Grilled chicken is one of the much-loved dishes craved by many. With minimal oil, this protein rich platter gets us with the aroma and taste. We all have some favourite spots where we head to for gorging on some grilled chicken. Yet, there are some days we like to make it at home and enjoy a good meal, with some mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. As you cut a small portion off the chicken breast and transfer it into your mouth, you scrunch your face! The chicken is as dry as dust! Some easy-peasy things followed before putting the chicken in the oven will prevent your chicken from going dry.
Need To Tenderise The Chicken
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A bit of science here. The bird’s strength providing muscle fibres are slender and long protein sheaths. They run parallel to each other yet sticking together. Pounding the chicken helps in breaking down these fibres and weaken their hold. This separates the muscle fibres tenderising the chicken. That would mean lesser grill time and retained moisture. You can use a meat tenderiser and pound your chicken. Papaya pulp is also a great meat tenderising ingredient that you might want to use.
Brine On
Although, this is the second step of ensuring that your chicken does not dry out while grilling, this is the most important one. Some science again. Salt is the agent that naturally dissolves certain muscle proteins. The dissolved muscle cannot contract while cooking, ensuring less of the internal moisture being squeezed out. This results in juicier meat. Brine your bird in ample salty water and leave it there for an hour or two. Buttermilk, and yogurt also act as excellent brines for chicken.
Abracadabra… Brick Trick
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Another method of prevent the chicken from drying out while grilling is followed by the Italians. In Italy the technique is known as pollo al matone (chicken under a brick). The process involves wrapping a brick with aluminium foil and placing it on the chicken before you start grilling. First, the brick compacts the meat helping it to be grilled more evenly. Second, the brick presses the meat against the grill racks, giving perfect grill marks on the bird’s meat. Third, the brick covers most of the chicken preventing it from drying out.
As a last tip, preheating the grill is a good idea, that helps the chicken to retain the moisture. So, get going and grill some amazing chicken for dinner tonight!
