How to Cook Chicken on a Gas Grill

Grilling is an activity done only on weekends, holidays, and of course for parties. And why not? It takes time, patience and a relaxed mind to grill a chicken properly. For the purpose of grilling, you can either choose gas or charcoal grills. Though both ways of grilling can give you delicious chicken, cooking in a grill is more convenient. It is an electronic machine where you can control the temperature with the help of switches, and you also do not have to fear the wind extinguishing the flame. Grilling chicken on the gas is easy, but there are certain techniques and precautions that you need to know before you start cooking.

Though there are less chances of the chicken getting burnt on the grill, there are still many people who have burnt the chicken for the initial few times they have tried to grill chicken. However, with practice, a person can definitely learn how to grill chicken properly. The two important things that you have to take care of is the level of the flame and the time that takes for cooking the chicken thoroughly on a gas grill.

Grilling Chicken
There are certain steps that you have to follow while cooking chicken.

1. First thing you have to do is clean the chicken thoroughly. Once you have done this, you have to add seasoning both to the inside and outside part of the chicken. You can add salt, fresh basil, thyme, pepper, rosemary and cilantro to the chicken.
2. Heat the grill and coat the grill with vegetable or olive oil, as per your preference with the help of a stiff wire brush. One very important thing to remember is to keep the flame of the grill on low (230 to 250 degrees F), as a high or medium flame can cause the chicken to get charred.
3. Place the chicken on the grill and constantly turn the chicken after every ten minutes. The chicken would take at least 30 - 40 minutes to cook completely.
4. Before taking the chicken out of the grill, you should check the temperature with the help of a meat thermometer. The ideal internal temperature of a cooked chicken should be around 170 degrees F.
5. Once the color of the chicken turns golden brown, switch off the grill and transfer it into a different serving plate.

Indirect Method of Grilling Chicken
Other than the above given direct method of grilling chicken, another method would be indirect grilling. There are mainly two ways in which one can grill chicken indirectly. One way would be by covering the base of the grill (below the grate) with aluminum foil and cook chicken on it. The other method can be done only if your grill has dual burners. What you have to do is, before placing the chicken on the grate, switch on both the burners for some time. Switch off one of them and place the chicken on the side which is switched off. For cooking chicken thoroughly by these methods, it may take a little extra time than the direct grilling method (approximately 10 minutes more). However, there is less chance of the chicken getting burned by these methods.

An important thing one must remember is that grilled chicken should never be served by directly taking it from the grill. After you transfer the chicken into a serving plate, let it rest for 10 - 15 minutes before you cut them into pieces. Otherwise, there is a chance of the chicken turning hard. To enhance the flavor of the chicken, serve it with BBQ sauce.

This article must have given you a fair idea about cooking chicken. So if you are planning a party at home, be ready with your grill and other grilling equipment, and go ahead to treat your family and friends with some delicious chicken.