Honey Lime Grilled Chicken

As Memorial Day and the unofficial start of the summer approaches, we have our warm-weather menu on the brain. Whether you’re whipping up your favorite pasta salad or throwing marinated steak on the grill, there are plenty of grill-and-chill recipes to choose from. And you’ll want to add this grilled honey lime chicken to the list.

Honey Lime Grilled Chicken

Author: Hamilton Beach Test Kitchen

Ingredients

5 pounds chicken legs and thighs
Brine
12 cups water
½ cup salt
¼ cup sugar
Glaze
1 ½ cups honey
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon salt
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

Place chicken in gallon-size resealable plastic bags. In a large bowl, combine water, salt and sugar. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Pour over chicken in bags. Remove air from bags to ensure that the chicken is submerged in the brine. Seal bags. Let brine in refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight.
Heat grill to sear or 450°F.
In a medium bowl, combine glaze ingredients. Reserve half for serving with grilled chicken.
Grill chicken, skin-side down, 10 minutes. Turn. Grill 10 minutes and turn again.
Brush chicken with glaze. Grill 5 minutes. Turn again so skin-side ends up on top. Brush with glaze and grill until chicken reaches 165°F when tested with a meat thermometer.
Serve chicken with reserved sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Notes

Serves 8-10

One of the most popular summer recipes on the blog is mouth-watering grilled bourbon chicken. While this Hamilton Beach staff favorite will always have a place on our summer plates, the Test Kitchen wanted to develop another grilled chicken recipe that was just as delicious but with a different flavor profile. Honey lime chicken is flavor-packed and the perfect protein to serve alongside your go-to summer sides.

We brined the chicken before throwing it on the grill which, honestly, makes all the difference. If you have the time and want to achieve grill master status, we definitely recommend brining the meat ahead of time. Simply combine water, salt, and sugar until the salt and sugar dissolve. Pour the mixture over chicken in resealable bags and refrigerate for 2 hours or even better, overnight. The meat will absorb the liquid, resulting in a juicier more flavorful chicken that is less likely to dry out on the grill.

We brushed the chicken legs and thighs with a glaze made of honey, lime juice, soy sauce, vegetable oil, garlic, fresh ginger, crushed red pepper, and salt. It’s sweet, spicy, and tangy all at the same time.

Serve it hot-of-the-grill with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a sprinkle of cilantro at your next cookout. You can even use leftovers to make a filling for zucchini boats or to top salads with during the week. Winner winner grilled chicken dinner.

With the Hamilton Beach® Indoor Searing Grill, you can enjoy outdoor grilled flavor anytime you want, regardless of the weather. Cooking with the Searing Grill is easy. Simply plug it in and turn the temperature dial all the way up to sear. When it reaches the high searing temperature of 450 degrees, the green preheat light will glow. Now you’re ready to sear steaks, burgers, pork chops or fish fillets to perfection.