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
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- Grilled Chicken Fajitas
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- 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 was preparing for my daughter’s baby shower and wanted to make grilled chicken. As a vegetarian I turned to Once Upon a Chef because every recipe I have ever tried was delicious so I figured I couldn’t go wrong. Everyone raved about the grilled chicken. I made 20 pounds and there weren’t any left!
I have 20 pounds for a party. How did you grill, plate and serve it? Grill ahead and chafing dishes or grill to order so to say?
Thanks!
I made this recipe as written & found that it tasted like the dried herbs used. I was going for it to taste very fresh & bright. It tasted kind of flat to me. I ended up using it in a salad with the buttermilk dressing recipe & the fresh greens from the salad with the homemade buttermilk dressing definitely brought the chicken up a taste level. I’m indifferent to making it again. The preparation was really easy, it’s the final taste that gave me problems. Any suggestions on how to brighten it up or freshen it up? Thanks.
I added fresh rosemary and that chicken was loved by all.
This chicken is so easy and delicious. It has a freshness about it from the lemon. It is going to become a staple at our house. The left overs are great on a salad!
Such an easy recipe and quite delicious. I’ve never succeeded in grilling chicken breast and not having it come out dry. This one is moist each time and I have not made it yet where I was able to marinate for 4 or more hours. I’ve made this three times so far and marinated for only 1-2 hours (due to time restrictions) and it still comes out great. One day I will try to marinate for longer, but it’s good to know it turns out great either way. Thank you for this one and all of your fantastic recipes!
Is the salt in the recipe table or kosher? I doubled the marinade and used 1 tsp of table salt and the marinade was on the salty side for my taste. That said my guests loved the chicken.
Hi Lori, table salt is correct for this recipe. (I’ll always specify if a recipe calls for kosher salt.) Sorry to hear it was a bit salty for you! Probably makes sense to cut it back a bit more next time to suit your taste.
Hi Jenn….in another comment you said you use fine sea salt in all your recipes
That’s true, Anne, I happen to like fine sea salt because it’s slightly less processed than regular table salt, but table and fine sea salt have the same salty flavor and the same sized grains so they are totally interchangeable. Hope that clarifies!
Hi Jenn,
Could I use this recipe for chicken kebabs (breast meat) instead of whole chicken breasts? If yes, should I still pound the meat and could I marinate overnight? We are having a bbq for 50 people this weekend and think kebabs would be easier to serve. Also, do you recommend dried herbs over fresh herbs (I have both)? Thanks in advance for your response.
Yes Le Hoa, you could turn these into kebabs, but it’s not necessary to pound the meat. You can still marinate the chicken overnight and, regarding the dried versus fresh herbs, that’s just a matter of personal preference. (If you go with the fresh herbs over the dried, you’ll want to triple the amounts called for.) Hope the BBQ is a success!
How long do you marinade the chicken before grilling?
Hi Susan, Let the chicken marinate at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours.
Just made these and they are wonderful, packed with flavor. Thanks for the recipe.
Had this for dinner tonight. It was amazing. Reminded me so much of the Greek Chicken from my favourite restaurant. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to prepare and how fast it cooked. Will be in regular rotation all summer long. Thanks so much for such a great recipe.
I had gotten away from doing boneless skinless chicken breasts on the grill because of repeated bad results!!! Thank you Jen for helping me see the light!!! Made these for my daughter and family last night and viola……SUCCESS!!!! They were sooo flavorful, tender and moist!! Love your recipes Jen!!! There is a lot of success in my kitchen since I’ve found your website!!!!