These truly are The Best Grilled Chicken Breasts! Perfectly charred chicken is marinated in a flavorful sauce to create a juicy, nutritious, and delicious summer meal.
Why you’ll love it
- Easy. Marinate, grill, serve. Summer dinners don’t get easier than that!
- Healthy. Chicken is such a great source of lean protein. Serve this next to your favorite fruits and veggies for a nutritious and delicious, light summer meal.
- Juicy. Thanks to our flavorful marinade, this chicken is anything but dry.
- Versatile. Play around with different seasonings and spices or serve with your favorite dipping sauces to mix it up.
Ingredients
- Oil – I used extra virgin olive oil, but anything will do: vegetable oil, avocado oil, etc.
- Vinegar – red wine vinegar was used in the original recipe, but again, any vinegar should work: apple cider, balsamic, etc. If using white distilled vinegar, I’d probably halve the amount, because it tends to have a stronger flavor.
- Soy Sauce – use a gluten-free variety such as coconut aminos or tamari, if necessary.
- Worcestershire Sauce – could swap for steak sauce (A1) if that’s all you have on hand.
- Brown Sugar – granulated sugar, honey, or maple syrup will work as well… anything to add a little sweetness.
- Lemon Juice – could replace with more vinegar or try using another citrus such as orange juice.
- Dijon Mustard – swap for yellow mustard for a more mild flavor or use spicy mustard for a kick of heat.
- Spices: Paprika, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Ginger Powder, Onion Powder, Rosemary, and Salt – I love this combination of spices, especially the ginger with the rosemary, but feel free to use whatever spices you like. If you have a pre-made seasoning blend that you enjoy, that may be used as well.
- Chicken – look for a package of thinly sliced chicken breasts or ask your butcher for 4 (4 oz) chicken breasts to keep your prep work minimal. If necessary, you can buy 2 (8 oz) chicken breasts and slice them in half to create the thinly sliced breasts.
How to make
- Make the marinade. Place oil, vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, Dijon, garlic powder, ground ginger, onion powder, rosemary, paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl, then whisk to combine.
- Marinate. Pour over chicken and marinate in the fridge.
- Grill. Preheat grill to 400 degrees F and grill on each side until cooked through.
How long to marinate
Technically, you can marinate chicken breasts in the fridge for as little as 30 minutes or as long as 24 hours. For this particular recipe, I don’t think 30 minutes is enough, so I’d shoot for at the very least, 4 hours.
How long to grill
It depends on how hot your grill gets and how thick the chicken breasts are, but in general, it should take about 2-3 minutes per side, or 4-6 minutes total if your grill is at 400 degrees F.
Pro tip
Be sure to grill over direct heat to get those awesome charred, grill marks!
Should you grill with the lid open or close?
Again, it depends on the recipe, but for this one, keep the lid closed unless you’re basting or flipping.
What to serve with grilled chicken Breasts
This grilled chicken is over rice, with or without dipping sauce, with veggies, carbs, etc. the options are endless!
- Dipping Sauces: Honey Mustard, Ranch, BBQ Sauce
- Sides: Instant Pot Basmati Rice, Boursin Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli
- Breads: Garlic Bread, Cornbread
- Salads: Pear, Blue Cheese, Candied Pecan Salad, Macaroni Salad, Potato Salad
How to serve grilled chicken
Have leftovers? Try turning them into something different.
- On a salad. This would be great as a chicken caesar salad (recipe coming soon!).
- As a wrap/sandwich. Grab a tortilla or a couple slices of bread, slap on some ranch, lettuce, and cheese, and viola!
- In pasta. Stir in into my Buffalo Chicken Pasta.
How to store
Leftovers will last in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or 3-4 months in the freezer.
To enjoy again, thaw in the fridge, if frozen, then microwave to warm.
– Jennifer
The Best Grilled Chicken Breasts
These truly are The Best Grilled Chicken Breasts! Perfectly charred chicken is marinated in a flavorful sauce to create a juicy, nutritious, and delicious summer meal.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 thinly sliced breasts
Equipment for this recipe
(equipment shown are affiliate links)
Ingredients
- 1 pound thinly sliced chicken breasts that should be 4 (4 oz) chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste, if necessary
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place thinly sliced chicken breasts into a gallon sized ziplock baggie, then set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, Dijon, garlic powder, ground ginger, onion powder, rosemary, paprika, salt, and pepper until combined.
- Reserve 1/3 cup for basting, then pour the remainder over the chicken and marinate in the fridge for 4-24 hours.
- Lightly grease the grates of your grill with oil (I like avocado), then preheat to medium high heat (400 degrees).
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, then grill chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side or until cooked through (165 degrees F), basting the chicken occasionally with the reserved marinade.
- Remove chicken from grill and allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve plain or with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!
- Take 5 seconds to rate this recipe below. We greatly appreciate it!
STORING
Room Temp:N/A
Refrigerator:3-4 Days
Freezer:3-4 Months
Reheat:Thaw, if frozen, then microwave to warm
*Storage times may vary based on temperature and conditions
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
The Best Grilled Chicken Breasts
Amount Per Serving (1 thinly sliced chicken breast)
Calories 238 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Trans Fat 0.01g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol 73mg24%
Sodium 1080mg47%
Potassium 557mg16%
Carbohydrates 10g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 25g50%
Vitamin A 169IU3%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Calcium 30mg3%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
Keywords: easy chicken dinner, easy grilling recipe, easy summer dinner, easy summer recipe, grilled chicken, healthy chicken recipe, healthy grilling recipe, healthy summer dinner
Marilyn
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy
Marilyn
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy