This is the perfect recipe for grilled chicken breast! The chicken comes out juicy and flavorful thanks to the right grilling technique and a delicious marinade.
Prep: Place chicken in a large ziploc bag (4-6 quart). Leave bag open, then use a meat mallet or rolling pin to carefully pound chicken to ½ inch thickness.
Marinate: Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl or measuring jug. Pour over chicken (check bag for holes before adding marinade!), zip bag close. Massage marinade into chicken, then refrigerate in a shallow dish for 4-12 hours.
Grill: Once ready, remove bag with chicken from refrigerator and let sit on counter for 20 minutes. In the meantime, heat grill to high heat. Lightly oil grates. Grill chicken 2-4 minutes per side, covered, until juices run clear and internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove from grill, rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Garlic: Feel free to use only fresh garlic, or only dried garlic powder in place of both.
Sugar: You can skip this if you want to leave things sugar-free. You could try honey, but it burns more easily/can leave a bitter aftertaste. If you prefer brown sugar, feel free to use that.
Lemon juice: I recommend fresh lemon juice, but if ll you have is bottled, it’s fine to use.
Marinade: Feel free to use your favorite grilled chicken marinade in place of the ingredients this recipe calls for, if you want to switch things up.
Marinating time: If you’re in a hurry, just leave the chicken in the marinade in the bag on the counter for 20 minutes. The flavor will be less strong, but it’s enough to yield juicy and delicious chicken.
Tabletop grill: A tabletop/indoor grill generally doesn’t get as hot as a charcoal or gas outdoor grill. It still works just fine (I use mine a LOT! and never have any trouble). You just need to plan for a longer grilling time because you can’t cover the chicken and you’re using less heat. It takes closer to 6-8 minutes per side to grill the chicken on a tabletop grill, but the exact timing will also depend on your exact model.
Freezer tips: You can freeze the chicken breast in the marinade for up to 3 months. Defrost fully before grilling.