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.
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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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This recipe is well deserving of the many accolades. I’ve tried countless marinades for boneless skinless chicken breasts over the years and this is by far the best one I’ve found. The lemon flavour comes through without being overpowering, and the chicken was very tender and moist. I made 1/3 recipe for one large breast and marinated it for about 6 hours. As some reviewers pointed out, the olive oil congeals in the fridge. Massaging the bag every so often works the marinade into the meat. The breast was fairly thick but perfectly done in 5 minutes on a George Foreman indoor grill with the cover down. Fantastic!
Can I marinade and then freeze to cook a few days later?
And I agree with the earlier post regarding the plastic bags–so easy to use wax paper and a reusable bowl.
Sure!
Jen,
Can i use breast tenderloins and not pound them thin?
Yep – enjoy!
Made this tonight. I did not have any thyme so used Italian seasoning which had thyme and oregano. Other then that followed the recipe. We loved it. Will be making again.
Thank you for always posting such wonderful recipes! May I please, however, BEG YOU to
STOP using single use plastic bags! You can pound a chicken cutlet under a piece of waxed paper and you can marinate any food item in a bowl. Let’s stop polluting the earth and start being responsible!!!!
She actually used the ziploc more than once, and suggested the reader does the same if possible. First, to pound the chicken in it, then to marinade it.
This was THE BEST chicken! My kids usually groan when I say we’re having chicken for dinner but tonight after the first bite of this recipe my teenage son’s eyes got big and he gave me a huge smile and said “Mom, you did it! This is so good!” and he reached across the table to give me a high five! It was so easy and great! I’m never going back! THANK YOU!!
Wonderful recipe! Everyone loved it! The chicken turned out tender and so yummy!
This is a tip for the person who didn’t have a lemon. Did you know that you can freeze lemons? I usually buy a few extras and put them in the freezer. When I need a lemon to zest, I always have one. You can simply zest the frozen lemon (make sure you use a doubled paper towel to hold it as you zest). The rest of the lemon can be used for slicing and putting into water after it has thawed. How simple is that! Thanks again for yet another great recipe!
What a great idea! Thanks for the tip.
I love this recipe Jenn having made it a number of times. I’m thinking of cubing the breasts to make kebabs, have you tried it like this? I think it should work just as well don’t you?
Hi Maxine, Glad you like it! Yes, you could cut these into cubes for kebabs (just don’t pound the breasts first). I’d love to hear what you think of them!
I’ve never been able to cook skinless, boneless chicken breasts that were anything but dry. Saw this recipe and decided to give it a go. Great tip about not using citrus juices but zest only. Who knew because it’s amazing how many recipes call for marinating in juices. This was delicious, juicy and flavorful. Even my husband liked it and he’s never been excited about me trying new chicken breast recipes. Ha! He said this one is a keeper!! Thanks, Jenn!
Wow!!! Thank you Jenn:) This was amazing. My 14 year old daughter said “mom, this is the best chicken you’ve ever made and the seasoning is so good, it is lemony.” My daughter rarely gives compliments. It was also my first attempt at grilling and I am so happy with the results!! I followed your recipe exactly except I only marinated for 2 hours due to time. It was awesome!