Simple Grilled Chicken (in a grill pan!)

There’s a certain time in winter when I start to crave a good Barbecue.  This overwhelmed me tonight, so I pulled out my grill pan and made this super simple, juicy grilled chicken.  There were no marinades, sauces, or complicated procedures, just chicken breast and some spices.  It is hard to believe that this dish is healthy because of how amazing it tastes!

It’s truly a shame that grilled chicken has such a bad reputation because when made right, it rocks.  Problem is, people are so afraid of under-cooking it that that beat it to death and dry it out by overcooking it.  Follow the steps below to avoid this shameful situation.

If you don’t know, a grill pan, is a pan that is made to get supremely hot and is designed to give any food beautiful grill marks.  They are perfect for the winter or when starting a real fire is too much work.

1. Grilled chicken is best if each piece has a fairly constant thickness, so pound the pieces flat inside a ziploc bag (I used a metal water bottle to flatten them, but you can use almost anything hard).
2. Seasoned both sides of the chicken with a light dusting of salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
3. Heat up a lightly oiled grill pan on the highest flame, and place the chicken on the pan.  The chicken should sizzled appealingly as it hit the pan (a good sign).
4. At this point turn the chicken over every 45-60 seconds until the internal temp is around 150 F and you have some great caramelization on the outside.  A meat thermometer is a must-have if you want to stay sane while cooking any meat.  I got a Thermapen as a present and I love it, but I’ve heard good things about the cheaper version from the same company.
5. Take the chicken off the grill and let it rest for five minutes.  I know it is hard but this is totally worth it!
6. Enjoy