These Grilled Chicken Breasts grill up juicy and tender every time. A simple Dijon lemon marinade adds savory flavor and makes them perfect for salads, sandwiches, or dinner tonight.
Serve with pasta salad and grilled corn on the cob for an easy summer dinner.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Grilled Chicken Breasts
Why Make It: The marinade uses pantry staples, adds lots of flavor, and helps keep grilled chicken breasts juicy.
Flavor: Savory, tangy, and lightly zesty with garlic, herbs, and smoky grilled char.
Technique: Pounding thicker pieces to an even thickness helps the chicken cook more evenly. Use a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet. A quick marinade adds bold flavor and helps keep the chicken tender.
Serving Suggestions: Serve it on salads, in a wrap, on a grain bowl, or pair with grilled vegetables and grilled red potatoes.
Total Time: 25 Minutes (plus marinade time) Serves: 4 Cooking Method: Grilled
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: Choose chicken breasts that are similar in size for even cooking. If they are very thick, pound them to an even thickness before marinating so they cook evenly and stay juicy.
- Oil: Helps the marinade coat the chicken well. Olive oil adds extra flavor, while vegetable oil offers a more neutral taste.
- Vinegar and Lemon Juice: They add tang and brightness to the marinade. Red wine vinegar gives a slightly bolder flavor than apple cider vinegar.
- Sugar: A little sugar balances the tangy ingredients and helps the chicken caramelize nicely on the grill. Swap for brown sugar or honey in a pinch.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper give the marinade a simple, savory flavor that works with almost any side dish. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat.
Variations
Chicken Thighs: This marinade also works well with boneless or bone-in chicken thighs. Adjust cook time as needed.
Pork Chops: Use the same marinade for pork chops for a quick grilled dinner.
Herb Swap: Use Greek seasoning, poultry seasoning, or lemon pepper in place of Italian seasoning for a different flavor.
Optional Heat: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne for a little spice.
Optional Fresh Herbs: Add chopped parsley or basil after grilling for freshness. Skip them for a simpler pantry version.
How to Make Grilled Chicken Breasts
- Mix the marinade. Add the chicken and turn to coat well.
- Refrigerate. Preheat the grill (full recipe below).
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and let the excess drip off.
- Grill the chicken. Rest the chicken and then slice.
Juicy Chicken Secrets
- Pound the Chicken: Pound thick chicken breasts to an even thickness so they cook at the same rate.
- Marinate: Do not marinate longer than 4 hours since the acid can affect the texture. Let excess marinade drip off before grilling to reduce flare-ups.
- Preheat the Grill: Preheating the grill helps the chicken get good grill marks and release more easily.
- Use an Instant-Read Thermometer: Cook to 165°F for best results. Remove the chicken around 162°F, since the temperature will rise slightly as it rests.
- Slicing: Slice chicken against the grain for the most tender bite, especially for salads and wraps.
Save Every Slice
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze cooked chicken breasts for up to 3 months.
- Reheat gently in the microwave at lower power, in a covered skillet with a splash of broth or water, or in the oven wrapped in foil.
Fresh Sides for Grilled Chicken
Did you enjoy this Grilled Chicken Breasts Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl or freezer bag. Add the chicken and toss well to coat.
- Cover or seal the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- 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 to 8 minutes. Flip over and cook for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Transfer to a plate and let rest 3 to 5 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
- Chicken should be cooked to 165°F. I prefer to remove it from the heat at 162°F as the temperature will continue to rise as it rests.
- This marinade can also be used on pork chops or chicken thighs.
- Nutritional information includes 25% of the marinade, as the remainder is discarded.
- Leftover chicken can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
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The chicken was so juicy and had so much flavor! Would definitely make this again!
Excellent marinade. Would probably be really good for pork also
That is one tasty marinade – gotta say! I juiced an entire lime, instead of lemon. The chicken came out incredibly juicy and tasty! Thanks for a delightful meal!!
Easy to prepare, tender well flavoured chicken, an excellent recipe. Will most definitely make again.
Good Morning, the recipes all look delicious – please add me to your mailing list
Kind Regards
Erica-Ann
Hi Erica-Ann, thank you for visiting! To receive our newsletters, you can sign up here or scroll down to the bottom of the post and you will see a signup box.
This recipe sounds delicious! I’m wondering if I can make a large batch of this chicken to store in the freezer. What is your advice? Should I marinate, cook then freeze? Or marinate, freeze, then thaw to cook? Or just skip the idea. Thanks!
Hi Lisa, I would marinate, cook, then freeze. What a great idea to make ahead in a large batch!
This question is for the Easy Grilled Chicken Breast. Are the quantities correct for the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning? I compared this recipe to your Best Chicken Marinade and there it is teaspoons not tablespoons. Thanks in advance for your answer.
The recipe is correct as written. The other recipe contains soy sauce (which is very salty) so the salt is decreased in this recipe. Other seasonings have been adjusted based on the marinade ingredients. Hope that helps.
The recipe call out for 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts but What is the weight of the chicken breasts? The one we buy comes in all sizes.
Mine are generally around 6oz each. If yours are a little larger, you can increase the cook time until the chicken reaches 165°F.
This makes the most juicy, delicious chicken. We’ve probably had chicken this way 5 times in the 6 or 7 weeks since I found this recipe.
Fantastic and simple! Family loved!
It’s well known in my family that I do not cook! I was desperate last week to fix something easy and healthy for 5 of my grandkids as we aren’t going out right now. I tried your marinade recipe and everyone loved it. Imagine my surprise when my granddaughter asked me to make it for her tonight! It was so fun to show her how to make it! Can’t thank you enough for the simple directions. I’m feeling quite proud of myself and may give this cooking thing another try.
That’s so awesome Wendy, your comment made my day! :)
Can you resend again. Chicken recipe
Hi Barbara, the recipe can be viewed by scrolling towards the bottom of the post or using the jump to recipe button at the top. I hope that helps!
this is what i will use each time I grill Chicken. absolutely delicious! Thank you!!
I’ve tried many marinades. This is our very favorite. The flavors are stellar!
This was really good. I didn’t have lemon juice but it still worked. Chicken breast came off the grill moist!
Whole family loved it. Very good!
Going to try this weekend
Trying tonight
Tasty and easy!
I just finished eating this grilled chicken and I don’t think it’s possible to get any better than this. I’ve tried many marinades and loved a few, but boom, this was delicious! Can’t thank you enough for this recipe and I can only imagine how many times I will grill this for the season.