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The Best Grilled Chicken
Say goodbye to dry, bland grilled chicken breasts. This recipe guarantees juicy, flavorful chicken every time.
Sometimes in cooking the simplest dishes are the hardest to get right, and grilled chicken is a perfect example. Because boneless chicken breasts are so lean, they often turn out dry, rubbery, and bland. Contrary to popular belief, marinating alone will not save grilled chicken from drying out; in fact, it’s often the marinade that causes the problem!
My technique and marinade ensure tender, juicy, and flavorful grilled chicken every time. You can serve the fillets on their own as a healthy main course (kids love them), topped with cheese on a toasted bun, or, as I often do, sliced over a Caesar salad. Bonus: the recipe is quick and easy. You do all of the prep ahead of time and you won’t even dirty a single bowl.
What You’ll Need To Make THE BEST Grilled Chicken
STEP-BY-STEP Instructions
Step 1: Pound the Chicken
Place the chicken breasts in a 1-gallon freezer bag and pound to an even ½-inch thickness. This both tenderizes the meat and ensures even cooking. Left in their natural shape, the thin side of the fillet dries out while the thicker side finishes cooking. If you don’t have a meat mallet, a rolling pin or a saucepan will both work well.
Step 2: Make the Marinade
Lemon is a key ingredient in this marinade, but I only use the zest. Contrary to conventional wisdom, acidic ingredients (such as vinegar or lemon juice) do not tenderize lean boneless chicken breasts. Just the opposite: they “cook” the exterior of the meat and give it a leathery texture. The zest gives the chicken ample lemon flavor, without affecting the chicken’s succulent texture.
The best tool for zesting citrus is a fine or microplane grater. Simply rub the lemon in one direction against the blades, turning the lemon as you go. Be sure to remove only the yellow part; the white pith underneath is bitter.
Once you’ve zested the lemon, mix all of the marinade ingredients except for the chicken together in a 1-gallon zip-lock bag (go ahead and use the same one you used for pounding if it is still in good shape).
Add the chicken breasts to the bag and massage the marinade into the meat until evenly coated.
Step 3: Marinate
Seal the bag and place in a bowl in the refrigerator (the bowl protects against leakage); let the chicken marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Step 4: Grill
When you’re ready to eat, preheat your grill to high heat and oil the grates (clean, oiled grates will give you the best grill marks). Be sure your grill is very hot before cooking the chicken; you want nice grill marks and char in the short amount of time it takes to cook these. When pounded thin, chicken breasts only need 2 to 3 minutes per side…no more! If you try to flip the chicken and it feels stuck, try giving it 30 seconds. It’ll release naturally when it’s ready.
You’ll notice that the recipe calls for the grill to be covered while the chicken is cooking. This creates convection heat which helps give the chicken a nicely charred exterior and a tender, moist interior.
After removing the chicken from the grill, let it rest for 3 to 4 minutes before cutting into it. This will help keep the juices in and retain the meat’s moisture. (The timing is perfect as it’s just enough to get it onto plates, add sides, and put on the table).
While this chicken is best right off the grill, it’s also the kind of thing you can make a double batch of and freeze for future use in salads, pastas, and sandwiches.
Freezer-Friendly Tips
- Make sure the chicken is completely cooled before freezing it.
- Keep the chicken pieces whole (no slicing before freezing).
- To avoid multiple pieces stuck together (which extends defrosting time), wrap each piece individually in plastic wrap and then place them all in a ziploc bag. This also allows you to defrost one piece at a time if you’d like.
You May Also Like
- Grilled Moroccan Chicken
- Grilled Chicken Fajitas
- Grilled Chicken & Quinoa Burrito Bowls with Spicy Green Sauce
- Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken
- Grilled BBQ Chicken
The Best Grilled Chicken
Say goodbye to dry, bland grilled chicken breasts. This recipe guarantees juicy, flavorful chicken every time.
Ingredients
- 1-3/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1-1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon zest, from one lemon
Instructions
- One at a time, place the chicken breasts in a 1-gallon zip-lock bag; using a meat mallet, pound to an even ½-inch thickness.
- Mix all of the ingredients except for the chicken together in a 1-gallon zip-lock bag (go ahead and use the same one you used for pounding if it is still in good shape). Add the chicken breasts to the bag and massage the marinade into the meat until evenly coated. Seal the bag and place in a bowl in the refrigerator (the bowl protects against leakage); let the chicken marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the grill to high heat and oil the grates. Place the chicken breasts on the grill and cook, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do not overcook. Transfer the chicken to a platter and serve.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 chicken breast (The nutritional information includes all of the ingredients for the marinade, so one serving is likely significantly lower in calories and fat than the numbers below.)
- Calories: 413
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Sugar: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 42 g
- Sodium: 958 mg
- Cholesterol: 127 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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I made this and it was AMAZING!!!
Hi Jenn!
Can you please specify; do you use kosher salt or fine salt? I used fine sea salt and it seemed a bit salty. But overall the flavor was delicious and chicken was moist. I want to make again. Thanks!
Hi Jane, When a recipe of mine says salt in the ingredient list, I am referring to regular/table salt. If it calls for something else like kosher salt, I will specify that in the recipe. I’m sorry to hear you found this a bit too salty. Feel free to cut it back a bit next time.
Thanks for clarifying; I will make again using regular table salt. I’m sure it will be better! ~ Jane
Found this recipe just before I was due to cook and as such only had the chicken marinading in the fridge for half an hour; still tasted amazing. Looking forward to trying again with the recommended time. This recipe is going into my staples. Loved it!
I absolutely love this recipe!!
Can I use it with beef?
Hi Norma, I’d probably use a recipe that’s intended specifically for beef. You may like this one.
I have tried a lot of different marinades, trying to get my husband to like chicken. This was the best!! Even my husband liked it. It was delicious, and the chicken was nice and juicy and tender. I’ve finally found my go to recipe!
I made this recipe. It was delicious!! My husband love it and he want this to be one of my go to recipes for chicken breasts. Thanks for sharing.
What a great recipe and explanation. The tough chicken breasts I was serving before just weren’t cutting it and I was getting desperate even while thinking, I don’t think any recipe can make a chicken breast delicious and juicy — must be luck of the draw with the bird. Well, I was totally amazed by how good the chicken breast was using this recipe — juicy, flavorful. I think she’s right on in saying that lemon juice makes chicken tough. This was really really good. I followed her recipe very closely. It was a hit with everyone. You too can achieve this level of renown.
Delicious tender chicken. Your tip about NOT using the lemon juice, only the zest is a real game changer. I have modified all chicken marinades to remove the citrus juice..
This has quickly been adopted into our weekly rotation. I’ve grilled it on a gas grill, used a panini press (messy), and baked it. All cooking methods yield fantastic, flavorful chicken.
I tried this recipe a couple of times, sometimes with different but the same method and it’s just great. Really moist chicken 🙂
I’m wondering though, how do you tell when the chicken breasts are cooked? Also, I don’t have access to a grill so I have just been using the stovetop and the oven. I’ve read somewhere here you should put the braise the chicken breast using a cast iron skillet first and then into a 350-degree oven but I found that to be too weak. Could I just put the oven to a broil setting instead?
Hi Dennis, Yes it’s fine to just broil the chicken, and the easiest way to check for doneness with thin chicken breasts is to just cut one of the pieces with a knife. There shouldn’t be any pinkish hue and the juices should run clear. Hope that helps!
I love baking but am not so great with cooking meats/poultry. I made this marinade, let the chicken sit in it overnight, and grilled it the next day. It was absolutely delicious. Everyone loved it, and it was a good and simple intro to marinades.
Took me 5-6 minutes longer but I think it’s a user pounding error. Taste is fantastic.
This was unbelievably tasty and everyone to whom I’ve served has raved and requested the recipe!!!! Thank you!!
Very tender but I didn’t like the herb flavoring