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 recipe is legitimately the best marinade recipe my family has ever tried. I tenderized the chicken breasts before marinading and grilling. It was the most tender, juicy chicken we’ve ever had. My family stated they wanted this chicken at least once a week from now on. It was quick and easy to put together with ingredients that are easily on hand. I didn’t have much time so I marinaded for about 30mins. Thank you for a great, life long recipe!
I am so happy to hear you loved this recipe so much Katie!
I really love this recipe! I first tried it exactly as written but felt the Worcestershire sauce was a bit too much, It dominated the flavors. Also, even tho I love fresh ground pepper we felt it was a bit overpowering. The next time I made it I switched the Worcestershire amount to 2 Tbsp and the lemon juice amount to 3 Tbsp and used only 1/2 Tbsp pepper. After trying with less salt due to others comments, I found myself putting salt on it when I was eating it so I upped the salt back to 1 Tbsp. No one felt it was too salty at all. I also used my own homemade Apple Cider Vinegar. Perfection! I’ve made this recipe around 5-6 times now with both breasts and thighs so far and everyone loves it. I also use more than just four chicken breasts. The marinade is enough for at least double the amount of meat. Thanks for a great recipe!
Oh my! We made this last night. I used the red wine vinegar because of the Italian seasoning and was thinking Italian. This were delicious. It was windy outside, so we used a griddle on the stove and they cooked perfect. I do want to try them on the griddle, as we just bought one and love it. I didn’t know what to do with a large Costco chicken breast (only 2 of us), so looked online and your recipe popped up. So glad it did. I halved the recipe. This is such a quick recipe especially for the summer, but would work anytime especially since we used our indoor grill plate on the stove. Juicy!! I served it with a nice spring mix with mustard dressing and FRESH corn on the cob, that was to die for. Tonight we’re doing your potatoes in foil packets on the outside grill. I’ll let you know how they turned out. Thanks for being there when we needed a simple, yet perfect AND delicious recipe.
Sounds wonderful JL! I am so happy to hear this worked out and you loved this recipe!
Used on boneless breast and they were amazing!! Would it work as well on bone in breasts and thighs?
The cooking time will vary slightly Deb. Be sure to cook the chicken to 165F.
Delicious! I used 1/2 the sugar and pepper. Pounded the chicken to even thickness, marinated 8 hrs and baked for about 15 minutes at 425. Thanks for the recipe!
Can this be cooked on a Blackstone griddle?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Ron, but that should work just fine. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Excellent! My husband took a bite and said,” I’d eat that!” I had to cook inside the house on the grill. Turned out very delicious. We will make again. Summer is here good outside grilling. I think it would be perfect on kabobs!
Absolutely delicious!
brilliant ideas
This grilled chicken recipe it the greatest I’ve ever had. I’ve shared it with many people and they love it. Children will not stop eating it and we know how picky they are. I make a ton of chicken breast and cut it up and freeze it so I have it for salads and quesadillas. My favorite recipe for sure.
I am so happy to hear you love this recipe Mary!
Needed something in a pinch and this was delicious!!!!!
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.
Chef Jen. Please share with us, the 300+ 5-star raters, your secret. It must be amazing since we’ve all missed 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.