Boneless skinless chicken breasts on KK

[Geo]

I have two boneless skinless chicken breasts, and feel unsure about how to best cook 'em. How about some advice from those of you who have done it before... Method? Temperature? Sure appreciate your wisdom.

[mk1]

Honestly? I would use the sous vide and a quick sear....

20 minutes at 64 C

Then 30 seconds a side on a hot KK direct heat

[MacKenzie]

I , too, would sous vide at 140 F for 2.75 hours then finish on a hot grill for some colour. 

[bgrant3406]

Not owning a sous vide system, I would marinade or rub with your favorite marinade/rub.

Get the grill up to ~600 (assuming you have completed your burn in/curing) and throw the breasts on to the outer edges of the grill. Shut everything down and let it go for about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. (be careful of flashbacks from the oxygen starved fire when you open)

Check your internal temperature, if done, let rest for a few minutes and then serve.

That is how I do chicken fajita's, you won't believe how juicy the chicken will be, most folks will ask if it is cooked because it is so juicy and they are not used to such moist chicken.

They never ask that a 2nd time...go figure!

[egmiii]

I'd suggest sous vide for chicken breast as well. I typically finish them off with a searzall, but you could sear them on the lower grate as well.

When it comes to chicken thighs and drumsticks, I usually smoke them indirect at 275-300 for 90 minutes or so. Way more flavor than your standard chicken breast.

[cschaaf]

I like em sous vide, too.

But more often than not, I just make them on the grill. I cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast twice last week. The first time, I did about 375 - 400 and cooked them on the top grate. 4 minutes then flip, 4 more and flip, 4 more and flip then check IT.

They came out good, but didn't have as much color or char on them, especially for my wife who likes them a little burnt around the edges. So, the second time I cooked them, I used the middle grate, same temperature, and reduced my times to 3, 3, and 3.

The grill marks were much more defined and overall the color was much more bronze than when I used the top grate. My wife was happy even though I didn't burn one for her

We also marinated them for about 30 minutes in some buttermilk.

 

 

 

[tony b]

Put me in the sous vide camp, too! But, if you don't have that tool in your tool box, then quick grill, as others have suggested.

8 hours ago, bgrant3406 said:

(be careful of flashbacks from the oxygen starved fire when you open)

This is a real thing! Be Careful. I've experienced it first hand on a BGE. It happens when you have a big fire going (500F+) and quickly starve it for air by shutting down all the vents. Combustible gases build up inside and if you open the lid right afterwards (before the fire is out), oxygen rushes in and you get a big fire ball. The best way to mitigate this is to crack open the top vent first, to let the gases vent out, then open the main lid. If you have any doubts about this, the Naked Whiz did a video on it. 

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/flash.htm

[Geo]

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I really appreciate the wealth of your experience. 

Some time ago, I suggested to Miss Jean that we should get a SV cooker. To-date, I haven't gotten her past the fear of the unknown. Will keep working on it. For now, I won't be able to try those recipes.

I've decided to try the KK recipes one-at-a-time. Tonight, I tried the one suggested by Bgrant3406. Will try the others on future cooks.

Here are my thoughts about tonight's cook... Had difficulty getting temperature up to 600*.  Had full basket of RO, hand loaded. I'm thinking that either I was just impatient, or I should have made sure to get some large lump at the bottom. Will do better next time. Shut it down at 550*, and did the approximate 4-minute cycles. Cooker cooled off quickly, and I had to leave the chicken on a lot longer than the 12 minutes that Bruce had suggested. This left the chicken a bit dry, but still good. Also tried asparagus in ci pan with EVOO, onions, and garlic. That turned out WONDERFUL! Also tried some asparagus directly on the grate. That was good, but not like the spears cooked on ci.

I'll try that recipe again with the things I've learned.

Before you ask, here's the visual evidence.  :>)

 

I'm anxious to try the other recipes that were suggested. Looks like a lot of chicken meals at Geo's house in the next couple weeks. ;>)

[MacKenzie]

That's the fun, Geo, trying different methods. Your chicken dinner does look tasty though.:)

[tinyfish]

Cook looks delicious. 

I cook boneless skinless chicken thighs and cook then indirect at 425f till done. I don't have much experience on chicken breasts.  MacKenzie is right, its good to try different cooking methods. 

[bgrant3406]

Looks good! The main thing about getting the temperature up higher is that the KK has more time to heat soak and that is part of the magic. When you shut it down the temp will drop, but the retained heat helps "bake" the food. Remember to keep the lid closed until it's time to flip the food, every time you open the lid you are letting moisture out, lowering the temp and adding time to the cook. 

The only other thought was the initial temperature of the chicken, if it was out of the fridge and onto the grill, then it will take longer to cook, if it was at or near room temperature then less time to cook.

Regardless, keep plugging, you will find that there are many ways to achieve the desired results. Cooking up high in the dome, down low, in the middle of the grill, on the outer edge and all with heat deflectors in place or with no heat deflectors! Sounds like you are going to be eating a lot of chicken trying out all the possible combinations!

 

Regards.

Bruce.

[Geo]

Thanks, Bruce. With what I've learned, I'll nail it next time! Sure appreciate the help.