As I am getting ready to grill a batch of boneless skinless chicken breasts for tonight (OK don't judge me) I thought I would share my process.

As any bird quickly dries out on a grill/smoker, keeping it moist and tender is always a challenge. This is especially true for boneless skinless anything. As bird muscle is fairly dense, it is slow to take up marinades and quick to dry out. Accordingly, boneless skinless breasts quickly become tough and dry as they cook on a grill. So to address both of these issues I do the following:

I cut a pocket into the breast basically dividing the muscle in half, however I am careful not to butterfly them; just a pocket. Then I marinade them for 24 hours typically in a Ziploc bag with a sweet-spicy teriyaki-sesame sauce, or lemon pepper, or my favorite pineapple-habanero glaze from Robert Rothschild Farms. Then all the contents are dumped into a covered Pyrex dish and then into the oven at 300 for 20 - 25 minutes to raise the internal temps to 145ish degrees.

I stoke the charcoal grill temp to NUKE (500+ degrees) and toss the chicken breasts on. Within 8 -10 minutes the internal temp hits 155 - 160 and have achieved good char on the outside. I then return the breasts to the still warm Pyrex dish with the marinade (it is completely disinfected) to let the breasts rest and absorb more flavor. If you're worried about reusing the marinade you can always add fresh while the chicken rests.

The chicken is always tender, moist, and has all the flavor of the charcoal fire.

FWIW

Thanks for the tip. That's an interesting idea + can see the moisture-retaining qualities. For the last few years, at Thanksgiving, I have been using the plastic bag formula on my turkeys + they are fall-apart tender. Yours just adds some internal flavor .

That is a modified sous vie method. But using dry heat instead of water immersion to pre-heat the meat. I am going to try that. I've been butterflying the breast and making a heart shape like one of the chain chop houses does. Then I marinate and slap on a hot grill.

Chicken breast! BLECH!

Handover your man cards........just do it.....

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That is a modified sous vie method. But using dry heat instead of water immersion to pre-heat the meat. I am going to try that

Me too.

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Originally posted by JTEX:
Chicken breast! BLECH!

Handover your man cards........just do it.....

Jim, relax, everyone paleo knows that chicken is the vegetable of the meat world.

I am not switching sides. Promise. Plus the GF likes it so there are hidden benefits.