Grilled Chicken - Four Easy Tips on How to Cook the Perfect Bird Outdoors

I love chicken. I love chicken that has been fried, roasted, baked, boiled, stir-fried, steamed, broiled, barbecued or cooked on a grill. Especially, cooked on a grill. Here are four very easy tips to help you grill the perfect chicken outside. 1. Rub the bird with a spice rub; 2. Grill at a fairly low temperature; 3. Cook until it is done; 4. If putting on barbecue sauce, wait until the very end. If you use these four easy tips, you will have a perfectly grilled chicken every time.

Rub the chicken with a spice rub. This is a very important step. I like to use a spice blend I buy from a company called Penzey's Spices. They carry hundreds of different spice blends, but through trial and error, I've discovered one that I really like. It is called Ozark spice. It is mostly a black pepper, salt, garlic blend with some other spices. I sprinkle it on liberally to each individual piece of the poultry right after rinsing the meat with water and patting dry. Try whatever spice blend you prefer, make your own, buy a pre-made blend, or just use salt and pepper if you so desire. But, do put some spice on the meat before cooking it.

Grill at a low temperature.I use a gas grill when grilling chicken. I find it easy, and it makes a good product. I preheat my grill on high for about 10-15 minutes, and then turn it on to low when I put my cut up chicken on it. I cook my chicken on low with the lid closed. I don't fool around with it once I start cooking. I put it on the grill, skin side up, and leave it alone except to turn it over.

Cook until it is done. It should take around 45 minutes to properly cook a cut up chicken. I turn it each piece over after about 20 minutes, and then flip it again after another 15 minutes, and then turn it over again after about 10 minutes. It should be done by then. I do keep an eye on the smaller pieces like the wings and the drumsticks. If they look to be done before the larger pieces are fully cooked, like the breast and thighs, I will move them to a cooler location of the grill or take them out completely.

If you are going to use sauce, (I usually do not. I find that the Ozark spice mix flavors my chicken just right, and that a sauce just kinda messes up that spice flavor. A personal preference.) apply it during the last five to ten minutes of cooking. Brush it on with a brush while turning the chicken frequently during this period. Most barbecue sauces contain a lot of sugar, which burns very easily. Be careful not to burn the chicken when saucing it. Keep the heat turned very low while applying barbecue sauce.

There you have it, four tips to perfect grilled chicken. Serve with whatever side dishes you prefer. It goes great with home-made potato salad, I think, but that is a personal choice also.