Dark meat of poultry needs more time to cook than white meat..so chicken thighs should be the first on the grill, then legs, then breasts. And they most likely will come off the grill in reverse order. Medium heat for grilling chicken is better than HIGH heat. You want to brown, not scorch the chicken.
According to the National Chicken Council, only 1% of the fat comes from cooking chicken with the skin on. So remove it after cooking because skin helps to prevent the meat from drying out.
When cooking chicken or other meat with fat – try to place the meat so the fat does not drip on the vaporiser bar and/or burner unit, this will help to prevent flare ups as the fat will be less likely to vaporize and ignite.
Use a meat thermometer while cooking chicken to check for doneness – 180°F for whole chicken, 170°F for bone-in parts and 160°F for boneless parts.
When possible, allow chicken to come to room temp before cooking – that helps to ensure the inside is done when the outside is done!
Consider learning how to properly break-down a chicken so you can prep it to remove excess fat prior to grilling. The less fat on the chicken parts the less likelihood of fat flare-ups.
Fat in the meat will add to flavor. Fat on the meat will add to flames and flare-ups. Trim the side fat on steaks and excess fat from roasts, chicken, etc. that will only render and fall into the fire.
Cooking cold chicken straight from the cooler or fridge will result in overcooked outside and undercooked inside.
Please follow safe rules for handling poultry and use common sense regarding leaving chicken out to warm prior to cooking.
Chicken breasts can be seared on cast iron grates when using a charcoal or gas grill. If you have a new Char-Broil® infrared grill use a medium-high setting.
Did you know that different parts of the chicken require different time and heat to cook properly? White meat (breasts) cook pretty quickly while the dark meat (legs and thighs) take longer. Learning to grill in “shifts” according to how the meat cooks is one way to improve your results. These grilled chicken parts are moist and delicious; marinated in buttermilk and slow grilled with just the right blend of spices in the dry rub. You can also “glaze” the chicken parts during the final 10 minutes of cooking to create a succulent and tasty coating.