How to Grill Chicken Breasts

We love to grill recipes and have perfected this skill over time. Today, I am going to share our best tips so that you can enjoy wonderful chicken on the grill every time.

Having grilled chicken stocked in the fridge makes for quick lunches and easy weeknight dinners. Leftovers are great served over Easy Summer Salads or made into Chicken Fajita Quesadillas Recipe.

Grilled chicken is a staple at our house. We love it because it is high in protein and a healthy option to feed my family. It pairs will many side dishes and with these tips it comes our juicy, tender and full of flavor.

You can easily change the marinade to what you prefer for a delicious variation.

Ingredients

• Skinless Chicken Breasts – Chicken breast is what we usually grill. But if you want to Grill Chicken Thighs, check out Grilled Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs Recipe.

Scroll to see the full recipe in the recipe card.

Variations Ideas

• Seasoning – Feel free to change the marinade or seasoning to what you prefer. You can add in fresh herbs such as thyme or rosemary. Additional seasoning such as oregano, paprika, and garlic powder makes for a delicious variations.
• BBQ Sauce – When the juicy chicken breast has finished cooking, baste with BBQ sauce for added flavor.

How to Grill Chicken Breasts

• Step 1 – Place the chicken in a bowl or a large storage bag.
• Step 2 – Pour the other ingredients in the bag with the chicken.  Seal the bag and shake to thoroughly coat the chicken with the marinade. Allow the chicken to marinade in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.

• Step 3 – Grill the chicken over medium high heat. Cook for 7-10 minutes.

• Step 4 – Flip the chicken breasts and cook for 7-10 more minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove the tender chicken breast with tongs and place on a platter.

• Step 5 – Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes to allow juices to sit in. Then slice, serve and enjoy!

Recipe Tips

• Grilling Chicken – We grill chicken directly on the grill grates, but you can also use a grill pan. Grill chicken on a gas grill or a charcoal grill. If you are needing a new gas grill check out 5 Best Gas Grills Under $500 of 2024.
• Instant-Read Thermometer – To ensure your chicken is cooked use a meat thermometer to check the internal temp.

How Long to Marinate Chicken

Marinading your chicken really helps bring out the flavor. You want it to marinade for 30 minutes or longer even longer. Keep scrolling for our favorite grilling chicken marinade.

Now marinading isn’t always an option because you are short on time. Basting chicken is a great way to add flavor to your chicken. In fact, basting is one of the best ways to grill the Perfect chicken.

How Long to Grill Chicken

These tips will help cook your chicken the perfect amount of time without drying it out.

• Flip your Chicken often – Many people will disagree with us on this, but flipping your chicken often prevents your chicken from sticking to the grill. If your chicken sticks to the grill, then your chicken will fall apart and you will lose some of the delicious flavor. In fact, we flip the chicken within the first minute it goes on the grill and again every 2- 3 minutes until it is done.
• Don’t overcook. This is super important! – Chicken doesn’t take long to cook. If you over cook it, the chicken will be come dry and won’t taste great. If you pull it off right as the chicken is done, you will have moist and delicious chicken. On average chicken should take about 15 minutes to cook on a gas grill.
• Start out with high heat – You want to start out with medium-high heat to get the pretty lines on each side. Each side should take about 2-3 minutes. Next, turn the heat down to low heat to let it keep cooking so you can have pretty but moist grilled chicken.
• Same Size Chicken – I like to make sure each piece of chicken is about the same thickness so everything cooks evenly. You can use a meat tenderizer to pound the chicken and even it out if needed. If one piece of chicken is thick on one end and thin on the other, it can make cooking difficult. I find it is an easy fix by simply pounding it all to even the chicken out.
• Chicken Cooking Time –
  • Small Chicken Breast – 7-8 minutes – (6 oz – 8 oz)
  • Medium Chicken Breast – 8-12 minutes – (8 oz – 10 oz)
  • Large Chicken Breast – 14-16 minutes – (more than 10 oz)

How to Make the Best Grilled Chicken Marinade

It’s very easy to make this simple chicken marinade. Place the chicken breasts in a storage bag or mixing bowl. Add in all the other marinade ingredients.

Stir to thoroughly combine the ingredients and then let the chicken marinade for at least 4 hours or overnight works as well. I love putting this chicken with the marinade in the refrigerator in the morning and then it’s ready to grill when it’s dinner time!

Then use all of our grilling tips to grill the chicken breasts perfectly!

More Chicken Marinades to Try

• Best BBQ Chicken Marinade Recipe
• Easy Italian Chicken Marinade
• Taco Chicken Marinade
• Italian Soy Sauce Marinade
• The Easiest Marinade; Catalina Chicken!

Serving Suggestions

Here are some of my favorite side dish recipes that I love to serve with grilled chicken.

• Grilled Zucchini Spears 
• Grilled Vegetable Foil Pack
• Balsamic Grilled Zucchini 
• Grilled Zucchini with Teriyaki Sauce
• Easy Grilled Corn

Plus, I love serving grilled chicken with an easy salad. Here are some of my favorite salads that go great with this easy grilled chicken recipe.

• Ramen Noodle Salad Recipe
• Easy Pasta Salad Recipe
• Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
• Roasted Tomato and Mozzarella Salad
• Cucumber Onion Salad
• Easy Macaroni Salad