Page 158 - Barbecue Chicken Made Easy

Method
1| Prep. We're going to pound these breasts to make them flatter. This way there is more surface area exposed to the flavorful juice, and the brinerade's penetration depth becomes a greater portion of the total meat, adding even more flavor. After you pound them to about 3/4 inch thickness, dry brine the meat by salting it about 4 hours before cooking. This gives the salt a chance to penetrate.
2| Brinerade. Put all the brinerade ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Pour into a zipper bag. If you have read the info above about brinerades you know that, other than the salt, they do not penetrate very far. But they do find their way into cracks and cuts. So add the meat to the bag about 2 hours before cooking. And if you want, cut diamond patterns in the surface of both sides about 1/8 inch deep. These grooves will gather and hold the brinerade.
3a| For grilling. Grill over indirect heat to keep the sugar from burning. Shoot for about 325°F in the indirect zone. It will take about 45 minutes depending on how thick your chicken breasts are and how hot your grill is, and you should use a meat thermometer to get it off at optimum safe temp, 165°F.
3b| For stir-fry. Cut the breasts into strips about 1 1⁄2 inches long and 1⁄4 inch wide. Soak the chicken strips for 20 minutes in small quantities of this brinerade in a sealed zipper bag. Then stir-fry the meat in a wok or skillet over high heat and set aside. Stir-fry chopped vegetables of your choice and set aside. We like thick onion slices, red bell pepper slices, mushroom halves, and sugar snap pea pods. To make a sauce, whisk 1 teaspoon of cornstarch into 1⁄2 cup brinerinade. Stir the sauce in the pan until the sauce thickens, then add the meat and veggies to reheat and coat with the sauce. Serve over cooked rice.