Is it possible to cook chicken on grill pan?

[rush]

I am assuming that you have a stove to put the grill pan on, right? Do you have an oven as well? I would forget the grill pan if you are doing bone-in chicken and just get a nice carmelization on the skin, then put it into the oven until done. Probably at 360deg for 20-25 mins. You are talking chicken parts, i hope.
Anyway, good luck.

Thanks lyndalou, yes, I have an oven and a stove.

 

[rush]

I've been putting this off for a while now, but the chicken legs have been in the fridge for about four days, so I thought I'd better do something quick, 'cause they probably should've been in the freezer by now.

Anyway, I just started off simple. I brushed the legs with olive oil, and then I applied salt, pepper, and paprika while it was grilling.

Major problem was the chicken legs sticking to the grill. I have no idea how to prevent this. I read you need to oil up the grill pretty good, but since this is a grill pan, I don't think it's a good idea to brush the grill. Last time I did that, the brush was picking up burnt flakes. Don't know whether it was coming off the grill, or the brush was burning, or what. The brush is from Le Creuset, and it claims to withstand 700 degrees.

Because the chicken legs kept sticking to the grill pan, I just couldn't get the grill marks. The skin would just peel off, when I pull the chicken off the grill pan. Maybe I didn't get the grill pan hot enough?

From what I've read, the chicken should be good to turn over in 3-5 minutes. I waited around 10 minutes, and the chicken was still stuck like a tongue to a frozen pole. I had to force it off, and when I did this, the grill marks were gone.

Overall, I probably grilled the chicken legs for around 25 minutes, because I was trying to get the grill marks... yet it kept sticking.

With the way things were going, I decided to just stick the grill pan into the oven to finish off the chicken legs. 350 degrees, 20 mins per side, is what I read, but I just baked it 15 mins per side, considering how long they were on the stove.

My thermometer registered the chicken legs at 160+, so that's when I pulled it out, but I didn't know I had to wait for it to reach 180 with dark meat... hope I don't get sick... the chicken was in the fridge for 4 days...

The finished product was okay, I guess. I cooked five chicken legs, and oddly enough, only one of 'em was burnt. Don't know why... I thought the cast iron grill pan distributed heat evenly.

There were parts of the chicken that crisped up really well, and it was heavenly. But there were more parts that were just bland, because the seasoning/skin came off, due to it redundantly sticking.

Any advice on preventing the chicken skin from sticking to the grill pan would be tremendously appreciated. Do I have to set the stove to high and drench the chicken in oil? I always read that the grill pan shouldn't be set to high, and as long as water drops evaporate instantly, it's ready to go.

 

[Kayelle]

I see, thanks.

I read somewhere that bone-in stuff always cook faster, because of the bone...

Hmm. Will boneless thighs qualify?

Yes Rush, boneless thighs qualify, and are great cooked in a grill pan without the need to finish in the oven, if you don't want to. The foil method will work just fine. You also, have the right thermometer, remember it takes 6-8 seconds to get a proper reading on that one. What you heard is opposite from the truth, bone in chicken takes longer to cook. You don't need to get dark meat up to the 180 degress, 160 is safe but some feel the texture of dark meat is best at 180, that's all.

 

[Kayelle]

Any advice on preventing the chicken skin from sticking to the grill pan would be tremendously appreciated. Do I have to set the stove to high and drench the chicken in oil? I always read that the grill pan shouldn't be set to high, and as long as water drops evaporate instantly, it's ready to go.

OK. Number one, the grill pan needs to be impeccably clean when you start. If there is any leftover burned on food on the ridges, the new food will stick like there's no tomorrow. After I'm done with mine, I let it cool for just a bit before I eat, and add a cupful of HOT soapy water to the pan. I use a wood spatula to loosen anything stuck. In essence, what you are doing is "deglazing" the pan with soapy water. THEN I sit down to eat, the chicken needs to rest a bit before eating anyway. I think I have the same pan as you do, and I get it screaming hot before placing the well oiled chicken onto the pan. I don't oil the pan itself. I've never had a sticking problem.
Good luck on the next try Rush, and let us know how it went.

 

[rush]

OK. Number one, the grill pan needs to be impeccably clean when you start. If there is any leftover burned on food on the ridges, the new food will stick like there's no tomorrow. After I'm done with mine, I let it cool for just a bit before I eat, and add a cupful of HOT soapy water to the pan. I use a wood spatula to loosen anything stuck. In essence, what you are doing is "deglazing" the pan with soapy water. THEN I sit down to eat, the chicken needs to rest a bit before eating anyway. I think I have the same pan as you do, and I get it screaming hot before placing the well oiled chicken onto the pan. I don't oil the pan itself. I've never had a sticking problem.
Good luck on the next try Rush, and let us know how it went.

Thanks!

Tried cooking chicken again on two more occasions.

I rinse the chicken when I take it out of the bag. This time, I patted it dry with a paper towel, before applying the oil. The chicken didn't stick, which was surprising.

Not sure if it had to do with me patting the chicken dry, or the Le Creuset grill pan finally developing the "patina" everyone talks highly about. It's just a black, greasy film that coats the pan. It rubs off quite easily though, so I don't wash the pan extensively.

Personally, it just seems like leftover food grease to me, but I guess Le Creuset likes to call it the patented natural patina? I've never owned any other cast iron grill pan so I wouldn't know if this same oily film develops.

Anyway, the last time I grilled chicken, it burned really fast. Not sure if it was the marinade or what. I need to figure out how to grill chicken on a grill pan...

 

[rush]

Yes Rush, boneless thighs qualify, and are great cooked in a grill pan without the need to finish in the oven, if you don't want to. The foil method will work just fine. You also, have the right thermometer, remember it takes 6-8 seconds to get a proper reading on that one. What you heard is opposite from the truth, bone in chicken takes longer to cook. You don't need to get dark meat up to the 180 degress, 160 is safe but some feel the texture of dark meat is best at 180, that's all.

I see, thanks!

At what point is chicken overcooked? 190?

They always say that chicken is easily undercooked, and easily overcooked.

160-180 seems like a pretty wide margin of error.

Also, how long can chicken be kept in the fridge (as opposed to the freezer?) I've had mine for a week now in the fridge, because I eat it everyday. Kinda seemed pointless to freeze it for a day, thaw it for another day, marinate it for the next day - 3 days just to prep chicken legs.

 

[cooker81]

And grill pan, only?

I noticed all the recipes for chicken legs on a grill pan, suggest you either start or finish the cooking process in the oven (or an outdoor grill).

I try to stay away from the oven, because my roommates have about 10 or 12 pots and pans in it, and I'd have to clear it out and then put it back in. Plus, oven = too much time.

If possible, I'd like to avoid the oven, but so far, I haven't really come across a chicken leg recipe that relies solely on a grill pan. There was one that did, but some of the comments suggested that they finished it off in the oven.

I have a horrible tendency to opt for fastfood, and I just really like the idea of coming home from work or working out, tossing some marinated legs on the grill pan, and eating it after a few short minutes, as opposed to waiting an hour for it to finish in the oven.

But is it possible, without completely burning and ruining the chicken?

I hate using the oven too. What I do is buy pre-cooked chicken breasts from Sam's Club (in a package of 10-20) and just microwave a frozen breast for 3-4 minutes, then use it in a sandwich.

 

[Constance]

Tent the grill pan with foil...works just like a lid, maybe better.

 

[Kayelle]

Also, how long can chicken be kept in the fridge (as opposed to the freezer?) I've had mine for a week now in the fridge, because I eat it everyday. Kinda seemed pointless to freeze it for a day, thaw it for another day, marinate it for the next day - 3 days just to prep chicken legs.

Rush, uncooked chicken should not be in the fridge for longer than 2-3 days past the sell date on the package. Please package and freeze what you don't eat in that time period. You could bag, add marinade to your portions before you freeze them. Keep in mind that any marinade containing sugar will cause the sticking you're trying to avoid.

 

[rush]

Rush, uncooked chicken should not be in the fridge for longer than 2-3 days past the sell date on the package. Please package and freeze what you don't eat in that time period. You could bag, add marinade to your portions before you freeze them. Keep in mind that any marinade containing sugar will cause the sticking you're trying to avoid.

Thanks, sticking is not an issue anymore, after my grill pan developed the oily patina.

Yesterday, I cooked the chicken to 180, as described, and the chicken tasted overcooked and dry. Strange part is, the inside (right where the meat tears from the bone joints) was bright red.

I know there are times when you see some redness or blood stains in fully cooked chicken, but this was the case for every single drumstick, so I just threw it out, considering the chicken's been in the fridge for a week.

But my fridge is set to a very low temperature, so the chicken was half frozen when I took it out... maybe it wasn't thawed through, and thus, the inside was not fully cooked? My thermometer registered it at 180+.

 

[rush]

I hate using the oven too. What I do is buy pre-cooked chicken breasts from Sam's Club (in a package of 10-20) and just microwave a frozen breast for 3-4 minutes, then use it in a sandwich.

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[rush]

Tent the grill pan with foil...works just like a lid, maybe better.

Thanks!

 

[Frank 2022]

And grill pan, only?

I noticed all the recipes for chicken legs on a grill pan, suggest you either start or finish the cooking process in the oven (or an outdoor grill).

I try to stay away from the oven, because my roommates have about 10 or 12 pots and pans in it, and I'd have to clear it out and then put it back in. Plus, oven = too much time.

If possible, I'd like to avoid the oven, but so far, I haven't really come across a chicken leg recipe that relies solely on a grill pan. There was one that did, but some of the comments suggested that they finished it off in the oven.

I have a horrible tendency to opt for fastfood, and I just really like the idea of coming home from work or working out, tossing some marinated legs on the grill pan, and eating it after a few short minutes, as opposed to waiting an hour for it to finish in the oven.

But is it possible, without completely burning and ruining the chicken?

you can cook chicken that way on low heat--however it will take a long
time and you have to turn it frequently.

Frank 2022