Easy Grilled Chicken Breast

This easy grilled chicken breast recipe is packed with fresh lemon, garlic, and herbs. Perfect for a quick, flavorful meal that’s juicy, tender, and ideal for summer picnics or meal prep.

Summertime is the season for barbecues, picnics, and all things grilled. There's nothing quite like the simplicity and deliciousness of a perfectly grilled chicken breast. What I love most about grilling is how easy it is. This recipe took me all of five minutes to prep, which is ideal when you’re trying to enjoy more time outside and less time in the kitchen. With just a few fresh ingredients like lemon, garlic, and herbs, you’re left with a juicy, flavorful chicken breast. It's perfect on its own or as part of a bigger meal.

You can choose to marinate the chicken overnight or give it a quick seasoning right before your grill session. The flavor from the lemon and fresh herbs really shines through. And don't be fooled by how simple this recipe is! Once you master it, you’ll have a go-to dish that you can throw on the grill anytime. The key is to keep a close eye on the chicken as it cooks. Grilled chicken breast is a delicate thing, and you don’t want to overcook it, or it will lose that juicy tenderness we’re after. But once you nail it, you’ll have a quick, delicious meal ready to serve with almost no effort at all.

This recipe is perfect for meal prep, outdoor picnics, or a weeknight dinner. You can make this any time and use the chicken in salads, sandwiches, wraps, or even in a pasta dish. The possibilities are endless, and the best part is that it takes no time at all to prepare.

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

¼ cup olive oil

juice of half a lemon

1 -2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon each parsley, thyme, minced (plus extra for garnishing)

salt, pepper, to taste

How To Make Easy Grilled Chicken Breast

Trim the chicken breast halves. Add all the marinade ingredients to the chicken and mix to thoroughly mix the chicken in the marinade.

This is a very versatile marinade. You can use freshly squeezed lime or orange juice instead of or in addition to lemon. Add some of the zest too. The herbs are also a matter or preference or a matter of "what's in my fridge right now". You can add rosemary, oregano, marjoram or whatever else you happen to like. You can also add some shallots or onions to the marinade and then discard them before grilling the chicken. 

You can keep the chicken in a rimmed container or place it in a ziptop bag. Marinate the chicken for at least one hour. You can marinate the chicken ahead of time, even overnight.

Preheat the grill for about 10-15 minutes and when it's on medium high heat, grill the chicken for about 3 minutes per side, depending on how thick your chicken is. To get gorgeous crosshatch grill marks on your chicken, place it on the grill at a 45 degree angle to the grill, give it a chance to get a sear and then rotate it 90 degrees.

The chicken should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant read thermometer. Take the chicken off the grill and allow it to rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into it, so that the juices redistribute and don't all gush out when you cut into the chicken. This will keep the chicken juicy and tender. Garnish with more fresh herbs and lemon wedges.

Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts

Olga Klyuchits

This easy grilled chicken breast recipe is packed with fresh lemon, garlic, and herbs. Perfect for a quick, flavorful meal that’s juicy, tender, and ideal for summer picnics or meal prep!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 36 minutes mins

Course Entree

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• ¼ cup olive oil
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 -2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon each parsley thyme, minced (plus extra for garnishing)
• salt pepper, to taste

Instructions

 

• Trim the chicken breast halves.
• Add all the marinade ingredients to the chicken and mix to thoroughly mix the chicken in the marinade. You can keep the chicken in a rimmed container or place it in a ziptop bag. Marinate the chicken for at least one hour. You can marinate the chicken ahead of time, even overnight.
• Preheat the grill for about 10-15 minutes and when it's on medium high heat.
• Grill the chicken for about 3 minutes per side, depending on how thick your chicken is. The chicken should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant read thermometer.
• Take the chicken off the grill and allow it to rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into it, so that the juices redistribute and don't all gush out when you cut into the chicken. This will keep the chicken juicy and tender.
• Garnish with more fresh herbs and lemon wedges.

Notes

It's very easy to double this recipe, so you can make this Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken for a party or a simple weeknight dinner for two.