and the texture can get weirdly tight or rubbery. If you're worried about undercooking, better to start with thinner cuts or bone-in pieces that cook evenly (two-zone grilling is magic for this)." Stevens also pointed out that boiling can cause the meat to lose flavor and the skin to become so soggy that it is unlikely to crisp up, even when finished on the grill.

As Stevens mentioned, she also likes to cook her chicken using a two-zone grilling technique. This involves one side of the grill being much cooler than the other. You can place the raw chicken over the low temperature zone until it is cooked through before searing it on the hotter side, developing a smoky flavor and crisp texture. If done correctly, this technique negates the need for chicken to be pre-cooked at all. You can help prevent it from drying out by spritzing the meat as it cooks or by brining the chicken beforehand. Both of these grilling tips will ensure the finished chicken is absolutely delightful.