Here’s a way to grill boneless, skinless chicken breasts without the chicken drying out. Generally, when you try to grill a chicken breast, by the time the meat is cooked through, it’s dry. First, pound the chicken breasts to about a quarter inch in thickness. “Paillard” is a French term describing a cooking method where the meat is pounded and then grilled or sauteed quickly. After pounding the chicken breasts flat, brine them for about half an hour in salt/sugar mix (optional). Next, pat them dry, coat with oil and season (I used a chicken spice rub I bought at Publix–don’t use a coarse spice because the chicken will be cooking so quickly that it won’t have a chance to season the meat). Prepare the grill for high heat and place the chicken breasts on the grill. They will only take about five minutes to grill: 3-4 minutes on one side and a couple more minutes on the other. The chicken breasts cook so fast they don’t have time to dry out.
I served the chicken breasts by topping them with a taboulie salad we bought from Publix. I know it’s kind of mesh of cultures–French method of cooking chicken topped with Middle Eastern style salad mix–but it works. The whole thing was quick and easy and the chicken was moist and flavorful. If you’re afraid of your chicken drying out on the grill, just pound it flat first.
