Help me love grilled chicken !!

kopmom
kopmom Posts: 491 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I really want to like grilled chicken but find it so boring and bland. Anything that I can do to help make it better?
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Replies

  • Sarah0866
    Sarah0866 Posts: 291 Member
    Garlic Salt, Parsley, and Olive Oil...yum! Or enjoy it with a quarter of an avocado or a couple tablespoons of guac :)
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Honestly, I can't. Unless it is in a fajita, then the guac, sour cream, black beans and tortilla rescue it.

    Why do you need to have it grilled? Why not oven roasted, baked, or pan roasted?
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    I really want to like grilled chicken but find it so boring and bland. Anything that I can do to help make it better?

    There are a metric crap ton of recipes, but if you do not like chicken, why try to force it?
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    I really want to like grilled chicken but find it so boring and bland. Anything that I can do to help make it better?

    That's because it IS boring and bland! :)

    Much prefer roasted chicken, especially the darker bits.
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
    Marinate it overnight in oil, garlic, red chillis (if you like them) or oil, sea salt, black pepper and lemon slices?
    I get really bored with plain chicken too!
  • fuschiagirl99
    fuschiagirl99 Posts: 11 Member
    How about some home made salsa. It packs a lot of flavor with very little calories.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    I really want to like grilled chicken but find it so boring and bland. Anything that I can do to help make it better?

    Make jerk chicken, problem solved
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    I mostly use McCormick's marinades (the pouches you mix with oil water and vinegar) but have a lovely more natural marinade that works well too. Soak the chicken in a large container of water with the juice and slices of 2 lemons and add a little lemon pepper (with salt) seasoning. Let that sit for about 24 hours and dab just a bit of BBQ sauce on it when grilling - AMAZING! Also, grill the lemon slices if you can without losing them through the grates.

    Another common problem is overcooking. It's tricky to get chicken breast just right. Hubby and I tend to go with chicken thighs instead because they stay tender even if slightly overcooked. Just remove as much excess fat as you can and they're really not much higher in calories or fat than the breast meat.
  • erikmsp72
    erikmsp72 Posts: 137 Member
    Salsa. Siracha. Grated horseradish. Lemon pepper. Lime juice. There are a lot of options to add oomph and flavor.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Can't edit so... P.S. That nutritional comparison in my post above is based on boneless skinless breast vs boneless skinless thigh.
  • grillingirl
    grillingirl Posts: 81 Member
    I really want to like grilled chicken but find it so boring and bland. Anything that I can do to help make it better?

    Make jerk chicken, problem solved


    This!!! Yummy delicious!!!
  • CrazyAnimalLady
    CrazyAnimalLady Posts: 104 Member
    I marinate mine in Olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper (or cayenne). Let it sit for a couple of hours and the flavor is great! You can also throw some thyme or cilantro in there for some extra flavor.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
    Honestly, I can't. Unless it is in a fajita, then the guac, sour cream, black beans and tortilla rescue it.

    Why do you need to have it grilled? Why not oven roasted, baked, or pan roasted?

    There is no law saying that you can only eat grilled chicken. I do because I prepare it in about a dozen different tasty ways and for one-person cooking it's really fast, plus I don't like to spend unnecessary calories. If you like to prepare chicken in a different way, go ahead. Just count the calories from everything that goes with the chicken and enjoy !
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    Buy or make a seasoning blend that's made for chicken (google 'rubs for chicken) and use it prior to grilling or brine it before grilling (google that too).
    Only cook until the internal temp reaches 170 F, then take off the grill and let rest covered with foil for 5 minutes. This lets the juices redistribute into the meat and your chicken won't be dry.
    Serve with a dipping sauce - BBQ, Honey Mustard, etc. Be sure to record the calories - some sauces can be higher than you'd expect.

    If none of this helps you like chicken, don't eat chicken! You can eat pork tenderloin, sirloin steak or fish and still stay within your calories for the day.
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
    I really want to like grilled chicken but find it so boring and bland. Anything that I can do to help make it better?

    Eating just lean grilled chicken is why so many diets end in failure lol. However I do like them simply grilled with garlic, salt and pepper on them.

    If you really want to eat grilled chicken then just spice it up a bit or make a dressing for it. I knocked up a honey mustard and olive oil dressing so that I could accurately gauge the calories and it was less than I thought, then spooned it over the chicken.

    As previously mentioned though, thighs have more flavour or you could even try Turkey breast steaks
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Why do you want to like it? That's such a strange goal.

    Grilled chicken is quite boring and bland. Like other bland foods, you can spice it up with what you add to it. You can marinate it, or put sauce on it, or rub it in spices, put it in a sandwich with other stuff, or cut it up and use it in a larger dish. You could also roast it, or pan fry it instead of grilling. Or... just eat something you like instead. There's a whole world of other foods out there, you don't have to eat chicken.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    As previously mentioned though, thighs have more flavour or you could even try Turkey breast steaks
    Oh yeah, thighs, especially with the skin still on and crispy, are delicious.
  • sigsby
    sigsby Posts: 220 Member
    Lemon pepper
  • cadaverousbones
    cadaverousbones Posts: 421 Member
    Seasonings!! There are so many different ways to season chicken. Also.. baking it in the oven with seasonings.. and guess what.. BEER! Chicken baked in beer is so freaking good and delicious and moist. AHHH. You can find TONS of recipes for baked chicken online :)
  • itsjustdawn
    itsjustdawn Posts: 1,073 Member
    As previously mentioned though, thighs have more flavour or you could even try Turkey breast steaks
    Oh yeah, thighs, especially with the skin still on and crispy, are delicious.

    ^^^^ !!!!! I love chicken thighs w/ the skin on. Loving them is part of my problem ;-)
  • KristysLosing
    KristysLosing Posts: 683
    Wildtree Rancher Steak Rub...yum!!
  • kmorales_4
    kmorales_4 Posts: 208 Member
    :noway:

    Grilled chicken is AWESOME.

    But I understand not loving a certain food, so try sauces, Honey BBQ, Honey mustard, Orange with a bit of honey, Terriaki, the possibilities are endless.
  • JaxDemon
    JaxDemon Posts: 403 Member
    Bit of olive oil and some dry spices just rub it in using the olive oil. I use Masala dried spice quite a bit and cook using the foreman grill. Nice and easy.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    I got a crap ton of spices in the cupboard and I eat about a pound of chicken 3 to 4 times a week and prefer to season and cook on the grill.... Weber makes some pretty good rubs and seasoning... There Beer can chicken seasoning is my favorite..... second would be the Jerk chicken seasoning.... beyond that we make buffalo sauce shredded chicken for wraps, chicken stir fry, to name a few... Best of Luck
  • Squamation
    Squamation Posts: 522 Member
    If cooking on a Real grill (not in your oven etc) try McCormick garlic herb seasoning. It makes it taste so good.

    Other than that I roast my chickens in the oven with your basic "chicken" spices (rosemary, sage, garlic, pepper, salt).
  • cinquieme
    cinquieme Posts: 4 Member
    A little off-topic, but how different does organic free-range chicken taste from mass-market ones? I usually get frozen chicken breast from Sam's Club or Trader Joe's and I trim, season, and cook it to near-oblivion, but I always get that off-putting "fowl" taste. Is it because the chicken might be factory-farmed? Anyway, I'll most likely never eat a piece of chicken again because I don't think I can tolerate the taste anymore. I was just curious about how others handle it.
  • shannashannabobana
    shannashannabobana Posts: 625 Member
    I really want to like grilled chicken but find it so boring and bland. Anything that I can do to help make it better?
    Buy steak instead?
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    I marinate ours in Italian dressing and garlic and hubs bbqs it,,,everyone loves it
    he does it in bbq jerk chicken marinade and everyone loves his...
    its al about how you bbq it tho
    mine is THE MASTER,
  • kasirak2
    kasirak2 Posts: 7 Member
    If you are eating skinless chicken breast it tends to get over cooked and dry. The marinades that others have mentioned are good because they add a little fat to hold the flavors along with salt and spice to the meat. If you want not to add extra fat from oil, find a recipe for Tandoori Chicken. It is a yogurt marinade that surprisingly makes the chicken tender and moist. For Cuban flavor try onions, garlic and fresh squeezed juice from an orange. The combination is so good with chicken.
  • mamacoates
    mamacoates Posts: 430 Member
    My 17 year old son cooks chicken for us 3 nights a week on the grill. He uses Garlic and Herb seasoning and Rotisserie Chicken seasoning and a little bit of pepper. After grilling the chicken a couple of minutes on each side, he wraps in foil and lets sit inside the closed grill for awhile. It comes out moist, juicy and full of flavor.

    We serve it with brown rice and your choice of fresh green veggie. Season the rice with garlic powder and cumin. YUM!!! Fresh, and healthy!!

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