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Nerdy Science in the Kitchen

Best Indoor Grill for Chicken

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Chicken grilled to perfection with indoor grill
Chicken grilled to perfection. That’s what you want. But what if you can’t fire up the grill? You get an indoor grill! The Hamilton Beach Grill at Amazon.

There are times when you want to have some grilled chicken but aren’t able to make it to the grill. Maybe it’s the weather, or maybe you don’t have enough charcoal or propane (depending on the fuel your grill uses). It could just be that you don’t want to fire up the entire grill for a few pieces of chicken.

My choice? I suggest the Hamilton Beach Indoor Flavor Searing Grill.

Each of these reasons is perfectly valid, but it doesn’t make your craving for grilled chicken any less prevalent.

Enter the electric grill. These are grills that let you approximate the taste of grilled chicken without al grill.

Indoor grill is just an electric grill, right?

Even though it may seem like all indoor grills are the same, it is important to note that they are not all equal.

Some grills use two surfaces, one on top and one on the bottom, to heat up the food (see the George Forman grill). While others operate more like a traditional grill, having one cooking surface and a lid that traps the heat inside it.

While you will not find an indoor grill that can exactly replicate the results of a traditional grill, some models can give you results as close as possible.

Let’s look at some of these products.

Delonghi BG24 Perfecto Indoor Grill

Delonghi BG24 Perfecto Indoor Grill, Black

This Delonghi grill (the indoor version of course) distributes heat evenly delivering surprisingly good results for an indoor grill. The heating plate is fully embedded in the grill allowing it stand out above much of the competition.

See the Delonghi Indoor Grill at Amazon.

The glass lid keeps the heat in, ensuring juicy chicken and also helping keep your food warm once you turn the grill off. It has an adjustable thermostat that lets you grill your chicken at precise temperatures (which is something that gas and propane grills cannot do), and the power source is removable.

Should you get the Delonghi BG24?

I think the best way to get a conventional grill like results with an indoor grill is to get a device that only uses one cooking surface and with a lid that traps in the heat. That means that I really like this grill. But the is one thing I do not like about it.

Because the grill plate is embedded in the grill, you cannot put it in the dishwasher, making for a more difficult cleanup after cooking your meal. The saving grace here is that the grates are nonstick so if you are vigilant with cleaning before the food begins to dry, it shouldn’t be too difficult.

T-fal Optigrill

T-Fal GC7 Opti-Grill Indoor Electric Grill, 4-Servings, Automatic Sensor Cooking, Silver

This grill from T-fal has the unique ability to adapt the way it cooks your food based on how thick your cuts of chicken are. With the automatic sensor cooking technology, it can detect how many items are on the grill and adjust the heat accordingly.

Here’s the T-fal Grill at Amazon.

It has 6 cooking programs that let you tell the machine whether you are grilling burgers, steaks, chicken, sausage, or even sandwiches. You can also manually adjust the cooking temperatures if you need to.

Plus, the GC702 can even cook your foods at medium, well done, or rare. All you have to do is set the grill up and tell it what you want it to do.

With this machine, you will get a one year warranty. If it is defective or something breaks down in it, the company will send you a replacement model free of charge.

Should you get the T-fal Optigrill

Although I typically do not like grills with two cooking surfaces, this one is a little bit different. The technology that goes into this grill is nothing less than incredible, and the result of it is excellent tasting food.

The biggest issue I have with the T-fall is that it takes up so much room, yet doesn’t really have a whole lot of cooking space to show for it. Most indoor grills are much smaller than this is, yet somehow have more real estate for cooking.

When you can't do this but still want the flavor... Go electric!
When you can’t do this but still want the flavor… Go electric!

Hamilton Beach Indoor Grill

Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Indoor Grill and Electric Griddle Combo and Bacon Cooker, Opens 180 Degrees to Double Cooking Space, Removable Nonstick Grids, (25600)

This Hamilton beach is perfect for rainy day grilling. It looks strikingly similar to a traditional grill just in a much smaller package. Oh, and it comes awfully close to producing the same results as an outdoor grill.

Check out the Hamilton Beach Grill for yourself at Amazon.

It has the capability to reach temperatures that are high enough to sear your food (my go-to technique when I want the juiciest chicken possible). The grilling surface is non-stick making for an easy cleanup, and the removable hood, grilling plate, and even the drip tray are dishwasher safe.

Of course, as with any other indoor grill, it has an adjustable thermostat to give you ultimate temperature control.

Should you get the Hamilton Beach?

This is easily the best indoor grill on this list, in my opinion of course. It offers up results that are extremely close to what you would expect from an outdoor grill, and it does so at a very affordable price.

Wrap – Up

If you love grilled chicken the way I do, then you rarely eat chicken any other way. If this is you, then you should seriously consider getting an indoor grill. But do not go for just any grill, get one that can give you great results.

Either of these will work, but if you want my opinion, the Hamilton Beach Grill is by far the best of the three.

Want more recommendations for electric appliances? Check out this post on the best electric tea kettle. For a perfectly cooked breakfast, go for an electric pancake griddle. Then plug in your new electric wok and stir fry up a storm!

Additional Resources

Kitchen Professor author
About the Author: Alexis DeAnda

Alexis DeAnda is a food fanatic, library card user, and cast iron hunter, in that order. She has been cooking for anyone that will taste it ever since her mom let her make doughnuts on Saturday mornings at the age of 7.

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