Grilled Chicken

Here’s how to make grilled chicken breast! These tricks make it come out juicy and perfectly seasoned in minutes.

You know it’s easy to make grilled chicken breast that tastes dry and bland? Have we got the recipe for you. Here’s how to make grilled chicken so it comes out juicy and perfectly seasoned every time! We’ve figured out the trick to an ultra-moist piece of chicken that melts in your mouth: and it takes just 2 minutes to do. Use this method and you’ll never have bland, boring chicken again!

Ingredients for grilled chicken

All you need are a handful of ingredients for grilled chicken. It’s possible to get major flavor with just a few common spices! Make sure to use smoked paprika (aka pimentón) if at all possible. It’s a type of paprika from Spain made of dried pimiento peppers that are smoked over a fire, then ground, which infuses it with smoky flavor. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts, organic if possible
• Olive oil
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Smoked paprika (pimentón)
• Salt and pepper

The trick: butterfly the chicken breast

Chicken breasts are often very thick, making them easy to end up dry and tricky to cook evenly. The trick to juicy grilled chicken? Butterfly the chicken breast. Slicing the chicken breast in half horizontally makes thinner pieces that cook more evenly. Side bonus: they’re also easier to eat and better seasoned.

You can buy a chicken breast already butterflied, which may be marked on the package (or it may be labeled as “cutlets”). If you buy regular chicken breasts, you can easily butterfly it yourself in just 2 minutes! Here’s how to butterfly a chicken breast:

• Place your hand over the top of the chicken breast.
• Use a sharp knife to carefully slice the breast horizontally, leaving the edge intact so it can open up like a book (or butterfly!).
• Unfold the chicken breast like a book, then for cutlets, cut along the fold to separate the two halves (each half is a cutlet).

How to grill chicken

Grilled chicken breasts are easy and cook very fast when they are butterflied. Here’s how to grill chicken:

• Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, then slice each breast in half horizontally (if not already butterflied). In a container, add olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper and mix.
• Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours). 
• Preheat a grill to high heat (450 to 550°F).
• Grill the chicken breasts until grill marks appear and it releases from the grates, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until no longer pink in the center and the internal temperature is 165°F, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Remove to a platter and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 5 minutes for maximum juiciness.

Buy organic chicken if possible

When shopping for this grilled chicken recipe, keep in mind: the best chicken to buy is organic. Buying organic makes sure that it is the highest quality meat that was raised sustainably. It is also free of chemicals and additives so it’s the healthiest option for eating, and overall: it just tastes better!

Per the USDA, organic chicken must be raised in living conditions that accommodate their natural behaviors (like grazing on pasture), fed 100% organic feed and forage, and not given antibiotics or hormones.

How to serve grilled chicken

Grilled chicken is easy to make into a meal. Add a grain and a vegetable and you’ve got dinner! Or, you can slice it into strips for a salad or throw it onto bread for a grilled chicken sandwich. Here are a few easy side dishes and ways to serve grilled chicken:

• Add salads like 60 Best Salad Recipes, Easy Kale Salad, Crisp Apple Salad, Green Goddess Salad, Bell Pepper Salad, Favorite Lentil Salad or Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
• Add simple grains like Quinoa, Rice, Easy Couscous, Easy Lemon Orzo and more
• Pair with grilled vegetables like Best Grilled Vegetables, Grilled Broccolini, Grilled Veggie Kabobs, Grilled Corn on the Cob, or Grilled Zucchini
• Add pasta like Bow Tie Pasta Salad, Orzo Pasta Salad, or Garlic Butter Noodles
• Make it into a main dish salad like Caesar Salad
• Make it into a sandwich with tomato, mozzarella and pesto to make Chicken Pesto Sandwich

More chicken recipes

Love cooking with chicken? Here are a few more tasty chicken recipes to make:

• Try one pan Creamy Garlic Chicken
• Go for tasty Chicken Corn Chowder
• Make easy Pesto Chicken
• Go for Baked Chicken Thighs or Rotisserie Chicken

01

Creamy Garlic Chicken

02

Chicken Corn Chowder

03

Pesto Chicken

04

Baked Chicken Thighs

This grilled chicken recipe is…

Gluten-free.

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