The recipe for grilled chicken breasts is simple and versatile. You can get wonderfully juicy and tasty chicken by brinerating lean chicken breasts in a mixture that's a cross between a marinade and brining.
Simple Chicken Breasts to Grill
In addition to being a go-to staple cuisine, grilled chicken is also a nutritious lunch or dinner alternative.
It can be used in a wide variety of dishes, including pizza, salads, sandwiches, and soups. However, if you have an all-purpose grilled chicken that is this juicy and tender, you'll be happy to serve and eat it by itself, and the whole group will enjoy it!
Since it keeps for several days in the refrigerator after being cooked (or you could even freeze it), it's also fantastic for meal preparation.
The key to success in this recipe is to give the chicken ample time to soak in the liquid mixture and to properly monitor the internal temperature of the chicken as it cooks (chicken breasts dry out quickly past 165 degrees).
You don't have to make it exactly the way it is done here because this is a fairly flexible basic recipe. You can try a lot of different substitutes and changes (see the suggestions given below). You'll be all set to go if you just follow the procedure.
Ingredients for grilled chicken breast in a recipe
- 4 boneless, skinless, 8 oz. chicken breasts
- Olive oil, 1/4 cup
- One-fourth cup of low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tsp dried thyme and 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon
Chicken breast preparation and cooking techniques
- Chicken should be put on a cutting board. To help equal out the thickness of the chicken (which should be about 3/4 inch thick), wrap it in plastic wrap and pound it with the flat side of a meat mallet.
- Place the chicken breasts in a bag that can be sealed.
- Olive oil, chicken broth, garlic, honey, thyme, salt, and pepper should all be combined in a small mixing dish. Pour the mixture over the chicken in the bag, close it while squeezing out extra air, and then rub the marinade on.
- Allow chicken to rest in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.
Grilling time for chicken breast
- Heat a gas grill to 425 degrees on medium-high.
- For 8 oz. chicken breasts, grill the chicken, covered, for 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until the center or each piece reaches just 160 to 165 degrees.
- After 5 minutes of cooling off, serve or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days of use.
Advice on How to Make the Best Grilled Chicken
- Use chicken of high quality. I believe that most of us have experienced chewy chicken. At Costco, I like to get the vacuum-sealed, air-chilled chicken breasts since they have never let me down in the past. Both the standard and Organic are excellent.
- The chicken should be pounded to equal out its thickness more for the best results; otherwise, the thinner ends would be dry by the time the center is cooked.
- Give the chicken enough time to soak in the marinade for increased taste.
- To avoid having dry chicken breasts, heat meals to a temperature of 160 to 165 using an instant read food thermometer. This is vital.
- Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes so that the interior juices can redistribute evenly and so that if you slice into the meat too soon, a lot of it will end up on the cutting board or plate.
- Each piece of chicken need not be exactly 8 ounces. It might be somewhat bigger or smaller; simply adjust the grilling time.
- All ingredients must be doubled if the recipe is doubled.
Alternative Ingredients and Variations for This Recipe
- Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts (5 to 6 ounces is a good size).
- Try substituting basil, rosemary, parsley, cilantro, dill, oregano for the thyme.
- Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs in place of dry ones (basil, parsley, cilantro require 2 tablespoons; rosemary, oregano, and thyme only 1 tablespoon).
- Spices like cayenne pepper, onion powder, or sweet or smoked paprika can be used to boost flavor.
- Use 1 Tbsp of lemon zest or lemon juice in place of chicken stock to give chicken a lemony flavor. Marinate the chicken for no more than a couple hours for a better texture; any longer will result in too lemony flavor.
- In place of honey, you can use sugar or maple syrup.
- In an emergency, water can be substituted for chicken broth, just as it would be in a typical brining solution.
- If you prefer a little more flavor from this product, extra virgin olive oil can be used in place of standard refined olive oil.
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