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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 Greek salad or Caesar salad. Bonus: the recipe is quick and easy. You do all the prep ahead of time and won’t even dirty a single bowl. It’s also great for meal prep—make a double batch and freeze the extra for salads, pastas, and sandwiches.
“Truly the best grilled chicken. Juicy and flavorful and oh so easy.”
What You’ll Need To Make The Best Grilled Chicken
The marinade is a simple combination of olive oil, garlic, dried thyme, oregano, and lemon zest. I use lemon zest rather than juice because acidic ingredients like lemon juice and vinegar can give lean chicken breasts a leathery texture when marinated too long. The zest adds plenty of bright lemon flavor without affecting the chicken’s tenderness.
How to Make Grilled Chicken Breasts
Pound the chicken: Place the chicken breasts in a 1-gallon freezer bag and pound to an even ½-inch thickness. This tenderizes the meat and ensures even cooking, so the thinner ends don’t dry out before the thicker portions are done. If you don’t have a meat mallet, use a rolling pin or saucepan.
Make the marinade: Using a Microplane or fine grater, zest the lemon, rotating it as you go and avoiding the bitter white pith underneath. Combine the zest with the remaining marinade ingredients (except the chicken) in a 1-gallon zip-lock bag. You can reuse the bag from pounding the chicken if it’s still in good shape.
Marinate: Add the chicken breasts to the bag and massage the marinade into the meat until evenly coated. Seal the bag, place it in a bowl to catch any leaks, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Grill: Preheat the grill to high heat and oil the grates. Grill the chicken, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F. If the chicken sticks when you try to flip it, give it another 30 seconds; it should release naturally.
Rest: Transfer the chicken to a platter and let rest for 3 to 4 minutes before slicing. This helps keep the juices in and the chicken moist.
Can You Make Grilled Chicken Without an Outdoor Grill?
Absolutely! You can use a grill pan or your oven’s broiler.
Grill pan: Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F. There’s no need to cover the pan.
Broiler: Preheat the broiler and position an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Arrange the chicken on a foil-lined, broiler-safe baking sheet and broil for about 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F.
Storage, Freezing & Reheating
Storage: Store leftover cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
Freezing: Let the chicken cool completely, and keep the breasts whole rather than slicing them. Wrap each piece individually in plastic wrap, then place them together in a zip-lock freezer bag. This prevents the pieces from sticking together and allows you to thaw just what you need.
Reheating: Thaw frozen chicken overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat, covered with foil, in a 325°F oven until heated through to 165°F.
Video Tutorial
Grilled Chicken Breasts (Juicy)
Ingredients
- 1¾ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons lemon zest, from 1 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-in (13-mm) 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, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let rest for 3 to 4 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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This is my husbands favorite!! Well not really fair because all of your recipes, Jenn, are his favorites. 🙂 This is so quick, simple and flavorful. I use it with thighs as we don’t like breast as much and it is delicious.
These are wonderful and have make them about a couple of times a month. Can the breasts be pounded, placed in some marinate and frozen individually? Then thawed in the refrigerator before grilling. Some days are very hectic and some days I have a family member who shows ups and only wants to eats chicken.
Thanks.
Glad you like this Sandy! And yes, you can definitely freeze the uncooked breasts in the marinade. 🙂
Don’t ignore this because it looks too basic. The result is definitely more than the sum of its parts!
I made this for dinner last night using my Cuisinart grill/ griddler. Turned out great- very flavorful. This recipe will go into my dinner rotation, bigtime!
So good! I add 1Tablespoon Worcestershire and 1 Tablespoon honey to the marinade, also halve the lemon zest. Made a chicken Caesar salad with this along with your Caesar dressing recipe! Yum! Will never get store bought Caesar again!
Once again, Jenn, a 5 star recipe. Every recipe I’ve tried of yours is a winner. So glad I found you!
This had a bit too much thyme flavor for me (and I love thyme). The second time I cut the thyme in half and it came out perfect for me. The lemon and garlic flavor is delicious, and the chicken comes out tender and juicy every time. Another great recipe!
Only had about an hour and half to marinade the chicken but it was delicious! Moist as promised and full of flavor with the handful of ingredients it had. Fast and easy and healthy!!
Thanks!
WOW!!!
Okay this was a HUGE surprise! Made it for a dinner party last night and when people asked for the recipe they were SURE I was leaving something out. WAY TOO EASY to be THAT GOOD. Nope. And NO LEMON JUICE didn’t make sense. I would never have guessed it would work but it’s the most moist, tender and best-tasting chicken breasts I have EVER had. Honestly. I am tossing out all my other grilled chicken recipes.
In fact with your cookbook and the number of recipes you post I can barely keep up and every one is so wonderful it is all that I will ever need. Please keep them coming. And I appreciate SO MUCH that because you do the testing I know everything will turn out.
BEST web site out there. Thanks!!!
You made my day, Judi! So glad you enjoy the recipes. 🙂
I totally agree Judi! EVERY SINGLE RECIPE I’ve made is 5 star! I never change a thing. I tell everyone about her and love gifting her cookbook. We hit the lottery with Jenn!!
❤️ I have the best, most supportive readers!!
Could you use thin cut chicken breasts from the store rather than pounding regular chicken breasts?
Hi Rikki, I don’t recommend thin-cut breasts, as the pounding really does tenderize the meat. However, you could chicken tenderloins without pounding. Hope that helps!
Just made this last night. I sautéed over high heat in a nonstick pan and it came out great! Nicely browned on the outside and juicy on the inside. I have a few pieces left over and am wondering what is the best way to reheat them?
So glad they turned out, Karen! I would reheat, covered with foil, in a 325°F-oven until hot.