Barbecued Chicken Breasts

There are lots and lots of ways to grill chicken breasts.  Some are better than others.   One of the biggest mistakes I see is when the chicken breasts are covered with grilling sauce from the start of cooking.  This is a good way to end up with the coating being burnt.  Better to season the chicken breasts, then add the sauce later in the cooking. 

Sometimes I like to make my own sauces, but sometimes I like the speed and convenience of using a store-bought sauce.   Store-bought BBQ sauces never taste quiet as good as what I can come up with on my own, though... or at least they don't on their own. 

My solution is to season the chicken breasts before tossing them on the grill, then flipping them when one side is cooked, coating that side with sauce, cooking until the second side is done, flipping again, coating the second side, cooking another couple minutes, then serving.  With 10 minutes or less of cooking time, you'll get moist, tasty chicken breasts every time.  We like to use Cookie's BBQ sauce.  It's pretty good on its own, but bolstered with the preseasoning, it gives even better results. 

We served up these chicken breasts with baked beans, King's Hawaiian Rolls and steamed broccoli.  They were wonderful.

Barbecued Chicken Breasts

yield = 3 servings

3       boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 3/4 lbs), trimmed of
         excess fat
2       tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1       teaspoon minced ginger
1/2    teaspoon kosher salt
1/2    teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/8    teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2    cup commercial BBQ sauce

Dry the chicken breasts with paper towels.  Brush lightly with olive oil, then season on both sides with minced garlic, kosher salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.

When the grill is ready, toss the chicken breasts on the grill.  Grill for 4 minutes, flip the breasts and baste the cooked side with BBQ sauce.   Cook another 4 minutes, flip the breasts again, and baste the second side with the remainder of the sauce.  Cook about 1 minute, then remove the breasts to a serving platter.  Tent with foil for 2-3 minutes, then serve.