BBQ, Blackened and Traditional Grilled Chicken Platter

Fire up your grill and enjoy the ultimate BBQ, blackened and traditional grilled chicken platter. Loaded with BBQ and Blackened grilled chicken breasts and traditional grilled chicken drums, everyone is guaranteed to find something they love.

For this grilled chicken platter, be sure to use a variety of Smart Chicken cuts. Everything from their boneless skinless breasts, thighs and tenderloins are absolutely delicious. For a fun and juicy addition, try their bone in skin on drums. They’re easy to eat and, make a great addition to any grilling menu.

Serve this platter up alongside my delicious Simple Summer Pasta Salad.

If you’re new here, Smart Chicken is the reason I started eating chicken again after 9 years without. Organic Smart Chickens are exclusively fed a certified organic, certified non-GMO diet, and are never given antibiotics, hormones, or animal by-products. The program is certified humane by HFAC (Humane Farm Animal Care) and every chicken is free to roam, with access to outdoor pastures. Smart Chicken is USDA Process Verified as pure air chilled, without added water and are hand-trimmed for your convenience. Resulting in the best tasting chicken on the market.

This post is sponsored by Smart Chicken. I was compensated for my time, but all opinions are my own.

Tips for the Ultimate Grilled Chicken Platter

Clean the Grill – be sure your grill is nice and clean before ever adding any food. Clean grates are essential for easy flipping.

Oil your Grates – Before you add your chicken to the hot grates, be sure to add a little avocado oil to the grates. This helps prevent the protein from sticking.

Option for Foil – You also have the option to lay down foil. Foil makes for easy clean up once you’ve grilled all your chicken.

Heat the Grill – You’ll want to make sure the grill is nice and hot. I like to grill my chicken between 450-475 degrees. This creates a nice sear on the outside that helps lock in the juices. You’ll reduce the heat to 400 degrees once it’s time to flip the chicken.

Option to Butterfly Breasts – You can butterfly and pound your chicken breasts if they are very thick. Butterflying means to cut the breasts in half, so they are half the thickness. This will greatly reduce the cooking time. Pounding the breasts allows for even cooking.

When to Flip the Chicken Breasts – After 6-7 minutes, the chicken should easily release from the grill grates. If it doesn’t, it isn’t ready to flip. Cooking times will vary based on thickness of your breasts. Once you flip the chicken reduce the heat to 400 degrees and close the lid to finish cooking.

More Tips and Tricks

Frenching the Drumsticks – Frenching is a culinary technique where you remove fat, tendons and meat from the bone. This technique allows for a beautiful presentation and an easy handle to hold your drumstick. To start you will remove the drumsticks from the package. Place them one at a time on a cutting board and carefully cut through the skin, tendons and fat at the base of the drumstick. So, basically where the meat meets the bone. You will want to cut all the way around the base of the drumstick, exposing the bone. Once fully cut through, push the excess skin, tendon and fat to the bottom of the bone. Using a paper towel carefully pull this portion off of the bone. Next, you will push the remaining meat downward to form a small tight ball. It will resemble a lollipop. Repeat for all the drumsticks.

Grilling the Drumsticks – Since the drumsticks are bone in, they will need more time on the grill. Typically, anywhere between 30-35 minutes. You’ll want the internal temperature to reach 180 degrees to ensure doneness. The juices should run clear.

Chicken Temperature – You always want chicken breasts to reach 165 degrees and bone in drumsticks to reach 180 degrees to ensure doneness. The juices should run clear, and the center should be cooked through.

For This Recipe

Butterfly and pound your chicken breasts. Split the cutlets between two bowls. You should have four cutlets in each bowl. Add BBQ sauce to one bowl and the blackening spice to the second bowl. Toss the chicken until well coated. Cover and refrigerate. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 20 minutes before you’re ready to add the chicken to the grill.

Once you’ve frenched the drumsticks add them to a Ziplock bag. Mix the Italian marinade and pour it over the drumsticks. Zip the bag closed and toss the chicken until its well coated. You can marinade the drumsticks overnight or for a minimum of 1 hour.

How To Grill Chicken

Preheat the grill to 450-475 degrees. Add foil to the grill OR you can brush the grates with oil.

Add the frenched drumsticks. They will need about 30-35 minutes to fully cook. You want the internal temp to reach 180 degrees to ensure the tendons break down. Steps on how to butterfly and marinate listed above. Turn the drumsticks every 5-6 minutes using tongs.

After about 20 minutes, add the marinated / butterflied chicken breasts. Steps on how to butterfly and marinate listed above. Cook for 6-7 minutes on the first side. Reduce the heat to 400 and flip the chicken breasts. Close the lid and cook for another 6-7 minutes on the other side.

You’ll want the breasts to reach 165 degrees and the frenched drumsticks to reach 180 degrees to ensure doneness. Once the juices are all running clear, remove the chicken from the grill. Rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave until heated through.