The world is so full of wonderful and exciting options when we’re looking for the best indoor grill for chicken breast. However, no matter how many options there are, our job is to only come up with the best. That diminishes the pool of models to choose from.
While I admit that sometimes grilling other cuts of meat or even some burger patties can be more exciting, there are times when I just want some perfectly grilled chicken breast. I seriously think that grilled chicken breasts can be underappreciated, especially by some members in my family.
But how can you make the perfect salad without some beautifully sliced chicken breast as the star of the show? I can’t imagine it.
Let’s not even start talking about chicken marinades. I’m totally done when it comes to that. Maybe not even a homemade pizza can tear me away.
Plus, I love that we can pair chicken breast with basically any side dish. It doesn’t hurt that it makes me feel so proud of myself, like look at me eating healthy and being a responsible adult.
If you are interested in even more interested dishes, I recommend checking out my reviews for the best raclette grills.
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Best Indoor Grill for Chicken Breast Reviews
Okay, let’s get back to actually reviewing and chasing after the best indoor grill for chicken breast before I abandon it all and just go cook in a frenzy.
As I’ve mentioned, there are a lot of options to choose from. The price range is also quite varied. I hope everyone can find the best model for them, no matter your budget.
However, I must warn you that each of these many indoor grills also have a good share of negative reviews and complaints. While there are indeed many grills to pick from, remember to always check out the negative reviews, too so that you can be prepared for various results.
Of course, if you want, we can also make steamed chicken meat. Well, grilled certainly tastes better.
1. George Foreman Grill and Panini Press: Overall the Best Indoor Grill for Chicken Breast
Is the George Foreman Grill and Panini Press really perfect? Of course not but I really like it a lot.
First of all, it’s one of the most popular indoor grills at the moment. That’s an impressive achievement because there are a lot of products on the market to compete with.
Moreover, and this is incredibly important, you can’t beat that price.
If you want to spend less than $50 on your purchase, then this is the model to focus on.
Moreover, the price-quality ratio is exactly what I’m looking for.
I’ll review the 4-serving option because it’s slightly bigger. Still, it remains to be seen if we can really make 4 servings on its surface.
However, if you cook for 1 and you’re not concerned with cooking both the meat and the side dish at the same time, I recommend checking out the George Foreman 2-Serving Classic Plate Electric Indoor Grill and Panini Press.
Components
It measures: 12.6 x 9 inches. It’s tiny and compact.
This is an easy-to-use, simple-looking indoor grill.
It’s also black and sleek and, frankly, I like the whole design. You can store it anywhere.
The plates are described as being 4-serving.
However, I would say that the plates are big enough for cooking for 2 people. It’s not a big appliance no matter how you look at it.
We also get a dishwasher-safe drip tray. It collects excess fat and grease. That’s a nice touch.
The green light on top means that it’s time to cook. As I’ve said, it’s easy to use.
However, we don’t get any temperature control options. There’s one temperature and there’s that.
Still, the George Foreman Grill and Panini Press can help us cook anything we want: chicken breasts, steak, burgers, veggies, and more.
Of course, we can make panini and sandwiches for no-fuss cooking.
It also includes a 3-year warranty.
Removable grill plates
Both grill plates are removable. We saw the same thing when we talked about the best waffle makers with removable plates. As you know, that will contribute to an easy cleanup.
Moreover, the manufacturer mentions that they’re dishwasher safe. Usually, grills with removable plates will also make them dishwasher safe.
However, we must also remember that these plates are covered with a nonstick coating to prevent food from sticking to them. That’s why I prefer cleaning mine by hand as soon as I’m done cooking when the plates are still hot and can be cleaned easily.
If you know anything about nonstick coatings on pans, pots, trays, air fryer baskets, cookware, etc. then you know that they’re not exactly known for lasting longer than 2-3 years, maybe 5 years under extraordinary conditions.
The thing is that you’ll have to replace these kinds of appliances at some point in time.
This obsolescence can also determine us to buy a cheaper model like the George Foreman Grill and Panini Press because it’s cheaper to replace it.
The nonstick coating on the George Foreman Grill is called Advanced George Tough.
This manufacturer also has a guide on how to maintain this particular nonstick coating. It includes the advice of using cooking utensils that are made for nonstick coatings, meaning we need to avoid metal.
Moreover, we can also use the spatula provided with the grill.
When it comes to cleaning, we are advised to use a damp, soapy sponge and dry the plates with a soft cloth. That’s definitely what I prefer doing, which is totally possible if you do it as soon as you’re done, when the plates are still hot.
Also, I should mention that many users prefer putting them in the dishwasher so they’re definitely safe for that.
How to use it
The user manual includes a suggested cooking chart.
Once the green light is on, then we can begin cooking. There’s no temperature to set up.
Burger patties, 5 oz, ½ inch thick can be cooked in 4-6 min. That’s fast.
Boneless, skinless chicken breast, 6 oz and ½ inch thick should cook in 5-8 min. Again, quite fast for such an affordable appliance.
We can make hot dogs in 2-4 min, salmon steaks or fillets in 3-5 min, vegetables in 3-6 min, lean, boneless steak in anywhere between 2 to 8 min, depending if we want it rare, medium rare, medium or medium well.
The user manual also includes a couple of recipes, which is a nice touch, even if we only have 2 recipes to explore.
We get recipes for: buffalo turkey burgers and spicy black bean burger for vegans.
2. Ninja AG301 Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill with Air Fry
While the George Foreman Grill and Panini Press is a classic indoor grill that I really like, especially considering its under $50 price, the Ninja AG301 Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill with Air Fry is something completely different in all aspects.
It will be a pleasure to explore the Ninja AG301 one again, this time as a potential pick for the best indoor grill for chicken breast. I’ve already included it among my reviews for the best air fryer grill combo.
The Ninja AG301 is not a cheap appliance but it’s certainly more affordable than much more expensive picks like the Breville BGR820XL Smart Grill. The price also depends on whether you can find it on sale or not. Based on that, the price can vary between $150 and $230.
Components
Let’s see how the Ninja AG301 makes it possible to function both as an air fryer and as an indoor grill.
It’s interesting to discover that we can grill our chicken breasts on top and then we can air fry our side dish or other meat in the basket in the air fryer below. Once everything is done we’ll have a complete meal in no time.
The components for this grill+air fryer are:
- 10 x 10 grill grate
- 4 quart crisper basket
- 6 quart cooking pot
- splatter shield
- 15 recipe cookbook
- cleaning brush
I should also mention that all these components, grill grate, crisper basket and cooking pot are ceramic-coated. It means that they’re PFOA/PTFE-free.
Overall, based on these sizes for different cooking methods, we can say that the Ninja AG301 Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill with Air Fry can feed 4 people. Or maybe 2-3 people with bigger appetites.
We can grill: 4 burgers, 4 steaks, 5 hot dogs, 4 ears of corn, etc.
The 4 quart basket is also enough for generously feeding 2-3 people.
I would say that it’s a better choice for 2-3 people families. It could work for feeding 4 people but, in my opinion, the portions might be a bit small.
Features
There are 4 cooking levels for the grill so it’s easy-to-use:
- low : bacon, sausages, calzones, and when cooking thicker barbecue sauces
- medium: frozen meats and batches of marinated ingredients
- high: steaks, chicken, and burgers
- max: veggies, fruit, fresh & frozen seafood, and pizza
The air fryer part has the following cooking functions:
- air crisp
- roast
- dehydrate
- bake
This recipe book clearly illustrates how to use the Ninja AG301.
We get recipes for marinades (teriyaki, garlic & herb, simple steak marinade), spice rubs (easy BBQ spice rub, everyday spice rub, dry herb rub), and dipping sauces (chimichurri, lemon-garlic chili mayo, Jamaican jerk ketchup).
We also get recipes for: grilled New York strip steak & asparagus, classic cheeseburgers, teriyaki marinated salmon, barbecue chicken breasts, Nashville hot fried chicken, grilled cauliflower steaks with Greek salsa, rice & vegetable stuffed peppers, steak & vegetable kebabs, sausage pepper grinders, grilled citrusy halibut, Mexican street corn, personal grilled pizza, French fries with parmesan & garlicky mayo, honey & herb charred carrots, grilled apple & raspberry pie.
All in all, the Ninja AG301 is a perfect choice for those who look for versatility, for a grill that is incorporated in a complex appliance and for those who don’t mind the price.
3. Cuisinart GR-300WSP1 Elite Griddler
The thing about Cuisinart is that it has a lot of different types of indoor grills to choose from. It makes things a bit confusing when we’re trying to find the best indoor grill for chicken breast.
The cheapest, slightly more expensive than $50, is their panini griddler. It can be used to grill chicken breasts, patties and other cuts of meat, besides being totally awesome for sandwiches. It’s a good option if you want a cheaper appliance.
We also have the Cuisinart GR-4NP1 Griddler, which is the basic version of all the other more expensive alternatives. If your budget is around $100, this is an excellent option.
Overall, my favorite is the Elite Griddler because it’s the more complex one in the entire series. I love it, even though, with a price around $200, it’s seriously expensive.
The Deluxe Griddle is slightly less expensive. It’s pretty much identical, there’s not that much difference between the Elite and the Deluxe. Go for the Deluxe model if you like what the Elite offers but you want a slightly less expensive price.
Components
The cooking surface is 240 square inches open. We can use it open if we want to maximize the space or we can close the lid and cook on half of those 240 square inches.
I like that we can cook on both surfaces and we get plenty of space thanks to these two. It’s a decent size.
We have two removable plates, each with two respective sides.
One smooth surface where we can cook eggs, pancakes and bacon on, called the griddle side.
And the other is a grill perfect for our steaks, patties, chicken breasts, veggies, etc.
They’re non-stick on both sides.
Thanks to these two sides, the Cuisinart Elite Griddler can grill, griddle, half grill, half griddle, be used as a panini press, and top melt sandwiches, meats and appetizers.
Cuisinart also mentions something about their reversible plates having a SearBlast feature for locking flavor into steaks at 500 degrees F.
We also get a cleaning tool.
And a tray for catching all the grease.
This is a 1,800 watts grill so it’s very powerful. Countertop ovens or toaster oven air fryers also use around the same amount of watts.
Features
First, we have a button called intuitively Plate Select that allows us to select if we want to use the upper plate, the lower one or both at the same time. So far so good.
Next, we get two buttons for selecting temperatures: one for the lower plate and the other for the upper plate.
I love the tiny display that shows us the temp for each plate.
Hit the Start button to turn it on.
We also get two buttons for selecting time. That means that, once we get a bit of experience with this grill from Cuisinart, we can set up the time and leave it be until we have to turn our meat and then until it’s done and it stops automatically.
Once you hit Start, the temperatures will start flashing. When the temperature that we selected is reached, then we know that they’re ready for our ingredients. This is yet another thing that I really love about the Cuisinart Elite Griddler.
Upper and lower sear are for the SearBlast feature for locking flavor into steaks at 500 degrees F.
You can also check out this video if you want to see how the Cuisinart Elite Griddler is used.
The user manual also includes a bunch of recipes: pancakes, challah French toast, crab cakes, lamb chops, pizza, and so many more. It’s a good variety of recipes, including grilled vegetables.
4. Breville BGR820XL Smart Grill
Have you ever wondered how it would be to spend a bit more than $300 when you’re looking for the best indoor grill for chicken breast?
I’m pretty sure that not many of you would be willing to spend so much money on an indoor grill. I mean, the price is a bit outrageous.
Let’s just consider that there are grills that are 9 times cheaper than this Breville. I mean, look at my review for the George Foreman Grill if you want to see what a truly cheap indoor grill offers.
Basically, the Breville and the George Foreman are our two extremes in terms of price tags. Even the Ninja DG551 is cheaper than this Breville. Plus, I saw the Ninja DG551 being sold for less than $200 when it was on sale. Thus, we get it at a pretty decent price for what it offers.
But now we must see if the Breville BGR820XL Smart Grill is worthy of that expensive price.
I must admit that Breville makes very expensive appliances but I love their blender quite a lot. I’m impressed by it but I’m not 100% sure that I will be capable of feeling the same elation for their grill.
Components
If you somehow think that this Breville and the above Cuisinart look quite similar, then you would be right.
The only difference is that Breville is a lot more expensive.
What I should mention first is that I love that Breville mentions that their plates are PFOA free.
Thus, if you’re looking for the best indoor grill for chicken breast with PFOA-free plates, then this is a safe choice.
We get the same 2 removable plates.
And each plate has two sides. Of course, both sides are non-stick. And they’re dishwasher safe, although I would prefer cleaning them by hand.
We can use the Smart Grill in BBQ mode, which simply means cooking on both plates being open.
That offers a whole lot of space to cook on. We can do so if we want to grill both the meat and the veggies at the same time. Or if we want to make pancakes, eggs, bacon. And things like that.
The 1,800 watts heating elements embedded into the plates are definitely powerful enough for whatever we want to do.
Features
We get a button for selecting the time.
And the other for the temp: low, panini, sear.
There’s also a button for plate release when we want to remove them.
And there’s a small display that shows the temperature we selected and the time we selected for our dishes. Once the time is up, the grill stops automatically so that’s convenient.
5. Ninja DG551 Smart XL 6-in-1 Indoor Grill with Air Fry
If you were excited reading about the Ninja AG301 Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill with Air Fry but you want a slightly bigger model, then Ninja DG551 Smart XL 6-in-1 Indoor Grill with Air Fry might be what you’re looking for.
Components
There are plenty of components involved:
- grill grate
- cooking pot
- 4 quarts Crisper basket
- cleaning brush
- splatter shield
I love that we get a ceramic-coated grill grate, crisper basket and cooking pot. That’s the non-stick coating. That means that they’re PFOA-free, which is awesome.
Also, they’re dishwasher safe and easy to clean.
The XL size is good for a medium family.
The grill grate fits up to 6 steaks, 24 hot dogs, mains and sides at the same time.
The air fryer basket is not very big but it’s good enough for our side dishes or if you want to make some veggies and things like that.
We also get the Foodi Smart Thermometer. It continuously monitors the internal temperature of food in two places for more accurate cooking results. That’s certainly a component that no indoor grill in this article provides.
The inspiration guide includes instructions on how to use the Ninja DG551 and the Foodi Smart Thermometer.
It also features a number of delicious recipes, including a vegetable flatbread recipe that is made on the grill in 7-10 mins. Although, the preheat time is 10 min so that will give you plenty of time to roll the dough and the ingredients.
Features
The Ninja DG551 is a complex appliance. We have a lot of features to cover.
The main functions are:
- grill
- air crisp
- roast
- bake
- broil
- dehydrate
These 6 functions clearly illustrate how complex this indoor grill with air fry is.
For the grill part, we also get a few buttons that make things easier.
These buttons are: rare, med rate, med, med well, and well. That’s helpful for those who want the perfect steak. Obviously, our chicken breast should always be well done.
There are 4 protein settings: beef, poultry, pork, fish.
And 9 customizable doneness levels.
We also get something called cyclonic grilling technology. It uses hot cyclonic air and 500 degrees F grill grate to perfectly cook or char-grill our food with char-grilled marks and delicious flavors.
There’s also a smoke control system. It’s achieved through a combination of chef-recommended grilling practices, a temperature-controlled grill grate, splatter shield, and cool-air zone. All these are meant to reduce smoke.
All in all, while the Ninja DG551 is an excellent and complex option for the best indoor grill for chicken breast, there are other options that I recommended in this article that can fit a variety of budgets.
