Grilled Chicken Breasts

Directions

1. Lighting the fire: 15-20 minutes before grilling place two lit fatwood sticks in the bottom of the chimney starter, below the charcoal. After about 20 minutes the charcoal is ready to be dumped into a mound on the grill.
2. Once the charcoal begins to ash over, using a garden hoe or shovel mound most of the charcoal to one side, spread a little less in the middle, and leave the third area with no charcoal. Dividing the charcoal creates three heat “zones,” one of which gives an area where food can be moved in case of flare-ups or if the food starts to cook too quickly.
3. Brush the grate clean with a wadded-up cloth dipped in olive oil.
4. Rinse the chicken breasts under cold running water and then blot dry with paper towels. If the breasts are uneven in height pound them to an even size, in a zip loc bag, for even cooking throughout.
5. Rub the chicken breasts with a little olive oil. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and whatever seasoning you like. I like granulated onion powder.
6. Place the breast on the hottest part of the grill and don’t touch them for 2 minutes. They will get more opaque as they cook.
7. If you want grill marks, using tongs, lift each breast, rotate 45 degrees and then place them back on the grill. After 4 minutes, lift the chicken breasts with tongs and flip them over.
8. Continue grilling for another 2 to 4 minutes and they should be done. Check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer = 160°. Note: with thicker breasts close the lid for 5 minutes or so to cook them all of the way through.
9. Remove from the grill and place on a plate, allowing the chicken to rest a few minutes. Keep leftover chicken in the refrigerator no longer than 3-4 days.