The Best Grilled Chicken

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Say goodbye to dry, bland grilled chicken breasts. This recipe guarantees juicy, flavorful chicken every time.

Bowl of sliced, grilled chicken.

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 prevent 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

ingredients for grilled chicken breasts

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.

pounding the chicken breasts

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.

zesting the lemon

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).

marinade ingredients in bag

Add the chicken breasts to the bag and massage the marinade into the meat until evenly coated.

massaging marinade into chicken

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.

sealed chicken in bowl ready to marinate in the fridge

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.

chicken breasts on the grill

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.

Video Tutorial

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.
Bowl of sliced, grilled chicken.

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The Best Grilled Chicken

Bowl of sliced, grilled chicken.

Say goodbye to dry, bland grilled chicken breasts. This recipe guarantees juicy, flavorful chicken every time.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes, plus at least 4 hours to marinate

Ingredients

  • 1¾ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1½ teaspoons lemon zest, from one lemon

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Note: 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

Pair with

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (4 servings)
  • Serving size: 1 chicken breast
  • 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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Comments

  • This is one of our favorites…I love to make this with your focaccia for an incredible sandwich! Having company and I’m wondering if you could use this recipe to make kabobs?

    • — Sharon Orfaly on July 18, 2025
    • Reply
    • Hi Sharon, Glad you like it! Glad you like it! Yes, you can use the recipe for kabobs (just don’t pound the breasts first).

  • Can this be baked? Thanks!

    • — Nicole Coven on July 12, 2025
    • Reply
    • Hi Nicole, I wouldn’t bake it, but you can use the broiler in your oven. The cook time will be about the same as that for the grill. Enjoy!

  • The chicken you show in the recipe picture was not pounded flatter. Very deceiving!!

    • — Chicken man on June 29, 2025
    • Reply
  • Delicious, and very easy!

    • — VJ on June 29, 2025
    • Reply
  • Best grilled chicken recipe I have had in a long time. I will be making this again and again! My husband normally does not like chicken and loved it!

    • — Sandra on June 26, 2025
    • Reply
  • After many disappointments, I’m always a little hesitant about recipes titled “The Best …”. This recipe, however, is appropriately titled.

    Flavorful, juicy, absolutely delicious!! Even my daughter who usually turns her nose up at grilled chicken breasts devoured this.

    This will be my go-to recipe anytime I grill chicken. Thank you, Jenn, for another great recipe.

    • — Kathy on June 23, 2025
    • Reply
  • The chicken looks good, I only see the ingredients in a picture, what are the ingredients in the two little bowls, I can’t not tell, oregano and cumin perhaps?

    • — Miriam kelly on June 10, 2025
    • Reply
    • Hi Miriam, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions above. If you scroll down a bit under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button labeled ‘Jump to Recipe.’ If you click on it, it’ll take you directly to the recipe.

  • Excellent! We usually only grill chicken thighs, but decided to try this recipe. This is, by far, the best grilled chicken breast we have ever made (or eaten). It’s amazing that you can have this great chicken in only 5 minutes on the grill. The spice profile is perfect.

    • — Mary on June 5, 2025
    • Reply
  • I made this recipe exactly as printed and it was delicious. However, it did not get the desired char or grill marks and it did not look appetizing. We only had a charcoal grill and used extremely hot coals. Did a charcoal grill make a difference? I thought next time I would try my George Forman grill.

    • — Ellen on May 31, 2025
    • Reply
    • Hi Ellen, Glad you enjoyed it! Although you said your grill was very hot, if you didn’t get those grill marks, it probably wasn’t hot enough. (And using a charcoal grill shouldn’t be a problem.) Did you grill with the lid on? If not, I’d recommend that.

  • This recipe is awesome! The key in my opinion is how you marinate it. Thank you chef for sharing your recipe. (5 STARS) GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST

    • — Marie on May 29, 2025
    • Reply

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