Not a fan of introductions? Then skip the bull and jump straight to it.
Chicken is one of the most common meats used for grilling.
This is no coincidence: It’s low in fat (especially saturated) and calories, has a lot of omega-6s and omega-3s, vitamins, minerals, and most of all – it tastes delicious.
But the problem with chicken meat – especially breasts – is that it dries out fairly quickly when cooking, leaving you with a very dry piece of meat that no sauce can fix.
Infrared grills are a real boon to grilling because they heat much more evenly than traditional gas grills.
Even heat distribution makes grilling (a whole) chicken easier because temperature control is more accurate and more easily adjusted.
A whole chicken can be grilled in many ways using quite a few techniques.
The main difference between grilling chicken on an infrared grill and other types of grills is that the infrared grill doesn’t dry out the meat while cooking as other grills do.
Instead, the infrared heating element traps the juices inside the meat.
That’s why every chicken breast is firm and juicy.
Before We Get Started
An infrared grill is the best way to cook chicken because it makes the chicken juicy and tasty.
Other grills will dry out your chicken.
When cooking chicken, I recommend cooking it with the skin on, and considering how fatty the skin is, there are chances of causing a flare-up if you use any other grill other than this one.
Also, the fat will gradually release itself while cooking, making the meat even juicier.
So now that it’s clear why you should cook your chicken on this grill, let’s take a look at the steps you should follow to prepare the best grilled chicken imaginable.
How to Cook Chicken on an Infrared Grill
This is what you need to do to cook your chicken properly on an infrared grill.
1. Don’t Skin the Chicken
Do not remove the skin from the chicken.
The skin contains fats that will help cook the chicken properly and tenderize it.
If your chicken is skinless, brine it (or marinade) to make it tender.
I know some of you folks don’t like the skin (even I didn’t when I was a kid). See the video at the end of the recipe to see how to cook chicken skinless.
2. Set up the Cooking Zone and Preheat the Grill
Set up the indirect cooking zone on your grill.
You will need an indirect zone to cook the chicken slowly so that it cooks properly.
Chicken is one of the softest meats and you risk ruining it when you cook it with direct heat.
3. Bring the Chicken to Room Temperature
You should not cook your chicken when it is frozen as the melting ice will interfere with the cooking process.
15 minutes is usually enough for the chicken to get to the right temperature from the moment you take it from the fridge.
You should, however, not leave it out there for more than an hour as you risk contaminating it with all manner of germs.
4. Cook Your Chicken on the Low to Medium Heat
Start cooking it with the skin side up.
Close the hood and let the chicken cook for about 20 minutes.
Do You Grill Chicken on High or Low Heat?
Slow and steady wins the race. As I have already mentioned, you should cook your chicken on low to medium heat for it to cook properly.
If you grill the chicken on high heat (450°F / 232°C and above), the skin will burn before the meat is cooked.
Also, you’ll break the chicken’s moisture barrier.
Of course, cooking on low heat takes time which by today’s standards is a luxury. You can increase the heat to medium (350°F / 177°C) and still enjoy a nice juicy chicken.
What Is Considered Low Heat on a Grill?
The ideal cooking temperature setting is low which is about 250°F / 121°C.
5. Don’t Add the Sauce Immediately
You may be tempted to add your barbeque sauce to add additional flavor but that should wait a little bit.
BBQ sauce burns easily – that’s why you should wait until your chicken is almost ready. Then add it.
The ideal time would be about 5 minutes to the end of your cookout so you don’t lose the sauce to the flames.
The temperature of your chicken at this point should be around 175°F / 79°C. You will need a food thermometer for this.
6. Turn the Chicken Over
Now it’s time to flip the bird (pun intended).
The fat will have dissolved on the skin by now and this would be the perfect time to turn it over.
To determine whether the chicken is ready, the chicken should not stick to the grates when you try to flip it.
The skin should also come up easily and if that’s not the case, then you should leave it on the grill for a few minutes.
7. Serve and Enjoy
It is time for you to enjoy this amazing delicacy.
The chicken should be juicy and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside and this is thanks to the amazing technology of an infrared grill.
You can enjoy the chicken with your favorite sauce and with a bowl of healthy vegetable salad.
Here’s Another Way to Grill Chicken
This method is a bit different than mine.
Here the skin is off, the chicken is marinated with a dry rub, and the sauce is added a bit sooner.
How Do You Cook Chicken Wings on an Infrared Grill?
The process is pretty similar to the one above.
Tip: if your wings are whole, cut them into smaller pieces. This way the meat will cook faster and more even.
Another bonus is that you can serve them to your guests as finger food and you won’t have to clean a bunch of utensils afterward.
Let’s go through the process again so you won’t have to scroll all the way up:
- Season it using your favorite herbs and spices
- Set the cooking zone to indirect and preheat the grill
- Put the chicken out of the fridge an leave it alone until it’s room temperature
- Once the grill is preheated, turn the heat down to low or medium
- Place the wings on the grill and cook them for about 20 minutes. Turn them around every 4-6 minutes
- Once cooked, put the wings away and sauce them
If you love Asian-style chicken wings, then take a look at this video:
How Do You Cook a Whole Chicken on an Infrared Grill?
There are many challenges in grilling and one of them is cooking chicken.
Grilling a whole chicken can be even more challenging when you consider the different techniques.
Let’s take a look at a few of the ways I think it’s best to grill a whole chicken.
These grilling methods are for grilling an entire chicken as a whole, not just grilling parts and pieces.
I think you’ll discover your infrared grill does more than improve results and flavors.
Scroll down and discover chicken nirvana!
Rotisserie Chicken
The first place I go for grilling a whole chicken is to the rotisserie.
An infrared grill offers even heat across the cooking surface allowing the chicken to cook more evenly and thoroughly.
By spinning the chicken over the heat, the juices are distributed like an automatic self-basting machine is at work the whole time the chicken is cooking.
Traditional grills can have flare-ups when the fat hits the flames but infrared grills don’t flame nearly as much keeping the chicken skin brown and crispy rather than black and burnt.
Butterfly Chicken
As delicate as this technique may sound, it’s actually a tried and true way to get delicious grilled chicken without a lot of mess.
I’ve also heard this method referred to as “Spatchcock” grilling.
Take one whole chicken and slice or scissor out the backbone. Flip the bird over and press down hard on the breast bone until it snaps.
This method reduces cooking time by 50% and increases crispy skin by 100%!
Laying the meat flat on the grill helps it cook more evenly and in the same time frame as opposed to the time differences of an un-butterflied chicken.
Beer Can Chicken
Yep, that’s right; you’ve heard of it I’m sure.
Beer can chicken has been around for a long time and in a lot of variations.
The simplest version involves a chicken, a half-filled can of beer (or the beverage of your choice), and a grill.
You sit the chicken on the beer can and close the grill lid.
The beer boils and steams the chicken as it cooks, providing a nice flavoring accent as well.
Be careful, though, this method can sear the beer and burn the chicken if you’re more focused on the beer than chicken.
Cooking Chicken on an Infrared Grill Is a Fun and Delicious Experience
Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of between 170 and 175 degrees Fahrenheit (76 to 79 degrees Celsius). Don’t forget to baste the skin to get it nice and crisp.
An infrared grill offers some real advantages over a traditional gas grill with results that will amaze and astound friends, family, and chicken grillers alike.
You can grill the best chicken and this article on cooking chicken on infrared grill highlights how to do that. Read it again in detail to understand how to cook the tastiest chicken that everyone will enjoy.
Do you like chicken skin?
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