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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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.