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Grilled Chicken Breasts are tender and juicy with an easy marinade made with ingredients you likely have on hand.
Quick to prepare and quick to cook, these are a go-to all year long.
Ingredient Tips for Grilled Chicken
- Oil: Oil is the base of this marinade; any type can be used.
- Vinegar and Lemon Juice: They’re acidic, so they tenderize the chicken.
- Sugar: Adds flavor and helps it to caramelize, swap it for honey or brown sugar.
- Seasonings: I use Italian seasoning as it has a nice blend of herbs; feel free to swap in your favorite herbs and spices.
How to Grill Chicken
Oven-Baked Chicken Breasts are always on our table in the winter, but come warm weather, we grill everything from shrimp to veggies, and this grilled chicken recipe is a staple!
- Pound Chicken: Pound chicken to 1/2-inch thickness for even cooking.
- Marinate: Prepare the marinade according to the recipe below, then let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes to 4 hours.
- Grill: Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and cook the chicken for 6-8 minutes per side.
Serving Suggestions
Double up the recipe for meal prep; grilled chicken is perfect for meals throughout the week!
- This chicken is great over a salad—try Caesar Salad or even mixed greens with homemade ranch dressing.
- Turn it into a chicken sandwich with coleslaw or lettuce, tomato, and honey mustard sauce.
- Serve alongside grilled corn on the cob, grilled vegetables, or grilled potato packets.
- Use leftovers in lunch wraps, meal-prep bowls, or chicken fried rice.
Did your family love these Grilled Chicken Breasts? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Grilled Chicken Breasts
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 3-5 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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Looks delicious. Love all your recipes!!
Do u think this would be a good marinade to use / cook chicken in the Air Fryer?
I think it would taste great!
absolutely delicious!
I made this Grilled Chicken recipe tonight for dinner and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
So happy you enjoyed it, Leatha!
Delicious and moist chicken. The Worcestershire sauce adds depth to the marinade.
This is an easy and tasty marinade and the chicken grilled up beautifully! It had tons of flavor and was super moist!
This marinade is delicious and easy. It packs wonderful flavor and my husband loved it. He asked if he could have the recipe so that he could cook it for me next time. :)
That’s so sweet, I am glad you enjoyed it!
can’t wait to try this recipe! looks so good
Incredible taste with the marinade! 5 Stars!
I love a good chicken recipe and this really hit the spot! The marinade was delicious thanks for sharing this recipe!
Soooo good!
We have made this multiple times, it’s a keeper. Thanks for sharing
Such a quick marinade that really penetrates the meat! Bonus that it’s also so easy that my husband can do it
We followed the recipe using apple cider vinegar and we usually cut our chicken into cutlets for more even cooking. Absolutely loved this! Will definitely make it again!!
Just made it. Doubled recipe, but didn’t add salt or much sugar.Family LOVED it. took a lot longer to grill, guess these chicken breasts were larger even with pounding.Will definitely make again. Delish! Served with boiled Yukon Golds with olive oil, salt and dill and fresh asparagus….summer treat!
I have made this 2x now. Really good!
I haven’t made the chicken yet. I have a question about grilling. I have a gas grill. Do you close the cover or leave it open?
Looking forward to trying some of your recipes. They look Delish.
I leave the door closed when grilling unless it’s a thin cut of meat. I hope this helps Christine. Enjoy!
can you adapt this for drumstick?
That will work just fine Andrea, but the cooking time will need to be adjusted. Cook until the chicken reaches 165°F. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Oops.. forgot to rate! It was perrrrfect!
Some custom modifications: I added 3 parts red wine vinegar to 1 part white balsamic vinegar, plus a teaspoon of curry powder, brown sugar instead of white, and some oregano.. all other ingredients were the same.. and the resulting taste.. fantastic! ;)
could I use white wine vinegar for this?
Yes, that should work just fine.