{"id":7062450,"date":"2026-09-20T21:59:45","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T21:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/how-to-grill-juicy-chicken\/"},"modified":"2026-09-20T21:59:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T21:59:45","slug":"how-to-grill-juicy-chicken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7062450","title":{"rendered":"How to Grill Juicy Chicken"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Apparently, anyone can declare a day as a national day of celebration if they\u2019re willing to fight hard enough for it. El Pollo Loco has done just that, and now for the first time ever, Sept. 9 is officially National Grilled Chicken Day.<\/p>\n

They had to petition the holiday naming organizations and even put up a billboard in Times Square. <\/p>\n

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\u201cWe couldn\u2019t believe that this delicious way to cook and enjoy chicken was being left off the long list of food holidays,\u201d said\u00a0Liz Williams, CEO of\u00a0El Pollo Loco<\/a> upon the announcement. \u201cEl Pollo Loco has been celebrating fire-grilled chicken daily for the last 50-plus years, now everyone can get Loco and enjoy grilled chicken on September 9.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fast-food restaurant is giving away a free two-piece leg and thigh meal with the purchase of any drink to Loco Rewards Members on the celebratory day. <\/p>\n

My buddies and I have been stewing that there\u2019s no grill or barbecue emoji. I wonder if we\u2019d have to go through a similar process to fight for that. <\/p>\n

The myth: grilled chicken means dry white meat<\/h2>\n

It doesn\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n

Grilled chicken earned a bad reputation from rushed breasts cooked past done and served like punishment. Fire-grilled chicken, the kind this new day is celebrating, is char and open-flame flavor, not a dry cafeteria plate.<\/p>\n

September is also National Chicken Month. That gives you two reasons to cook chicken this week without treating it like a consolation prize next to beef.<\/p>\n

What I cook when I want fire-grilled chicken that stays juicy<\/h2>\n

If you want a classic breast dinner, start with the juiciest grilled chicken breasts<\/a>. I start by brining them in salt, sugar and water with a little of my award-winning Girls Can Grill Chicken Rub<\/a>. Then I cook them for the finish that keeps them juicy. If you just cook to time without checking doneness<\/a>, you may end up with dry chicken. <\/p>\n

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If you want more forgiveness on a weeknight, grilled chicken thighs<\/a> are the honest lane. Dark meat handles heat better. You get char without the same panic as a thin breast. <\/p>\n

If you want one bird that feeds the table without a ton of work, grilled whole chicken with just three ingredients<\/a> is the honest whole-bird lane. <\/p>\n

If you want the crowd-pleaser, grilled chicken wings<\/a> are the move. I can eat a plate of chicken flats any day of the week.<\/p>\n

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El Pollo Loco spent a year fighting for this day. The least we can do is grill chicken that actually deserves it.<\/p>\n

Whether you brine a batch of breasts, throw thighs on for a lazier weeknight, or spatchcock a whole bird for the table, the fix is the same: cook to temperature, not to the clock. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n