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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This is literally the first recipe review I have ever left, but it was just that good that I knew I had to. I would consider myself more of a great recipe follower as opposed to a true foodie, and this recipe, followed to a T, was PERFECT! What a crazy good piece of chicken, and it was only marinated for about 30min. The only change I made was to use (skinless boneless) chicken thighs and reduce the grill time slightly. Thank you for giving me a recipe I can feel confident about making for my true foodie, wonderful cook of a husband!
Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a review JC, I really do appreciate it! So glad you loved the recipe!
Hi, just wondering, would this be just as good cooked on a stove? I don’t have access to a grill.
Thanks!
I think it would still turn out delicious. Enjoy!
Made this as kabobs – I had 8 breasts and there was plenty to marinade. Italian seasoning isn’t my favortie but these turned out very good.
Hi, Love this recipe, it is the only one I use. I make the marinade let my chicken breast marinate for the afternoon and then package each breast and freeze, take one or more out when I want a salad or sandwich. Use grill or toaster oven. Thanks this recipe.
Such a good idea, Norma! So glad you are enjoying this recipe.
I am just now learning how to cook. So I keep looking up recipes that are easy for me to follow and this is one of my favorites so far. I made the chicken as said and made a spaghetti pasta with the olive oil and the Italian seasoning. It was so beautifully perfect and I will definitely make that again.
That sounds delicious, Nicky! We hope you are having fun learning to cook. Even better when your final dish comes out that delicious!
Really nice recipe! I recommend using a few cloves of crushed garlic instead of the garlic powder; a teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind (as well as the lemon juice); a bit of thyme and half the recommended amount of salt and Worcestershire
Both my husband and I enjoyed this. I’m not much of a griller but he’s been sick so I’ve been having to do inside and outside cooking. A bit of a challenge for me. Consequently I over cooked it so it was dry but that was my fault. I did pound the chicken because it was uneven. I’ll definitely try it again and try to do it right. I might even measure this time. Thank you I’m always wanting to find a quick recipe that is tasty.
Don’t like Garlic powder, meant to replace it with garlic and forgot. Still came out very well.
This is THE best chicken marinade I have ever found. Unbelievable!!
Your grilled chicken recipe was a hit at my BBQ yesterday
Good flavor except way too salty. I made the mistake of putting a whole tablespoon in per the recipe. I’d give it a second try and modify the salt to 1/2 -1 teaspoon (vs tablespoon)
My wife and I absolutely agree. There’s already salt in the Worcestershire, and the 1 T was too much. Behind the salt taste, the flavor was good, so I’ll make it again, but will use 1/2 t salt instead. It’s easy to pull together.
Terrible recipe. Flavor wasn’t good. Chicken was dry and tasteless. I’m not a fan of boneless skinless chicken breast and this recipe just reinforced that. Would not recommend this recipe.
I’m surprised to hear that Jean, this recipe has a 5 star rating from over 200 votes and is very popular with readers. Boneless chicken breasts are very lean and can dry out easily if overcooked so be sure not to overcook. Did you use a thermometer to make sure that the chicken was 165F?
Winner winner, chicken dinner
This recipe is delicious. We have made it a couple times now. It has a wonderfully balanced flavor that allows you to do anything with it. I cut up the leftovers and threw them in a Caesar Salad. This one is a keeper!
Yum! Quick, easy and oh-so-tasty. This is terrific when you don’t have 4+ hours to marinade chicken. In only 30 minutes it’s packed with flavor and moist. Even the grilling suggestions (timing) were spot on to reach 165 degrees.
I followed this recipe exactly and my husband and I LOVED it! The chicken was really moist and flavorful. We are adding this to our weekly summer rotation. Thank you for sharing!
You’re so very welcome Donna!
I read a lot of reviews before making recipes as I did with this one. Someone had posted that they don’t go out of their way to post reviews but they made extra effort to make sure to tell people how amazing this one is, I AM SO GLAD YOU DID!!! This is by far the best recipe I have found for grilled chicken breast. I left out the Italian seasoning and lemon juice because I didn’t have any. This chicken reminded me of the grilled flavor from Carabbas-chicken Marsala. AMAZING. THANK YOU!!!!
You’re welcome Amber! You made my day!
This was one of the easiest and most delicious marinades I’ve ever made! SO GOOD! I doubled the marinade, used chicken tenderloins instead of breasts, used red wine vinegar and real garlic instead of garlic powder. Highly recommend this recipe – it was a crowd pleaser!!! Thank you!
You’re very welcome Anna! So glad to hear!
This chicken was juicy and tender really good!!!!
Dude this is actually really f***ing good. Easy and fast. So rich in flavor. Yum.
I pulled boneless skinless breasts out and forgot about them. Then at like 4:00 pm I was like, what am I going to do? Family of 6 here and we all enjoy grilled chicken, but it must have flavor! I googled a recipe for the best marinated chicken and voila, here we are! I found this marinade to be a perfect balance of sweet, savory, herby and salty. I was so worried about the 1T of kosher salt, but I trusted and went with it, I’m thrilled! Very good, marinated quickly and so crazy tasty!
You made my day Amanda!!