Grilling Half Chicken

How Long To Grill Half Chicken? Chicken surely is a comfort food for many people. Apart from it being the comfort food, majority of the population living around the world prefer chicken over any kind of meat or steak. There are many reasons behind this. One of the reasons is the taste of chicken while the other is that it doesn’t require much time to be prepared.

You can consume chicken in not one but in multiple ways. The multiple ways to cook chicken include cooking chicken stew, grilling the chicken, chicken with chicken broth and many other ways too. Chicken has many nutrients and is specially enriched with proteins. This is the reason that many athletes prefer consuming chicken because it enhances muscle mass.

Chicken itself is distributed in many parts and people cook them according to their preferences. Some prefer the breast fillets over the thigh and vice versa. Breast bone is most commonly used because it is enriched with flavours. In addition to this, it takes less time for boneless chicken to cook then to cook chicken parts with bones.

People sometimes cook a whole turkey, sometimes a single fillet is prepared. This is totally a preference. Grilling chicken is one of the most common methods to cook chicken. It does not consume much time as is also easy to handle.

Guide On How Long To Grill Half Chicken

Grilling chicken halves usually requires 15 to 20 minutes but this time span can surely vary from one type of chicken part to another. Chicken with bones usually takes longer to grill than boneless chicken. In addition to this, chicken with bones is difficult to handle than the boneless chicken.

Following is a guide on how long to grill half chicken.

• Ingredients You Need

You will need simple ingredients to grill half chicken. First you have to grab a half chicken fillet. You can either get a full chicken and cut it into half or can get a wrapped half chicken fillet from store. This chicken recipe requires simple spices however, you can add or substitute the types of spices as per your needs.

You will need salt, ground pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder. In addition to this, to baste your chicken you will also need barbecue sauce.

• Rub In The Seasoning

The next step is to rub the prepared dry seasoning on the chicken fillet. At first, pat dry your chicken. If the chicken is in freezer than defrost it. It is always best to bring your chicken at room temperature before grilling it.

Once your chicken is dry, now you have to mix all the dry ingredients stated above and rub them on the surface of chicken. Give your half chicken fillets a good rub before intending them to grill.

• Prepare Your Grill

The next step is to prepare the grill. Here we are using the charcoal grill. At first you have to heat the grill to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. For charcoal grill, you have to place the chicken in between piles. However, in case of gas grill you have to heat it at higher temperatures but make sure that the centre burners are turned off.

• Grill The Chicken

The next step is to place the chicken on the grill. Place the chicken on the grill with skin up. Ensure to grill the chicken for up to 20 minutes on the grill. After doing so, flip this side of chicken to let other side grill. While grilling the chicken, make sure that the lid of the grill is closed so that the heat does not escape and the chicken doesn’t require much cooking time.

The chicken should be crispy from the outside and tender and juicy from the inside.

• Baste The Chicken

The final step is to baste the chicken. To do so, baste the chicken with barbecue sauce. You can use a brush for this purpose. Place the chicken on coals directly at this point and cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, flip the chicken and baste with barbecue sauce on the other side.

At this stage your half chicken is perfectly grilled and ready to be served with any side dish or as it is.

Health Benefits Of Chicken

There is not one but numerous health benefits of chicken. It should be incorporated as an essential part of every day meal. Following are the most significant health benefits of chicken.

• Stronger Bones And Muscles

One of the most common benefits of chicken is that it gives stronger bones and muscles. This is because chicken is rich in lean protein and it is one of the most beneficial source of amino acids. Amino acids in return make our muscles strong. Proteins and amino acids also enhance the mineral absorption in our body as we age. Hence, eating chicken promotes healthy and stronger bones and muscles and also reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

• Weight Management And Heart Health

Chicken is a rich source of protein and scientists have concluded that 25 to 30 grams of protein rich meat can help us full our appetite. This means that eating less promotes feeling of fullness  hence, better weight management can be done by incorporating chicken in your diet.

A better weight management reduces the risk of heart problems by decreasing cholesterol and high triglycerides level.

• Elevated Mood

Chicken is enriched with tryptophan. Tryptophan is a happy mood amino acid which elevates the mood naturally. Good levels of tryptophan have been linked to serotonin which gives euphoric feelings.

Final Verdict

Conclusively, you have to grill half chicken for up to 20 minutes to achieve levels of tenderness and juiciness inside while leaving the crust crispy and crunchy. You can cook your chicken on both gas and charcoal grill. However, ensure to incorporate seasonings as this can significantly alter the taste and flavour of your half chicken.

You should surely incorporate chicken in your everyday diet as it is a great source of protein and prevents us from diseases like osteoporosis and heart diseases.