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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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I have this printed in my makeshift recipe book along with loads of your recipes and it’s excellent, however I love even more your grilled chicken marinade in your spicy quinoa bowls with green sauce recipe. They are both excellent choices!
I marinated the chicken overnight and it was absolutely delicious! My boyfriend asked me to “please make this again!”
Love this recipe! Jenn, someone else asked a question about using this with chicken thighs. I just made the recipe this week with chicken thighs and it worked great! Couple of notes: I’m a fan of roasting, so I roasted the boneless, skinless thighs in a 425 oven for about 25-30 minutes and they came out beautifully. I marinated for only 4 hours…was a little concerned, but they tasted great throughout. One last thing: I made these with chicken breasts before and they’re divine — light and great with a salad. For whatever reason, the thighs tasted richer (probably the higher fat content), so I added a squeeze of lemon juice to cut through the richness. Turned out perfect. Thanks again for the recipe! 🙂
Good to know, Jane — thanks for reporting in!
Another outstanding recipe! Great flavor. So easy.
This chicken is the bomb! I’m wondering if you have tried freezing the cooked breasts and how they turned out? Would love to have some in the freezer ready to go.
Hi Beth, I haven’t frozen them myself, but I think you could (and glad you liked it)!
Hi Beth, I have made this recipe and frozeN it in the marinade (before cooking) and it turned out great. Just defrosted the ziplock in the fridge the night before I wanted to make them and BBQ’d the next day. So convenient in the summer!
If cooking just for two should all of the the ingredients simply be halved?
Sure – enjoy!
Another amazing recipe! Rave reviews from all at how moist and flavorful the chicken was. This will be our go to recipe.
Today, I made my salad with leftover chicken, greens and some of your French grated carrot salad…… AMAZING!
Thank you for all your consistently fabulous recipes!
I made this tonight and my 6 year old gobbled it up and told me “this chicken is yummy mommy!” Thank you!
I can’t wait
I hope I am in the right spot to review this. This is an amazing chicken dish. I love the simplicity of the directions, and I appreciate the photos to show step by step how to prepare this meal. Thank you for being so descriptive, it really makes it fun to see how to do this.
You’re in the right spot – glad you like the chicken!
I’m out of thyme and oregano. What else can be added?
Hi Shivani, You could use marjoram, rosemary, and/or Herbs de Provence.
The recipe title speaks for itself; it is truly “The Best Grilled Chicken”
Flavorful and moist, quick and easy to prepare.
This recipe has become a year round staple grilled on the ourdoor barbeque and the indoor grill pan!
Company have raved and asked for a 3rd helping.