Delicious grilled chicken is a versatile summertime favorite. It can besimply seasoned lightly and grilled, grilled with a sauce for spicy barbecued chicken, or skillfully seasoned and marinated according to a gourmet recipe. Buy broiler-fryers for grilling. One 3-1/2 to 4 pound broiling-frying chicken usually makes about 4 servings. Select parts are packaged and sold together, making it easy to buy only what you need for a recipe or the part of the chicken you like best. These include chicken halves, quarters, breasts, leg and thigh combinations, or just the drumsticks, thighs, or wings.

Defrost chicken in the refrigerator, never at room temperature on a countertop. To reduce defrosting time, place frozen chicken in a bowl of cool water or defrost it in a microwave oven, set at 50% power. Never place grilled chicken on the same platter that held raw chicken.

To grill chicken -

Lay broiler-fryer halves, quarters, or parts on the grill, with the rack about 8 inches above the heat source. Turn pieces frequently, using a tongs, not a fork. This will prevent the piercing which causes flare-ups and that unappetizing blackened chicken that so many back yard chefs are famous for. Brush the with either homemade or commercial barbecue sauce during the last 10 minutes of grilling time. Barbecue sauce applied earlier in the grilling process can also cause over-browning and burning. Grill for about 45 minutes to an hour. Always cook chicken until it's well-done, never medium or rare. Just before removing it from the grill, test for doneness by gently piercing it with a fork. If chicken is thoroughly cooked, a fork can be inserted with ease and juices will be clear, not pink. Leg and wing joints will also move freely. If the outside looks done before the chicken is thoroughly cooked on the inside, lay it on a piece of aluminum foil for the remaining time on the grill.