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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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My kids and husband flooded me with praises after I served them this meal. And they are very picky eaters. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
WOW! This chicken was juicy, flavorful and simple to make. I followed your recipe exactly, I don’t believe in making a recipe, changing it and leaving a review. I will change recipes after making it the first time but this recipe will be left as is, it’s that good! I couldn’t believe how juicy and flavorful it was. I will be honest, I was nervous when I followed your cook time per side and took it off the grill with the juices that formed on the plate I was nervous it was undercooked. It was PERFECT!!! I found you by looking for a good grilled chicken recipe, I’m now going to be a follower. So much flavor with just a few ingredients, I marinated for about 7 hours, delicious!! Thank you for such a healthy delicious grilled chicken recipe.
PS saving our leftovers to put on a salad 😉
After marinating the chicken, could I freeze it and then grill it later? We love all your recipes — thank you so much!!
So glad you like the recipes! Yes, you can freeze this in the marinade. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. It was absolutely delicious. My wife, whom doesn’t like chicken much, thoroughly enjoyed it. Very moist and flavorful. The lemon zest was delicious. Not over powering but still enough to get a little taste. Very simple. I will absolutely use this all the time. Thanks again! I did add a pinch of paprika and it was delicious.
This recipe is my go-to! So easy and so delicious. I have both grilled and baked chicken breasts in this marinade and it turns out great either way. I’ve even been short on marinating time (an hour) and it still turns out fantastic. I eat leftovers over Greek salad and they’re perfect.
Made this for dinner last night. I followed the recipe exactly then marinated the chicken for about 4 hrs. My sweetheart grilled it longer than suggested, but it was still delicious and not at all dry. I’m SO glad I made a double batch as this satisfies my craving for restaurant quality grilled chicken…it’s a keeper!!
This made the best chicken! I did cheat and buy cutlest!!
The five star rating is legit! I made this recipe and it was amazing. The chicken was so flavorful and juicy. I was able to use dried herbs from my garden and had to sub lime for the lemon since it was an impromptu cookout. I had pre tenderized chicken breast and it saved time on the first step.
Sorry did not feel like this was a great recipe. First, while marinating in a bag, the marinade congealed which was weird. Added more oil. I did not feel they had much flavor.
The marinade congealed because olive oil solidifies when it is in the fridge (is a liquid at room temperature). It probably lost it’s flavor when you diluted it with extra oil. Might try it again, it’s an excellent and easy dish.
I would like to use my oven. I was planning to use the broil setting, about 4 inches below. Should I use a sheet pan or a broiler pan?
Hi Diane, I’d use a broiler pan. Hope you enjoy!
I make this recipe frequently as my family loves it. My favorite use for the grilled chicken is cut up in a kale salad.
Ive shared this recipe multiple times.