The best grilled chicken breast recipe with an amazing marinade! This simple recipe results in perfectly cooked chicken that is flavorful through and through!
So you’re looking for the absolute best grilled chicken recipe the internet has to offer?
Well, I believe you’re in the right place, because I’ve made this tried and true recipe countless times over the years and it never ceases to impress.
In fact, it’s one of my favorite chicken recipes due to its ease of preparation and how flavorful the juicy chicken breasts turn out.
With a few basic tips and trips, you’ll be well on your way to being dubbed the Grill Master, as this finger lickin’ good chicken is that something for everyone main dish that everyone loves to love.
If you’ve tried The Best Grilled Chicken Thighs, you’ll notice the marinade is nearly identical.
The reason is simple. The easy marinade in this recipe results in the absolute best balance of flavors, and it can be applied to just about any kind of protein.
Before we jump into the actual recipe, I want to share my top three tips for the best grilled chicken, as each tip makes a big difference in how the chicken turns out.
Tips for the Best Grilled Chicken Breast:
Tip #1: Marinate the chicken:
Set aside plenty of time to properly marinate the chicken.
Even if you don’t use the homemade chicken marinade in this recipe, employing a quality marinade ensures flavorful chicken through and through and also helps keep it tender throughout the grilling process.
Tip #2: Thickness Matters:
And in this case, thicker is not better. The best way to end up with perfectly cooked chicken is to use breasts that have even thickness throughout the piece of meat. For the best results, use pre-sliced thin cut filets.
Not all grocery stores have this option, but if yours does, the label will specify that the chicken breasts are cut into thin filets, cutlets, or tenders.
I like using thin filets, because they have a mostly uniform thickness, which ensures the breasts cook evenly.
Contrast this to regular boneless skinless chicken breasts, which are very thick in the center and taper in thickness on either end.
The reason this poses a problem for cooking is the two thinner ends of the chicken are fully cooked much sooner than the center, resulting in a breast that is mostly over cooked.
Tip #3: Avoid flare ups:
While it may look super cool to have flare ups while grilling, this causes the meat to burn. We love grill marks, but we don’t love burned meat.
In this sense, you’ll only be grilling over direct heat for a short period of time and will finish off the cooking process over indirect heat.
We get those amazing char marks but maintain a juicy, tender chicken breast.
Ingredients for Grilled Chicken:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast: The star of the show! The marinade in this recipe makes enough to marinate 1.5 to 2 pounds of chicken breasts, which is about one package of breasts, or 2 large breasts or 4 thin cut breasts.
If you’re serving more than two individuals, I recommend doubling the recipe, especially if you want leftovers.
As I mentioned above, I recommend using thin cut breasts so if your grocery store only carries regular chicken breasts that haven’t been pre-sliced, I recommend slicing them in half using a sharp knife to create thinner cutlets.
Avocado Oil: Used to protect the meat throughout the grilling process and to add flavor. Breasts are very lean, which means the absence of fat can result in bland flavor unless it is added in somehow.
The oil in the marinade works wonders to add flavor. Olive oil works here too but I prefer using avocado oil due to its high smoke point.
Rice Vinegar or Lemon Juice: A tangy ingredient to give us a little sour element.
Pure Maple Syrup or Brown Sugar: The sweet ingredient to help round out the flavor profile.
Liquid Aminos or Soy Sauce: A salty, umami element to add an abundance of flavor.
Dijon Mustard: More tangy flavor with a hint of earthiness that is almost imperceptible.
Fresh Garlic: A marinade without garlic is no marinade at all! Fresh garlic works wonders here. Garlic powder works here too.
Onion Powder, Paprika, Sea Salt, and Black Pepper: The basic seasonings to complete the deliciousness of the marinade.
Like fresh garlic, onion powder adds flavor. Paprika brings a slightly smoky flavor. Salt enhances the flavor and tenderizes, and black pepper brings a subtle heat.
If you love Italian seasoning, feel free to add it.
The marinade ingredients can be customized based on what you enjoy and what you have on hand.
Now that we’re familiar with the basics, let’s grill up some chicken!
How to Grill Chicken Breast:
Transfer all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade to a small blender or a small bowl and blend until the ingredients are well combined.
Place the raw chicken breasts in a large ziplock bag along with all of the marinade. Seal the bag and move it around so that all of the chicken is coated in marinade.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally 4 to 12 hours.
When you’re ready to start grilling, bring the marinated chicken out of the refrigerator.
Scrape any food particles off of the grill grates using a wire grill brush.
Preheat your gas grill to medium-high heat. Set the grill temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit if you have the option.
For a charcoal grill, fire up your coals in a coal chimney then transfer them to one part of your grill so that you have the option for direct heat and indirect heat.
We use a Weber grill and use Char Basket Holder instead of a charcoal chimney and we grill directly over the holder.
Place chicken breasts on the preheated hot grill, placing them over direct heat (over the coals for a charcoal grill or above the flames for a gas grill). Grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until substantial grill marks form.
If the chicken begins getting too dark at any point, flip it – otherwise, stick to 3 to 4 minutes per side and use a timer.
After you have some nice grill marks, move the chicken to indirect heat to finish the cooking process.
This will require about another 2 to 4 minutes per side. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken throughout the grilling process.
Chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You can pull it off the grill when it reaches 160, as it will continue cooking and rising in temperature as it sits.
Transfer the grilled chicken breasts to a platter, baking sheet, or cutting board and let chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve grilled chicken with your choice of side dishes and enjoy! I personally love potato salad, broccoli salad, some form of bread or roll, a green salad and/or fruit salad.
If you love BBQ sauce, you can either brush bbq sauce over the chicken during the grilling process or use it as dipping sauce for the finished bbq chicken.
Store leftover grilled chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How Long To Grill Chicken Breast:
The short answer is 12 to 18 minutes for thin chicken breast filets, and the long answer is it depends.
Generally, cooking chicken breast cutlets for 3-4 minutes per side over direct heat and 4 to 8 minutes total over indirect heat will result in perfectly cooked chicken, assuming the filets are thinly sliced.
Full chicken breasts require more time, as thick breast meat requires a longer cook time to ensure it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
For this reason, it is difficult to assert an exact cooking time, but using a digital meat thermometer ensures the chicken is not undercooked or overcooked.
Grill over direct heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, then move to indirect heat to finish the cooking process.
If this is taking too long, you can always move the chicken back to direct heat to speed up the process but be careful not to burn it.
Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast to get an accurate temperature read.
What to Serve with Grilled Chicken:
Here are my favorite side dishes to enjoy alongside bbq chicken breasts.
- The Best Broccoli Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Zesty Fruit Salad with Coconut Milk and Basil
- The Best Potato Salad
- Gluten-Free Cornbread
One of my favorite parts about this recipe is the marinade can be applied to just about anything. If you’re making a bigger batch of grilled chicken or if you’re marinating a large roast, be sure to double or triple the marinade.
Doubling or tripling the recipe is a great way to maximize meal prep, as you can enjoy grilled chicken salads, chicken quesadillas, and more throughout the week.
If you love grilling out, also try my other favorite grilling recipes.
More Grilling Recipes:
Enjoy this easy grilled chicken recipe all summer long!
Grilled Chicken Breast Recipe
Equipment
- Grill
Ingredients
- 1.5 to 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into thin filets
- 5 Tbsp avocado oil
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup or brown sugar optional
- 3 Tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard optional
- 2 cloves garlic minced, or 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp sea salt to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Transfer all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade to a small blender or a small bowl and blend until the ingredients are well combined.
- Place the raw chicken breasts in a large ziplock bag along with all of the marinade. Seal the bag and move it around so that all of the chicken is coated in marinade.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally 4 to 12 hours.
- When you’re ready to start grilling, bring the marinated chicken out of the refrigerator.
- Scrape any food particles off of the grill grates using a wire grill brush.
- Preheat your gas grill to medium-high heat. Set the grill temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit if you have the option. For a charcoal grill, fire up your coals in a coal chimney then transfer them to one part of your grill so that you have the option for direct heat and indirect heat.
- Place chicken breasts on the preheated hot grill, placing them over direct heat (over the coals for a charcoal grill or above the flames for a gas grill). Grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until substantial grill marks form. If the chicken begins getting too dark at any point, flip it – otherwise, stick to 3 to 4 minutes per side and use a timer.
- After you have some nice grill marks, move the chicken to indirect heat to finish the cooking process. This will require about another 2 to 4 minutes per side. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken throughout the grilling process. Chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You can pull it off the grill when it reaches 160, as it will continue cooking and rising in temperature as it sits.
- Transfer the grilled chicken breasts to a platter, baking sheet, or cutting board and let chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
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This marinade is so flavorful! I even swapped coconut aminos for the liquid aminos/soy sauce (I can’t have soy) and I left out the maple syrup/honey. Everyone loved it! This will now be my go-to marinade!
Love that! Thanks so much for swinging back around to share your experience, Kara! xo
Sounds delicious and look forward to trying it…will give my review when I do.
Thank you, Jay! I would love that! Happy grilling.