Do you love grilled chicken breasts? Find out how to cook chicken breasts on a charcoal grill. Use the chicken in salads, wraps, and burritos.

One of the best things about summer aside from the warm weather and sunshine is getting out the charcoal grill and making something tasty for dinner. But often you find yourself grilling the same items like hamburgers or bratwurst over and over.

That is why I love grilling chicken. You can enjoy it straight from the grill with some side dishes for a meal on its own or you can use the grilled chicken meat in a variety of other recipes. This is why it is such a versatile meat.

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Rather than only eating the plain grilled chicken, using it in other recipes is a way to get creative.

You can also slice and freeze the grilled chicken so you have some available later for other recipes.

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Note: The type of chicken breasts you choose makes a lot of difference. There are many less expensive store brands that lack flavor so choose a good quality chicken breast for grilling. We happen to have an Amish market near us and they have the best tasting chicken I have found. The other brand I like is Gerber Amish chicken breasts. It makes a lot of difference in the end result.

Scroll down to get detailed instructions.

How To Cook Chicken Breasts on a Charcoal Grill

Need a recipe? Try these awesome 6-layer Grilled Chicken Burritos.

Grilling Instructions

Note: The following instructions are for a Weber 22″ Kettle Charcoal grill – which makes a great gift by the way! As you might notice ours has been used quite often!

Cut Apple Wood chunks in half if necessary. Prepare the Apple Wood smoking chips by placing about 10 -15 chips in a bowl filled with hot water. Do this first and allow them to soak until your grill is hot.

To prepare the grill place 15-20 briquets on each side of the grill. This is called the “indirect method”. Apply charcoal starter fluid and allow it to absorb into the briquets. Light the grill and allow the coals to become white hot and you have a good hot fire.

Place half of the apple chunks on each side of the grill on top of the heated coals.

Place cooking grate on the grill. Using a tong, place the prepared chicken (coated with olive oil to prevent sticking) evenly on the grill. Close the grill lid cover and open the vents on the top of the lid.

Grill for about 25-35 minutes until the juices run clear keeping the lid on except to check occasionally. Flip twice or more often while cooking to get nice grill marks on the chicken. Cooking times will vary depending on how hot your grill is and the amount of chicken you are grilling. Use a meat thermometer to check for proper temperatures.

When done, remove chicken from the grill and allow to stand 5 minutes. Close down your grill properly.

Slice chicken crosswise into thin strips and it is ready to serve or use in other recipes.

How To Cook Chicken Breasts on a Charcoal Grill Instructions

Print Recipe

How To Cook Chicken Breasts On A Charcoal Grill

Do you love grilled chicken breasts? Find out how to cook chicken breasts on a charcoal grill. Use the chicken in salads, wraps, and burritos.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken breasts

Servings: 4

Author: Laura Warnke

Ingredients

1-1/2 -1 3/4 pounds premium quality chicken breasts 3-6 breasts depending on the size and weight
olive oil
Apple Wood Smoking Chips or chunks
Kingsford Charcoal Briquets

Instructions

Prepare the chicken by thawing it if necessary in the refrigerator the night before.
Lightly coat each chicken breast with a small amount of olive oil and set aside while preparing the grill.
Cut Apple Wood chunks in half if necessary. Prepare the Apple Wood smoking chips by placing about 10 -15 chips in a bowl filled with hot water. Allow them to soak until your grill is hot.
To prepare the grill place 15-20 briquets on each side of the grill. This is called the "indirect method".
Apply charcoal starter fluid and allow it to absorb into the briquets.
Light the grill and allow the coals to become white hot and you have a good hot fire.
Place half of the apple chunks on each side of the grill on top of the heated coals.
Place cooking grate on the grill.
Using a tong, place the prepared chicken evenly on the grill. Close the grill lid cover and open the vents on the top of the lid.
Grill for about 25-35 minutes until the juices run clear keeping lid on except to check occasionally.
Flip twice or more often while cooking to get nice grill marks on the chicken.
Cooking times will vary depending on how hot your grill is and the amount of chicken you are grilling. Use a meat thermometer to check for proper temperatures.
When done, remove chicken from the grill and allow to stand 5 minutes. Close down your grill properly.
Slice chicken crosswise into thin strips and it is ready to serve or use in other recipes.