Easy Grilled Chicken Breasts
Grilled chicken is a go-to staple food especially during warm summer months plus it’s a healthy lunch or dinner option. There are countless ways to use it from salads, sandwiches, soups, pizza and more. But if you’ve got an all-purpose grilled chicken this juicy and tender you’ll be happy to serve and eat it all on it’s own and the whole crew will love it! It’s also great for meal prep since it keeps for several days in the fridge after being cooked (or you could even freeze it). There’s just a few simple keys to success here like allowing enough time for the chicken to soak in the liquid mixture and closely monitoring internal temperature of the chicken toward the end of grilling (chicken breasts dry out quickly past 165 degrees). This is also a very versatile base recipe, you don’t have to make it exactly as done here. There are plenty of substitutions and variations you could try (see ideas listed below). Just stick to the method and you’ll be good to go from there.
Grilled Chicken Breast Recipe Ingredients
4 (8 oz. each) boneless skinless chicken breasts 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth 1 Tbsp minced garlic 1 tsp honey 1 tsp dried thyme 1 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper
How to Prepare and Grill Chicken Breasts
How Long to Grill Chicken Breast
Helpful Tips for the Best Grilled Chicken
Use good quality chicken. I think we’ve all had our fair share of chewy chicken. I like to buy the vacuum pack sealed, air chilled chicken breasts at Costco which haven’t failed me over the years. The standard or Organic are both good. For best results don’t skip pounding the chicken to even out it’s thickness more, otherwise thinner ends will by dry by the time the center is cooked. Allow adequate time for the chicken to soak in the marinade for more flavor. Use an instant read food thermometer to cook just to 160 to 165 so you don’t end up with dry chicken breasts. This is key. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes so the interior juices evenly redistribute and don’t end up loosing a lot to the cutting board or plate if you slice into the meat early. Chicken doesn’t have to be exactly 8 oz each piece. It can be a bit larger or smaller, just adjust grill time accordingly. If you double the recipe double all ingredients.
Possible Substitutes and Variations for This Recipe
Use chicken thighs in place of chicken breasts (about 5 to 6 oz in size is great). Try other herbs in place of they thyme such as basil, rosemary, parsley, cilantro, dill, or oregano. Substitute fresh herbs for dried and use 1 Tbsp to 2 Tbsp depending on the herb (basil, parsley or cilantro use 2 Tbsp, rosemary, oregano or thyme only use 1 Tbsp). Increase flavor by adding spices such as sweet or smoked paprika, cayenne pepper or onion powder. For lemony chicken use 1 Tbsp lemon zest or you could even use lemon juice in place of chicken broth but don’t marinate longer than a few hours for a better texture (don’t use zest and juice or it will be overly lemony). Sugar or maple syrup can be used in place of honey. In a pinch water can be used in place of chicken broth, like as done in a standard brining solution. Extra virgin olive oil can be used in place of regular refined olive oil if you want a little more flavor from this ingredient.
More Grilled Chicken Recipes
Garlic Herb Grilled Chicken Greek Chicken Kebabs Grilled Moroccan Chicken Hawaiian Chicken Kebabs Marinated Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
