Brine your chicken: In a large, sealable freezer bag or container with lid, mix water, salt, and sugar. Add chicken parts and seal container or bag. Refrigerate for 1 hour and up to 6 hours. When you can’t wait any longer, remove from the brine and pat dry.

Make your vinaigrette: Whisk together one of the ingredient combinations below in a large bowl, and set aside.

Prepare your grill: If using a gas grill, heat all burners to high for 10 minutes, then adjust to moderately high right before you add the chicken. If using a charcoal grill and you have room enough to do so, leave about one-quarter of grill free of charcoal and heat the rest of the charcoals until they’re grayish-white, about 15 minutes.

Grill your chicken: Lightly oil your grill racks. Arrange chicken on racks, cover with lid, and cook until well=browned, turning over once, about 6 to 8 minutes total for smaller parts (wings, thighs, and drumsticks) and 8 to 10 minutes for breasts.

Once chicken is well-browned, if you’re using a gas grill with multiple sections, turn off the center heat and move chicken pieces onto it. If you’re using a gas grill with one heat control, reduce it to medium. If you’re using a charcoal grill and have left an area free of charcoal, move the chicken onto it.

Cook browned chicken, covered with lid, moving chicken around grill as needed and turning over occasionally, until cooked through, anywhere from 12 to 20 minutes (less for smaller parts, of course; gas grills tend to take longer) or until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of your piece of chicken is 160 to 165 degrees.*

When chicken is almost done, place lemon or lime halves, if using, cut sides down, uncovered, over lit burner until grill marks appear, about 2 to 3 minutes.

To finish: Transfer chicken to bowl with vinaigrette and toss to evenly coat. You can also cover this bowl with foil to keep it warm until needed. Serve grilled chicken with grilled lemons or limes, if using, and any extra vinaigrette on the side.

Three vinaigrettes/sauces:

Garlic-lime-herb: Whisk 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon dark brown sugar, Sriracha (to taste) together in a bowl. Slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup of a neutral oil, whisking the whole time. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped mint or cilantro, or a mix thereof. Have two limes, halved crosswise, ready to grill and serve.

Lemon-herb: Whisk 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 minced garlic clove, 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary or oregano, or a mix thereof, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes together in a bowl. Slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil, whisking the whole time. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley. Have two lemons, halved crosswise, ready to grill and serve.

Salsa verde: Blend 1 cup roughly chopped herbs (ideally mostly parsley plus a mix of mint, cilantro, thyme and any other herbs you’d like with chicken) with 2 cloves garlic, 1 anchovy, and 1 teaspoon capers with 1/4 cup olive oil in a food processor. (Or, finely mince everything by hand.) Add the juice of half a lemon. Adjust to taste, adding more lemon or olive oil as needed. If you wish, have two lemons, halved crosswise, ready to grill and serve.

The Best Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

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