The Best Way To Spice Up Grilled Chicken Comes Premade At Any Grocery Store

Whether you're grilling chicken breasts or thighs or even cooking a whole bird, you can't just slap it on the grates and expect it'll come out tasting great. You're going to want to dress up that grilled chicken with some kind of condiment, and one of the easiest and tastiest ways to do so is with popular store-bought salsas. Homemade salsa can also be used if you're feeling ambitious, but the grocery store kind will work just fine. Andy LaPointe, founder of Traverse Bay Farms (which produces several award-winning salsas), shared his view with The Takeout: "Adding salsa to chicken is a fast and simple way to add layers of acidity, spice, and sweetness."

A classic red or green salsa, LaPointe suggested, "adds a visual presentation due to the chunkiness of the ingredients that offer a balance to the char of the grill." If you go with a corn or black bean salsa, he pointed out, "These hearty flavors make a grilled chicken breast more of a meal while also adding texture and bulkiness," adding a Southwestern flavor and a touch of sweetness from the corn. If you want more of a barbecue sauce level of sweetness for your chicken, though, his recommendation is fruit salsas. He called them "my favorite addition to chicken because the different varieties [such as] cherry, peach, mango, and red raspberry really add a freshness."

Salsa can add flavor to grilled chicken in a number of ways. Before the chicken is cooked, you can use it as a marinade. Andy LaPointe recommended letting the meat sit in the salsa for anywhere from two to four hours, saying, "The acidity will tenderize the chicken while also infusing flavor."

Another way to employ salsa is as part of a dual cooking method. You'll start by cooking the chicken on the grill, then finish it off on the stovetop by simmering it in a pan of salsa. According to LaPointe, "This will add an extra layer of moisture and flavor." It is also an easy way to ensure that the chicken is cooked all the way through without drying out. In fact, you can even skip the grill and simply pan-sear the chicken before simmering it.

Finally, salsa can be used to top grilled chicken. As LaPointe described it, "This offers a crisp flavor." The salsa can be poured over chicken hot off the grill, served on the side, or used to dunk cold chicken leftovers in the next day.