After steak and burgers, chicken is the third-favorite meat to grill among Americans (per Statista ). From bone-in legs and wings to boneless breasts and thighs, numerous cuts and pieces are available to enjoy, making it quite versatile. However, chicken is one of the more difficult types of meat to cook.
White meat, in particular, lacks the fat collagen or connective tissue that beef cuts have to keep them moist. Thankfully, the secret ingredient to keeping your chicken juicy on the grill is water. Marinating chicken in a simple fat (like olive oil), acid (like lemon juice), and salt mixture is one of the best ways to make it flavorful since the meat itself tastes mild.
While adding water to your marinade seems like it would hinder that goal, it creates a kind of brine that locks in moisture. This technique is commonly used in Chinese cooking, typically with bite-sized portions of meat. To use this technique yourself, you want to tenderize the chicken first: Pound the meat with a mallet, rolling pin, or the blunt side of a cleaver.
Doing so breaks down the tough fibers so that they can readily absorb the water from your pseudo brine. Also, tenderizing chicken thins it out to an even thickness, so it cooks faster and more equally over high heat. Then, you'll massage some water into the chicken prior to adding your marinade.
It's ideal to allow pounded chicken to marinate overnight, but smaller pieces of meat won't take as long to soak up the flavor as bone-in cuts. Keep your .