The Best Grilled Chicken
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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 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
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.
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.
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
- 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
- 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.
- 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
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- 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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I’ve used this lemon marinade countless times and have even subbed italian herb seasoning in place of the garlic and herbs when Im out of them.. fantastic recipe!! My only question is can I leave this in the marinade for 24 hours?
Thanks!!
Hi Georgia, So glad you like it!! I think you’ll get the best results if you marinate the chicken no longer than 12 hours.
Was looking for a quick and easy chicken dish. Everyone really enjoyed the recipe. It was moist and flavorful. This is a keeper.
Should the garlic be minced?
Yes, the garlic should be minced.
Got rave reviews from my family on the grilled chicken recipie. First time I made the chicken Caesar salad. Just made again tonight. First time I used chicken tenders and it worked great. This time I used breasts that I split lengthwise to get even thickness for even cooking. Will be my go to recipie for grilled chicken breasts for whatever I am cooking. The other good thing is that you can use the lemon zest in the marinade and the juice of the same lemon in the Caesar dressing.
What a great recipe. I used it with chicken thighs and it turned out beautifully – full of flavour. A medium heat with a griddle pan cooking the fillets for 4 minutes each side (a little longer if need be) produced a lovely caramelisation and bar marks. Marinating the thighs for an hour is great ( overnight is brilliant).
Excellent, perfect with grilled asparagus and brussel sprouts! And I only marinated mine for just over 1.5 hours.
Wonderful grilled chicken breasts!!!
Very good and moist with a wonderful lemon/garlic flavor. Will make again and again.
Wow!!!! I’m going to have to give this one 6 stars!!! I had been putting this recipe off thinking it was probably fine but a little boring. Well!! I was so wrong!! I even forgot to pound the chicken. I’m fooling everyone into thinking I’m an amazing chef!!!
This recipe has changed my life! I only know how to grill chicken thighs and chicken on the bone- I have never had success with boneless breasts on the grill until now! I am very excited! My chicken came out perfectly, just like its name!
Since my original post, I have made this chicken about fifteen times! It is outstanding and the only chicken I ever want! I just wanted to mention that I have used six breasts with the same amount of marinade and it’s really just as good! YUM
Just wanted to say this is a wonderful recipe! I was skeptical, because the ingredients are so simple. However, the chicken turned out perfectly tender, moist, and full of flavor. I used a thigh, which was very thin, so didn’t even pound it.
Well first off, this was the juiciest grilled chicken I have ever had! unfortunately, I didn’t have a lemon or thyme, so did a bit of fusion cooking. I subbed the thyme with sage and the lemon with medium curry.
WOW! Grilled boneless curried chicken breasts! What a treat.
Great site by the way, you are now one of my fav’s!
Thanks so much for sharing your grilled chicken with lemon, garlic and herbs recipe, like so many others I can’t believe how good yet simple it is. I added it to a Greek salad, amazing!
I had a BBQ this weekend and made this for the first time (along with the garlic rosemary flank steak 🙂 Everyone LOVED this. They loved the flank steak too but the chicken was the hit of the evening. Thanks!!
I didn’t have a lemon on hand, but did have a lime! The lime was delicious with the herbs – I paired it with your corn, black bean chipotle salad. It was a “rock on” kind of moment as we savored the holiday weekend. Thank you!
This is an awesome marinade!
I’ve made this twice now. You can really taste the lemon and garlic
These were the BEST chicken breasts I have ever cooked on the grill! Very flavorful, tender and juicy. The chicken just melted in your mouth!! I put them in the marinade around 8 am before work and cooked them on the grill around 7 pm…….everyone raved about how delicious they were! Great, simple and easy recipe going into my permanent collection! Thanks! 🙂
I can’t believe that this simple of a recipe tastes THIS GOOD. It feels like I am cheating! It does taste like restaurant quality chicken, but a lot healthier. I put this in a salad with squeezed lemon juice, pepperocinis, feta cheese, sliced cucumbers, and sunflower seeds and it was awesome. Thanks so much for the recipe!
These chicken breasts were fantastic. Pounding them out really does tenderize them and make for more even cooking. Wish I had done that in the past with grilling chicken breasts. So tasty!
We loved this recipe. This was the first time I’d ever pounded any meat. I am learning how to be more adventurous because of your site! Since this came out so delicious, I also made your fabulous Moroccan chicken,.
I found this recipe 3 months ago and have made it several times to rave reviews. Super simple and truly delicious. Thank you!
Hello
I have a question.
Do you list the nutritional info for your recipes? I didn’t see it but thought I would ask just in case I overlooked it.
Thanks
Hi Angie, Most of my newer recipes include nutritional data. Have just added it to this one as well; you’ll find it beneath the recipe.
Over the past month we have tried so many of your recipes. What a breath of fresh air to our dinnertime! This chicken is delicious and makes us feel as if we are in a restaurant.
My new go-to chicken marinade. The pairing options for the flavour profile are endless. As with all your recipes, the balance of flavours is perfection!
I loved this recipe. My picky 8 and 6 year old also lived it. I made it with a side if Israeli couscous and the Italian salad on this site. Great combo!! Made recipe exactly as written and it was perfect.
This is my go to recipe for grilled chicken. It’s perfect. great alone, in salads, and makes a great sandwich with lettuce, tomato and bacon on a fresh toasted roll.
I’ve made this several times now. You can really taste the lemon and garlic. No need to make any changes we love it!
I did my best to mess up this recipe. First, after I mixed the marinade I discovered the package had 2 extra chicken breasts. So I tossed in some extra oil and seasoning without measuring. I pounded most of the breasts too thin. Then I forgot about them and left the bag in the frig for 24 hours. I cooked them on the stove on a large grill pan. They were DELICIOUS! My husband even complimented me. This recipe is foolproof.
awesome recipe! Juicy and flavorful! I marinated overnight it came out perfect
I really love this recipe! I just wanted to add that I made an extra marinade and put the lemon juice from the other zested lemon. To the extra marinade, I added kabob veggies to grill along side the chicken.
This is the best grilled chicken I’ve ever had so far! We marinated chicken for 2 hours and it turned out to be so tender and tasty. This will be my go to recipe from no on.
Great recipe – it came out so moist and tender. I used the leftover chicken served over pasta with pesto the next night with the “Big Italian Salad” from this site. The only thing is that I don’t think I pounded the breasts thin enough as they were still a bit pink inside after grilling – I finished them in the oven and they were perfect.
Thank you! My very picky family loved my chicken tonight because of this delicious marinade. Rushed as usual, I could not pound the chicken and it only marinated about 2 hours, but it still worked!
This is now my go-to marinade for chicken breasts! I discovered it recently when I was trying to find the best chicken breast marinade for Dobar Chicken (which I highly recommend if you’ve never had this dish before – it’s a dish from Seattle restaurant, Pogacha).
This marinade is so easy and fast (I generally let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes) and then it’s a quick 4-6 minutes on the grill. I’ve used it for Dobar Chicken and Chicken Pesto, and will probably find more ways to incorporate it in salads and other meals.
Thanks so much Jenn for finally proving to me that chicken breasts can be cooked perfectly with great flavor, and without coming out dry!
The perfect go-to chicken for salads, and easy to double for a make-ahead summer dinner party. In the winter I make this on my indoor grill pan for a healthy meal with broccoli and couscous. Love it.
This chicken was amazing! I am the daughter of a chef and I LOVE to cook. This is the first time I have left a comment on a recipe site because the chicken is that good. Thank you!
Can you use boneless chicken cutlets — already thin — so you don’t need to pound them? Thanks!
Hi Wynn, Unfortunately, I think the cutlets would dry out on the grill; those are better for sautéing.
These made my first catering gig a hit ..thanks 100
Would it taste better with a char. grill ? Please answer by 8am
Hi Jimi, Yes, I think everything tastes better on a char grill 🙂
The calorie count would be nice to put with the recipie!
Can I cook this on a “George Forman grill”?
Hi Janet, Yes that should work fine!
im trying this recepie out as we speak. i added grated chillie n chuckney. i hope it turns out well. will keep u posted. thank u for sharing ur knowledge with us!:-))
Attempting this without the garlic or lemon zest for a late lunch. Hope marinating the breasts for 30 minutes in the fridge will be good enough. Also, I’m going to be using a grill pan instead of a proper grill.
To follow up on my previous comment, I want to thank you for sharing this recipe on your blog. I successfully made the most tender and juicy grilled chicken breasts that I have ever had the pleasure of eating. Went great with my spinach-mint-cilantro pesto and a Mediterranean-style salad. I cut up the extra breasts, added them to the salad and refrigerated it for a quick meal. Can’t wait to eat that tomorrow! 🙂
I make this all the time and was a big hit for my party last night.
Unfortunately, I overplanned and have a lot of grilled chicken left over. Does the cooked chicken freeze well?
Hi Melinda, I suppose you could freeze it but the texture wouldn’t be quite the same. If it were me, I’d repurpose it for another dish. It’s delicious chopped up in my Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Thanx for the reply. I left the chicken with the said stuff for almost 4 hrs then sauté it on the pan. It went flying at the dinner table. It was a pound party and I felt good about myself . This recipe is winner.
Can we use an oven instead of a grill?! If so what are the directions for it?!
Hi Sam, These are definitely better on the grill, but if you want to cook them indoors you can broil them. Place them on a broiling pan and broil 4 to 6 inches from the heat for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and broil an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is done.
Hi, I don’t have a grill. .. but I would love to do the same on the pan on the burner. Hw to go about it.
Hi Sonia, I would sear the chicken in an oven-proof sauté pan over high heat (a min or two per side until browned) then finish the chicken in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, or until done. Hope you enjoy and please let me know how it turns out.
What if i couldnt mince the garlic but cut it in small/medium pieces will thay affect flavor.
Lily, No worries, it will be fine.
I had the chicken in the marinade for 24 hrs. Is it still okay to cook?
Hi Melinda, It is absolutely still fine to cook. Since there’s no acid in the marinade, the meat holds up very well. It will just be very flavorful.
Just an update. You’re right Jenn. The chicken was delicious. I served it waith a salad and everyone in the family enjoyed it. Now I’m trying to figure out what to make tonight. THANKS.
The chicken was so juicy, and flavorful; it goes perfectly with the Big Italian Salad. The recipe for the salad dressing is so good, I could, and would drink it! The only difference I do for the dressing is more basil, and a little more honey, about a tablespoon.