Keep chicken with skin from catching on fire on the barbeque Short:

Is there a proper technique for cooking chicken (with skin) on the barbecue, without little chicken-fireballs?

Long:

My previous landlord loved to cook on the barbecue, much to the displeasure of our tastebuds. (We alternated cooking days).

Her chicken always caught on fire and the skin burned to a crisp. The meat on the inside was fine of course, but the fatty skin was long since toast.

I have never tried cooking chicken on the barbecue with skin, but I'd like to try it, without setting them on fire. Can it be done, and is it really easy?

I've theorized that if I boil the chicken just a little, it might remove some of the fat and help, but I'm not sure. I won't have barbecue access for awhile (currently living in an apartment) so I can't try it, yet.

I have no idea why her chicken burned (high temperature, not paying attention, etc).
The chicken fat layer in the skin is flammable. As it melts, it drips out and down. If there is something extremely hot underneath it (like hot charcoal), it will ignite causing a flareup. Heat rises, so the heat and flame go back upwards to heat the chicken more, causing more fat to melt and drip. It is a self-reinforcing cycle.

To prevent the cycle from beginning:


lower the heat level
put a drip pan between heat and the chicken
move the chicken so it isn't directly above the heat
start with the side of the chicken with skin facing down, finish with it facing up


If you actually get the skin hot enough to catch fire while on the chicken, you're REALLY using too much heat.