Grilled Chicken Breast is a quick meal with tender, juicy chicken in a flavorful marinade.
It’s extra quick to make and perfect to enjoy on its own, add to pasta, or even put on top of a salad!
A quick and flavorful marinade and an even quicker grill time means this meal is on the table in no time at all!
How to Make Marinade for Grilled Chicken Breasts
Before grilling chicken breast, let it marinate for a little bit. A Marinade adds flavor and it can help tenderizes grilled chicken.
- Oil: Oil is the base of this marinades, it helps distribute flavors and prevents sticking.
- Acid: This breaks down tough proteins, tenderizing the meat. (vinegar/lemon juice).
- Sugar: Adds flavor and promotes caramelization. (honey/brown sugar).
- Seasonings: Seasonings define the flavor profile. I use a little Italian seasoning but add in your favorite herbs and spices.
How to Make Grilled Chicken Breast
Oven-Baked Chicken Breasts are always on our table in the winter but come warm weather our table is filled with recipes from the grill or BBQ! It’s easy to make:
- Pound Chicken: Pound chicken to 1/2″ thickness with a meat mallet for even cooking.
- Marinate: Prep the marinade (per the recipe below) & let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Grill: Preheat grill to medium-high heat & cook chicken for 6-8 min per side.
Use Medium-High Heat
A higher heat seals in juices and gives a nice sear while keeping the chicken breasts nice and moist.
How Long to Grill Chicken Breasts
How long to grill chicken breasts can vary slightly depending on the heat of the grill and the thickness of the chicken breasts.
After the chicken is marinated, it’s time to hit the grill. Place the breasts on the grill and cook for about 7-8 minutes on one side. No peeking or lifting, so you retain those lovely grill marks!
Flip the chicken and let it cook for another 7-8 minutes or until it reaches 165°F in the thickest part of the breast on a meat thermometer.
It is important to allow the chicken to rest for about 3-5 minutes before cutting to keep it juicy (just enough time to fill your plate and get to the table). Serve with your favorite sides, and preferably on a patio with a big pitcher of Easy White Sangria!
Our Go-To Grilled Veggies
Did your family love these Grilled Chicken Breasts? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Easy Grilled Chicken Breasts
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup oil olive oil or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl or freezer bag. Add chicken and toss well to combine.
- Marinate for 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours) before cooking chicken.
- 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 7-8 minutes. Flip over and cook an additional 7-8 minutes or until no pink remains and chicken reaches 165°F.
- Rest 3-5 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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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.