Grilled Chicken Breast is a quick meal with tender juicy chicken in a flavorful marinade. It’s extra quick to make and perfect to enjoy on its own, add to pasta, or even put on top of a salad!
A quick and flavorful marinade and an even quicker grill time means this is meal on the table in no time at all!
How to Grill Chicken Breast
Oven-Baked Chicken Breasts are always on our table in the winter but come warm weather our table is filled with recipes from the grill or BBQ! It’s easy to make:
- Pound Chicken Pound chicken to 1/2″ thickness for perfectly even (and quick) cooking.
- Marinate Prep the marinade (per the recipe below) and let the chicken marinate for about 30 minutes or so. This adds flavor and keeps it juicy.
- Grill Preheat grill to medium-high heat and cook chicken for about 6-8 min per side. This seals the juices in keeping your chicken breasts nice and moist. The higher heat gives a nice sear adding the char from the barbecue that we all love so much!
Boneless chicken breasts are very lean and can dry out easily if overcooked so be sure not to overcook. To make tender grilled chicken breasts, marinate them for about 30 minutes (I like to prep my sides while I wait).
How to Make Marinade for Grilled Chicken Breasts
A marinade is the perfect way to add flavor to grilled chicken (and it can help tenderize). I try to allow for 30 minutes or more if possible! There are a few essential ingredients in a marinade.
- Oil: Most often the base of marinades.
- Acid: This helps tenderize the meat by breaking down tougher proteins (vinegar/lemon juice)
- Sugar: Helps with flavor and the caramelization process. (honey/brown sugar).
- Seasonings: This is the flavor profile, you can use anything from Italian seasoning to curry powder to season your marinade. This may or may not include salt.
- Time: Give yourself time to allow your meat to marinade. The purpose of the marinade is not only to add flavor but to help tenderize your meat.
I love making grilled chicken breasts in large batches to put on top of salads, in weekly meal prep, into quick pasta dishes, or even into chicken noodle soup! It goes so well with just about anything.
How Long to Grill Chicken Breasts
This answer can fluctuate depending on how hot your grill gets and the thickness of your chicken breasts.
In this grilled chicken breast recipe, pound the chicken if it is extremely thick in some parts and thin in other parts for even cooking. Once your chicken breasts are marinated, place them on the grill. Cook them for 7-8 minutes on one side, not lifting during the cooking process (you don’t want to lose the grill marks!)
Flip your chicken and cook for an additional 7-8 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the largest part of the chicken breast reads 165°F.
It is important to allow your chicken to rest about 3-5 minutes before cutting to keep it juicy (just enough time to fill your plates and get to the table). Serve with your favorite sides, and preferably on a patio with a big pitcher of Easy White Sangria!
More Grilled Favorites
- Grilled Zucchini – The perfect summer recipe
- Grilled Herb Marinated Veggie Skewers – Any veggie works!
- Lemon Parmesan Grilled Asparagus – Great with steaks too!
- Grilled Potato Packets – Favorite recipe!
- Homemade Garlic Bread – Perfect with every summer meal!
Did your family love these Grilled Chicken Breasts? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Easy Grilled Chicken Breasts
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup oil olive oil or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl or freezer bag. Add chicken and toss well to combine.
- Marinade for a 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours) before cooking chicken.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off. Discard the remaining marinade.
- Place chicken on the grill for 7-8 minutes. Flip over and cook an additional 7-8 minutes or until no pink remains and chicken reaches 165°F.
- Rest 3-5 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Amazing Salads to Pair with Grilled Chicken
Or served with a side of zucchini salad and corn on the cob on a hot summer evening! This easy, healthy recipe produces tender and plump marinated chicken breasts that are grilled to golden perfection.
- Greek Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad – a big hit!
- Dill Pickle Pasta Salad – a family favorite!
- Southwest Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
- Zucchini Salad (spiralized)
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This was very good, but a bit saltier than we prefer. Will most likely make again, but will maybe cut the salt in half.
Yummmmm. My two boys said this is the best chicken they ever had.
Could you marinate cooked chicken and then heat it up before serving?
Thank you!
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Krissy. It should work and If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
uh, where’s that sauce at the end come from?
If you are referring to the video, the drizzle is the juices that were on the plate after resting the chicken.
How this recipe is so highly rated, I cannot fathom. It tastes musty, muddled, and plain. Strange ingredient mix…I should’ve listened to my inner chef saying, “What? How weird!” If you’re looking for a tasty way to prepare grilled chicken breasts, this is not it.
This recipe looks good. How to cook on stovetop grill pan? Don’t have a barbecue grill
Hi June, to cook chicken breast on a stovetop I love this recipe! You can follow step 2 for my stovetop instructions. Enjoy!
I followed this recipe exactly as written and my chicken turned out fantastic!! Definitely a keeper.
I made this recipe for our 4th of July cookout, and it was great!! This marinade gave the chicken SO MUCH flavor!! I used boneless, skinless chicken thigh pieces instead and reduced the sugar a tad. Will use this recipe again! Thank you!
So easy and delicious! I left out the sugar and it was still great. Will definitely make again
This recipe is so delicious. We all enjoyed it. Thank u so much. Will definitely make it again.