How to Make Perfect Grilled Chicken

It's Crazy How Some Flavors Just Work: A Guide to Perfectly Grilled Chicken

It's crazy how some flavors just work, you know? Like, when you close your eyes, you really think you're at a fire pit somewhere, grilling up a storm. And that's exactly what we're going to do today - make perfectly juicy, succulent, and crispy grilled chicken that'll make you feel like a total boss.

Now, I'm not one to point fingers, but I've seen a lot of folks mess up chicken when it comes to grilling. It's like they just throw some chicken on the grill and hope for the best. But, let me tell you, there's an art to cooking chicken, and today we're going to explore that art. We're going to make this grilled chicken so easy, so simple, that even the most beginner cooks can master it.

First things first, we need to talk about the importance of cooking times. Now, I know some folks might say, "What's the big deal? It's just chicken, right?" But trust me, when you're dealing with chicken legs, which are a tough cut, you need to apply a moist long cooking method to make them real juicy and tender. We've had a recipe on Chessup for a few years that's sous vide, but today we're going to show you a similar technique using an oven.

So, here's what we're going to do: we're going to basically do a quick braise, then we're going to go to the grill. I want a little bit of smoke flavor, and let me tell you, you can get that with liquid smoke. Now, I know some barbecue enthusiasts might say, "Liquid smoke? No way!" But trust me, it's delicious, and it's consistent. You can get a range of flavors with liquid smoke, from molasses to brown sugar to maple syrup. And don't go crazy with it - you only need a little bit.

The key is to lightly coat the chicken with liquid smoke and a little bit of molasses. Now, I know what you're thinking: "What about barbecue sauce?" Well, let me tell you, we'll get to that in a minute. But first, we need to talk about how to prepare our chicken for the grill. We want to make sure it's skin side down, because that flat side is going to grill better. And, of course, we want to keep those bad boys moist - so, we're going to cover them with foil and let them cook in a 225-degree oven for about 90 minutes.

Now, while our chicken is cooking, let's talk about the importance of high heat when grilling. You see, when you grill at high heat, you get that perfect char, that crispy skin, and juicy meat all at once. And, trust me, it's worth it. So, here we are - the chicken is ready, and it's time to hit the grill.

Here's where things get a little bit tricky. You see, when you grill a steak or roast, people always say, "Rest it before slicing." But what they don't tell you is that when you let meat rest, you're actually letting out all that fat and connective tissue. It's like thickening and setting, and that's exactly what we want - juicy meat.

Now, here comes the fun part: grilling! We're going to throw those bad boys on the grill, and I want a little bit of dry heat on the skin side first. That way, if it starts to stick, you can just let it cook a little longer. And, trust me, when you get that perfect char, it's like nothing else matters. It's like magic.

As we're grilling, I want to talk about the importance of having the right tools for the job. You see, when you have the right pan, and the right foil, everything comes together seamlessly. And, let me tell you, these chicken legs are going to be so thin and paper-thin, that it's like they're glassy crispy puffy skin right below them.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "What about sauces?" Well, let me tell you, we've got some amazing sauces on Chef's Up. There's marmalade, my favorite - not too sweet, not too spicy. And then there's classic white barbecue sauce, which is like a work of art in itself. And, of course, there's mole and cinnamony raisin - insane!

So, have fun with these sauces, because they come together in just a few minutes, and it's like a whole new world of flavor has opened up to you. Trust me, when you try this grilled chicken, you'll be hooked for life.

Here are the brand-new sauces that I got from Chef's Up:

* Marmalade - not too sweet, not too spicy

* Classic White Barbecue Sauce - a work of art in itself

* Mole and Cinnamony Raisin - insane!

And there you have it - perfectly grilled chicken that'll make you feel like a total boss. It's easy, simple, and delicious. So, go ahead, give it a try, and let me know what you think!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enit's crazy how some flavors just if you like close your eyes you really think you're like at a fire pit somewhere grilling season's here i'm gonna kick it off with something super basic it's just a fundamental it's how to not f up chicken super juicy super succulent crazy crispy it's so simple it's so cheap but i feel like a lot of folks screw chicken up at the grill not trying to point fingers or anything dad this is a two-stage cook but it's super easy it's only about 60 to 90 minutes in a precision oven and then right onto the grill i'm hoping it's gonna be your go-to this summer chicken legs are a tough cut they're like the most tender tough cut you can get at the store but they're a tough cut you need to apply like a a moist long cooking method in order to make it real juicy and real tender we've had a recipe on chessups for a few years that's sous vide i'm going to show you a similar technique but in the oven so we're going to basically do a quick braise then we're going to go to the grill i want a little bit of smoke flavor and you're not going to get that in 5 10 20 minutes on the grill so we're going to do the classic chef steps thing which is a little bit of liquid smoke some barbecue enthusiasts you know don't like this i don't know what your problem is it's delicious i feel like this stuff is consistent very very consistent and there's so many smoke flavors out there that you can get that range in flavors that you know it's just hard to go wrong the molasses liquid smoke you do brown sugar you can do uh maple syrup and you don't have to go crazy with it you don't need a ton i'm just going to lightly get these guys kind of covered up oh yeah it's amazing how strong the flavor of liquid smoke and molasses too so depending on your pan you can like jigsaw puzzle it or whatever but you'll see that i'm doing this skin side down so this flat side is gonna just grill better it's gonna be more surface area on the grill god i love this stuff okay so these are also gonna tighten up and shrink you can use a big cookie sheet whatever and again if you've got 6 12 24 whatever it's all good covering them and keeping them wet they're actually going to cook quicker i'm going to put some paper here to protect it from my foil drip juice in the oven 225 90 minutes really simple uh that's it it's kind of like boring from here this is how bulletproof this whole thing is i've been standing here for 90 minutes and now the chicken's ready very safely let's check this out it's almost like like a little adobo e right now a lot of peppa a lot of pepper on these bad boys yeah so that flat spot that's we're gonna hit the grill and render the heck out of that that's what we're looking for here's the thing about like roasts and meats and steaks like you know when you grill a steak and they say rest it before slicing into it you're actually just letting it cool the fat that we've rendered out of the skin and the connective tissue is actually kind of like thickening and setting um and that's a good thing because it's going to stay in the meat longer and when we bite it later when it's warm then it's going to be extra juicy okay meat side down oh yeah we're getting like nice hot heat i got a good amount of heat on that meat side here comes the skin side oh dude you got to get get a little bit of dry heat on it first that's why you do the meat side down and then if it starts to stick just let it cook a little longer because if it starts to stick you know it's still wet so give the skin a chance to dry out caramelize get a char and it'll lift off the grill dude this is what i really like on like just i mean pretty much any barbecue but i feel like 99 time you see this it's like dried up in the inside but you see how it's just like shiny it's still dripping look at this look at that meat that's crazy so it's just the thinnest like thinner than paper that char and then just super succulent meat right under it here we are at the end of our grilled baked chicken adventure you guys know by now the secret to grilled chicken is baking it or if you really want to go hard soup eat it before you grill it but you get the idea right this is where we ended up beautiful crispy juicy because you're doing high heat and there's a little sugar on here you might get that char you might get that burn and you go oh no i burned it but roll with it give it a try because look at this it's so thin paper thin that's good char that's good burn it's not gonna overpower it it's just like glassy crispy puffy skin right below it super super super juicy meat these are all brand new sauces actually that are on chef's up i got marmalade's my favorite it's not not very sweet not a lot of folks do the classic white barbecue sauce all these sauces come together in just a few minutes too little mole little cinnamony the raisin there's insane and there's one choose your own adventure yeah have fun\n"