This grilled chicken breast recipe uses boneless skinless chicken breasts with no marinade, to make juicy and delicious grilled chicken. Perfect for bbq’s and cookouts and also great for meal prep.
Grilled chicken breast is an easy, family-friendly dinner that pairs well with so many delicious sides. We love serving this grilled chicken with coleslaw, quinoa tabouli, kale quinoa salad, and/or potato salad (just to name a few).
I also love adding this chicken to my weekly meal prep. It’s a great head-start ingredient!
How Do You Make Grilled Chicken Breast Without Drying It Out?
The secret to keeping your grilled chicken breast moist and juicy is to pound out the chicken before cooking.
Chicken breasts are usually thick on one end and thin on the other. This makes it hard for the chicken to cook evenly.
Use a meat mallet, rolling pin, or can of soup to pound out the chicken so it has a uniform thickness all around. This will make it easy to cook the chicken evenly and avoid overcooking.
You can see the chicken below has an even thickness all the way around.
Tips For Grilled Chicken Breast
- Always buy the best quality chicken you can find. I always look for local and/or organic options.
- If you have super fat chicken breasts, slice them in half and then pound them out.
- Brushing on some bbq sauce (or any other sauce you prefer) towards the end of cooking, is an easy way to add extra flavor without taking the time to marinade your chicken before hand.
- You can easily double or triple batch this recipe so you have extra grilled chicken breast to use throughout the week.
- This chicken will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container (these are the ones I like to use).
- It’s best to cook this chicken over medium to medium high heat.
How Long Do You Grill Chicken Breast?
Chicken needs to cook for 4-5 minutes per side. This grill time depends on the size and thickness of the chicken breast. If you prefer a thicker cut, you may need to cook it a bit longer.
How Do You Know When Your Chicken Is Done?
The easiest way to tell whether your chicken is done is to slice into the chicken. If the meat is opaque and juicy, it’s ready to go.
Alternatively, you can use a thermometer. Cooked chicken needs to reach a temperature of 165 degrees F to be cooked through and safe to eat.
More Clean & Delicious Chicken Recipes:
- Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Rotisserie Chicken Salad
- Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken Breast
- How-To Make Baked Chicken Breast
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Grilled Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup bbq sauce, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the grill. Clean the grates and set to a medium high heat. You want the temperature somewhere between 400-450 Farenheit.
- Place chicken breast between two pieces of wax paper and pound with a meat mallet until the chicken has a uniform thickness all around. This will help the chicken to cook more evenly.
- Brush both side of the chicken with avocado oil.
- Season generously with salt and pepper. Be sure to get both sides.
- Place the chicken smooth side down on the grill and close the lid. Cook for three minutes and then rotate the chicken 90 degrees for an additional minute (this will create cross-hatch grill marks).
- Flip the chicken and cook for an additional three or four minutes. If you want to brush some bbq sauce on the chicken, so that now.
- Flip the chicken one last time to add additional bbq sauce if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t have a meat mallet? No problem. You can use a heavy bottle, a rolling pin or even a can of soup.
- You can use any type of sauce or marinade you prefer. It’s an easy way to add extra flavor without marinading the chicken.
- This chicken is also delicious plain, no sauce needed. I love making it plain and keeping it on hand for salads, sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas, etc.
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