Grilled Chicken Breasts

Published July 7, 2022. Updated July 13, 2022

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Grilled Chicken Breasts – its an easy and all-purpose grilling recipe! Lean chicken breasts are soaked in a solution that’s a cross between a marinade and brine (AKA brinerating) and it leaves you with perfectly juicy and flavorful chicken!

Overhead photo of Grilled Chicken Breasts on a white oval platter.

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.

Photo of ingredients used to make all-purpose grilled chicken breasts.

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

Six photos showing steps of making grilled chicken breasts and brine marinade.

How to Prepare and Grill Chicken Breasts

  1. Place chicken on a cutting board. Cover with plastic wrap and pound chicken with the flat side of meat mallet to help even out its thickness (it should be about 3/4-inch thick).
  2. Transfer chicken breasts to a resealable bag.
  3. In a small mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, chicken broth, garlic, honey, thyme, salt and pepper. Pour mixture over chicken in bag then seal bag while pressing excess air out and rub marinade over.
  4. Let chicken rest in fridge 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

How Long to Grill Chicken Breast

  1. Preheat a gas grill over medium-high heat to 425 degrees.
  2. Grill chicken, covered, until center or each piece is just 160 to 165 degrees, about 5 to 6 minutes per side for 8 oz chicken breasts.
  3. Let rest off heat about 5 minutes then serve or refrigerate and use within 3 days.

Grilled Chicken Breasts on a white platter on a teal colored cloth shown from a side angle with parsley and grilling tongs to the side.

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.

Sliced grilled chicken breasts showing juicy interior.

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Grilled Chicken Breasts
5 from 2 votes

Grilled Chicken Breast

An easy all-purpose grilling recipe! Lean chicken breasts are soaked in a solution that's a cross between a marinade and brine (AKA brinerating) and it leaves you with perfectly juicy and flavorful chicken! Just be sure to take internal temperature of chicken to test for doneness so it doesn't end up overcooked and dry.
Servings: 4 to 6
Prep10 minutes
Cook10 minutes
Marinate2 hours
Ready in: 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place chicken on a cutting board. Cover with plastic wrap and pound chicken with the flat side of meat mallet to help even out its thickness (it should be about 3/4-inch thick).
  • Transfer chicken breasts to a resealable bag.
  • In a small mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, chicken broth, garlic, honey, thyme, salt and pepper. Pour mixture over chicken in bag then seal bag while pressing excess air out and rub marinade over.
  • Let chicken rest in fridge 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
  • Preheat a gas grill over medium-high heat to 425 degrees. Grill chicken, with lid closed, until center or each piece is just 160 to 165 degrees, about 5 to 6 minutes per side.
  • Let rest off heat about 5 minutes then serve or refrigerate and use within 3 days.

Notes

  • For additional flavor you could include the zest of one lemon in the marinade. Other herbs such as oregano, basil or rosemary will work well here. Or the chicken could be seasoned with things like paprika, onion powder and cayenne pepper.
  • Nutrition estimate based on half of the marinade remaining and making 6 servings from the recipe.
Nutrition Facts
Grilled Chicken Breast
Amount Per Serving
Calories 218 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 97mg32%
Sodium 429mg19%
Potassium 569mg16%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 32g64%
Vitamin A 49IU1%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 11mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.