Internal Temperature

• Grill chicken until it reaches a safe internal temperature. Cook boneless chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees Fahrenheit and bone-in chicken until it reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Direct Heat

• Begin grilling the chicken over direct heat. Grilling chicken at a medium to high heat sears the outside while sealing the juices inside. Grill smaller chicken pieces, which cook in under half an hour, over direct heat. Remove whole chicken and larger chicken pieces from direct heat after the outside browns.

Indirect Heat

• Grill whole chicken and larger pieces of chicken over indirect heat for two-and-a-half to three hours -- depending on the size of the chicken -- at low to medium heat set between 230 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit. For charcoal grills, indirect heat means grilling chicken over an area not directly over the coals. For gas grills, turn on one burner while leaving the others off, place the chicken over one of the off burners, and close the hood of the grill to allow the heat from the active burner to indirectly smoke the chicken.