Chicken Grilling Times

Here's how long to grill chicken so it's not overcooked or undercooked.

Updated on February 25, 2021

Grilled Five Spice Chicken — Photo: Allrecipes Magazine

Chicken is one of the all-time most popular choices for grilling. This handy chart shows you how long to grill different cuts of chicken, including grilled whole chickens, grilled chicken breasts, grilled chicken thighs, and grilled chicken wings and drumsticks.

Chicken Grilling Time and Temperature Chart

Chicken and other poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (75 degrees C). Keep in mind, clear juices are not always a good indicator of doneness. Depending on the age of the bird, juices might not run clear until it's overcooked. Also, as you see from the chart, boneless cuts of chicken cook faster than bone-in pieces of chicken.

Cut	Method	Heat	Time	Internal minimum temperature
Whole Broiler or Fryer	---	---	---	---
3 to 4 pounds	Indirect	Medium	60 to 75 minutes	165 degrees F (75 degrees C)
Whole Roasting Hen	---	---	---	---
5 to 7 pounds	Indirect	Medium	18 to 25 min./pound	165 degrees F (75 degrees C)
Capon	---	---	---	---
4 to 8 pounds	Indirect	Medium	15 to 20 min./pound	165 degrees F (75 degrees C)
Cornish Hens	---	---	---	---
18 to 24 ounces	Indirect	Medium	45 to 55 min./side	165 degrees F (75 degrees C)
Bone-In Breast	---	---	---	---
6 to 8 ounces	Direct	Medium/High	10 to 15 min./side	165 degrees F (75 degrees C)
Boneless Breast	---	---	---	---
4 ounces	Direct	High	6 to 8 min./side	165 degrees F (75 degrees C)
Legs or Thighs	---	---	---	---
4 to 8 ounces	Direct	Medium/High	10 to 15 min./side	165 degrees F (75 degrees C)
Drumsticks	---	---	---	---
4 ounces	Direct	Medium/High	8 to 12 min./side	165 degrees F (75 degrees C)
Wings	---	---	---	---
2 to 3 ounces	Direct	Medium/High	8 to 12 min./side	165 degrees F (75 degrees C)

A Note on Chicken Kebabs: Whether you're threading skewers with chicken breast or thigh meat, cook your chicken kebabs until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 165 degrees F (75 degrees C).

Grilled Chicken Recipes

For all the grilled chicken inspiration you could ever need, check out:

Also browse our complete collection of Grilled Chicken Recipes.

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