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
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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!!