How do you get char on chicken without drying it out?

bicktrav · August 2013

Made chicken kabobs tonight. I was really looking to get a nice char on the exterior. I succeeded to that end, but I dried the chicken out a little bit in the process. I had them going at 350, flipping every 5 minutes or so. Probably had them in there around 25-30 mins. Would bumping the temp to 375 or 400 next time be better? That way, I figure I'd get the char on the outside sooner, giving the inside less time to dry out. I was also thinking about trying a reverse sear kind of thing, hitting it with higher heat just when the inside starts to approach the right level of wellness? What do you all think? Anyone know how to get chicken nice and juicy inside and good and charred outside?

cookingdude555 · August 2013

How close to the fire was it? On a raised grid? I've cooked chicken high in the dome before and it comes out more "baked" than grilled. Still good and juicy, just lacking the char you speak of.

radamo · August 2013

For smaller pieces of chicken cut for Kabobs you might try hotter temp for shorter period... Maybe 400-450. Try that for 15 - 20 min total. Flip as needed.

fishlessman · August 2013

425/450 and use boneless skinless thighs. i also use a marinade of roasted garlic, 2 tablespoons soy,1 tablespoon fish sauce, half teaspoon sugar and a squeeze of lime for about 2 hours. goes good with that red thai dipping sauce

Skiddymarker · August 2013

radamo said:

For smaller pieces of chicken cut for Kabobs you might try hotter temp for shorter period... Maybe 400-450. Try that for 15 - 20 min total. Flip as needed.

For souvlaki, using chicken breast and a CI grid on the fire ring, a good 400º fire will produce excellent char marks in under 15 minutes.

until you get the hang of it try 450º using a raised direct grid.

bicktrav · August 2013

Great. Thank you all for the help!

How do you get char on chicken without drying it out?

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