Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken Marinade is a flavorful way to dress up plain old grilled chicken breast. The marinade helps tenderize the chicken, to yield super juicy and delicious meat. We usually make this on the grill during summer, but it’s just as good if pan fried.
And the best part? You can bag up the raw chicken in the marinade and freeze it – so you’ll always have some marinated chicken on hand!
About this Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken Marinade:
I’m well aware that a grilled chicken marinade isn’t really a life-changing, mind-blowing healthy food recipe. I’m almost embarrassed calling these “a pinch of this and a drizzle of that” instructions a recipe.
But then again, that’s probably a good thing, right?! Because it means this recipe is so simple, even my brother could pull it off. And, between you and me… My brother is a disaster in the kitchen.
I used to be very slack-y when it came to barbecues, summer meals and things, because you know… As long as you throw some meat on the grill and have a salad on the side, everybody is happy.
But… It actually brings me far more joy to share a meal with my family I know I put all my love in. So last year I started being more serious with our lazy summer meals. They’re still slow and happy and lazy. But in a slightly more prepared way.
You can make your life so much easier with this one simple step:
Freeze chicken right in the marinade!
One thing I’ve been doing is marinating chicken breast right after buying them. I usually buy meat in bulk, portion it out and freeze it anyways. So I figured I might as well add a marinade to the bag with the chicken before throwing it in the freezer.
Make sure you label the bag with the name of the dish and the date. I recommend freezing the marinated chicken for no longer than three months.
To thaw, simply place in the fridge overnight. Make sure to place the frozen bag in a soup plate or similar, otherwise you’ll have a puddle of water in the fridge.
How to make Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken Marinade:
What are the ingredients to marinate?
I love this recipe, because the ingredient list for the marinade is so short and sweet:
- olive oil
- dried garlic powder
- white wine vinegar
- lemon juice
- salt
- black pepper
I know there are some awfully complicated, long-listed chicken marinades out there… But this ain’t one of them! This busy mama has no time to measure out seventeen different spices just to make some chicken on the grill.
It makes a super delicious, tender and juicy grilled chicken breast. What more do you need?
Can you marinade chicken too long?
You won’t have this problem if you just freeze your marinated chicken 😉
According to the USDA food safety guidelines, you can marinate chicken safely in the fridge for up to two days. A couple of hours are usually enough to reap the benefits though.
How do you grill chicken on the stove?
So what if you’re all ready for your backyard barbecue, but it suddenly starts raining like crazy?
Speaking of experience here…
If you have a grill pan, you’ll be all set. If it’s a cast iron one, preheat it on the hottest setting. Turn down the heat to medium-high and carefully brush with oil.
Then just grill the chicken as you would on an outdoor grill. It will take a while to be done, up to 15-20 minutes depending on the size and thickness of your chicken breast.
What is the right internal temperature for chicken?
No matter if you’re using the stove or an outdoor grill, always check that the juices are running clear and the internal temperature has reached 165°F at the thickest part.
What goes good with chicken on the grill?
There are so many healthy meals you can make with grilled chicken:
Low Carb / Trim Healthy Mama S Meals with Grilled Chicken
One of my favorite ways to eat this lemon garlic grilled chicken is over my avocado spinach salad with berries! Just be mindful of the amount of berries you’re adding (up to 1 cup mixed berries, pace yourself on the blueberries – up to 1/2 cup, max) if you want to stay in an S setting.
Other great sides can be marinated grilled vegetables, greek salad stuffed avocados or even a zucchini noodle salad.
Low Fat / Trim Healthy Mama E Meals with Grilled Chicken
Even though there’s oil in the marinade, most of it you’ll discard once the chicken has marinated for long enough – perfect for a light e meal.
A delicious chopped vegetable and grain salad (think a Greek chopped salad with quinoa, low fat feta and a low fat dressing!) is also on of my favorite things to eat topped with grilled chicken on a warm summer night.
If you eat sprouted pasta, you can make a delicious low fat pasta salad with a Greek yogurt dressing, a lower amount of pasta and plenty of chopped vegetables.
how this lemon garlic grilled chicken fits into the trim healthy mama plan:
If you’ve been around for a while, you’ll know what a huge fan I am of the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle.
If you don’t know what I’m going on about and want to learn more, an easy book to start with is their Trim Healthy Mama Plan you can get on Amazon here. FYI, I make a commission for purchases made through that link. Your price doesn’t change.
This recipe is great for both an s-fuel and an e-fuel setting. Even though the marinade has some olive oil in it, it’s not enough to catapult yourself out of an e setting – especially as most of it will be discarded once the chicken is done marinating.
Get the printable recipe for this lemon garlic grilled chicken marinade:
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon dried garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 lemons, juice only
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Meat
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients for the marinade in a dish or a bag that's large enough to hold the chicken. Add the chicken and cover. Leave to sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours or for up to 2 days.
- To freeze: To freeze, place the chicken and the marinade in a freezer bag. Seal and label with the name of the dish and the date. Freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, place in a soup plate (or similar to catch any thawing ice) in the fridge overnight.
- To grill: Place the marinated chicken on the hot grill and cook from both sides until juices run clear and the internal temperature has reached 165°F. The chicken cooks faster if you close the grill.
