Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast – incredibly moist, juicy and outrageously delicious grilled chicken breasts soaked overnight in an easy, no-fuss, flavor-packed chicken marinade. This is going to become your go-to marinade for all your summer grilling recipes!
Just so you know, these grilled chicken breasts in the photo were devoured no longer than 10 minutes after I put down my camera. It was so good and beautifully charred that I rushed my photo shoot just so I can start ripping this chicken off. Glad all the photos came out as I hope they’d be!
It took me a couple of attempts before I nailed down this marinade which I will consider the EASIEST and TASTIEST. Don’t worry, you probably have on hand most of the ingredients. But you should start by making my homemade Creole Seasoning which clearly adds depth and flavor into this marinated grilled chicken breast.
You’ll thank yourself later for having a jar of this seasoning as it turns any dishes from EEHH to WHOAA! It works like magic. 😉
Once you have all the ingredients, you just have to throw them in a bowl and whisk until fully combined. Nothing complicated at all. Then you can drench the chicken in the marinade in a sealed bowl OR transfer them in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.
But I’d prefer marinating the chicken overnight. Don’t fret out tho if you don’t have much time. The chicken will absorb the flavor in 2 hours. Also boneless , skinless chicken works best for this recipe, I tried skin on chicken and wasn’t a fan. As you can see, had to quickly discard them.
And contrary to popular belief, acidic ingredients like lemon and vinegar doesn’t make the chicken “too mushy”. It actually cooks the exterior meat (like ceviche style). The lemon juice in this recipe is enough to give the chicken breast a lemony kick while retaining that succulent and smooth texture.
When you’re ready to grill, just carefully remove the chicken with a thong and place it on the grill. If you don’t have outdoor grill, you can always use a grilling pan to achieve those slightly charred, beautiful grilling marks.
Serve this delicious Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast with this Easy Pasta Salad HERE or you’re favorite sides, and you’re good to go. This is perfect for summer gatherings or your backyard BBQs.
Enjoy!
Tips and Notes:
- This marinade coats well for 4 halves of chicken breast. If you’re cooking for a huge crowd, you can always double the marinade.
- Do not leave the honey out of this recipe as it add flavor and also that appetizing caramelized, crispy coating once the chicken is grilled.
- Use a non-reactive container for marinating like plastic bags, glass bowl and stainless steel. Aluminum containers reacts with the presence of acid in the marinade, changing its color and flavor.
- Chicken breasts cook easily. Be careful not to overcook them.
- You can also bring the remaining marinade to a boil, simmer and then cook until reduced to a tasty sauce to pour over the chicken.
Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup honey
- 1-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ½ – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1-2 teaspoons creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper (or black pepper)
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1-2 green onions , diced
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk in oil, soy sauce , garlic , Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, honey, mustard , cayenne pepper , creole seasoning and ground pepper.
- Throw in parsley and green onions- continue stirring until fully combined.
- Drench the chicken in marinate, then seal bowl or place in a ziplock bag, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours - preferably overnight.
- When ready to grill. Using a tong, remove chicken from the sauce and discard any excess marinate.
- Preheat grill to medium- high heat.
- Place chicken on the grill and grill for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until you have a nice char – you may need to turn the chicken occasionally on each side until it is cooked all the way. Do this in batches if you have a small grill. Do not overcook chicken. Remove from grill (or grill pan).
- Let it rest for 5 minutes, then serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
In a medium bowl, whisk in oil, soy sauce , garlic , Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, honey, mustard , cayenne pepper , creole seasoning and ground pepper.
Give it a stir.
Throw in parsley and green onions- continue stirring until fully combined.
Drench the chicken in marinate, then seal bowl or place in a ziploc bag, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours – preferably overnight. When ready to grill. Using a tong, remove chicken from the sauce and discard any excess marinate. Preheat grill to medium- high heat.
Place chicken on the grill and grill for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until you have a nice char – you may need to turn the chicken occasionally on each side until it is cooked all the way. Do this in batches if you have a small grill. Do not overcook chicken. Remove from grill (or grill pan). Let it rest for 5 minutes, then serve immediately.
Providence says
Making this again for my 4th of July meal! Thank you for yet another amazing recipe. This has become the first place I come to when I’m unsure of what to cook. Everything is delectable! Thank you 🙂
Imma says
Thank you for your love and support, Stay tuned and find more amazing recipes on the blog. I am sure you would love them also 🙂
Sheema Harris says
Hi Imma!
YES!!! This is out of this world! I cannot believe how easy this marinade is to whip up and the amazing levels of flavours that roll off the tongue and how moist the chicken breast was! I served it with your Trinidad Corn Pie and it was out of this world!! Will definitely be making this again. Thank you so much!!
With much gratitude,
Chef Sheem
ImmaculateBites says
Hahaha. Thanks, Chef Sheem! I love anything easy :)! I am glad this was a hit with you too!
Ms Belle says
This marinade recipe is awesome! We had this for dinner lastnight. Hubby loved it! I served it with roasted asparagus and red potatoes. with of course bottle of Syrah, yum:)
ImmaculateBites says
I am salivating . That’s my kind of meal. So happy to hear it worked out well.
Liz says
Omg! I stumbled across this marinade recipe by accident and let me tell you, this was an absolute hit! I am making this for the second time now, and added sesame seeds to the marinade as well. Thanks for posting this awesome recipe!
jim says
I think the marinade was tasty. I say that because like every piece of chicken I’ve ever grilled, by the time it gets to the 165 degree mark, it’s overcooked and then I dont want to eat it. No idea what causes that. I’ve got a very hot grill and I have to seriously dial down the heat, but it still comes out awful. I’m not a cook but dang, lots of others can get this done right. Any ideas?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Jim,
It’s tricky to offer suggestions without actually being there. Can you pat dry the chicken first before grilling . Start on medium flame and adjust as you see fit.
Patrick LaMendola says
Make sure you take chicken out and allow it to warm up a bit, grilling stone cold chicken maybe your problem
Providence says
A good rule of thumb for cooking meat- no matter the method- get a the thicker/bigger the piece of meat, the lower the heat, and the thinner it is, the higher the heat. With grilling it’s crucial to know how close/far away the meat needs to be from the heat source and how high the heat is. Often you move it from an area of higher heat to lower heat. It’s not about it reaching a certain temperature, it’s more about the level of heat being just right. Sounds like you’re cooking it too long. Also know when to close tue lid and when to leave it open. A chef once told me the secret to being a great cook is 95% cooking techniques and far less how it’s seasoned. You can have something well seasoned but if you don’t cook it properly it won’t matter. Practice makes perfect! Play around with your technique and you’ll become grill king! Good luck!
Imma says
Great to hear that, thanks for sharing:) Yes, we need to do some adjustments as per the heat level and meat placement.
Ben says
Does you have to pre cook the chicken or cannot be raw when i marinate it?
imma africanbites says
Hi, Ben. You don’t have to cook the chicken. You use this marinate instead on raw chicken breast.
Monisha says
Heyyyy can u jus sauté it on a pan instead of grilling it? Sounds wonderful and can’t wait to try it this week!
imma africanbites says
Yes, you may. Please let me know how it turns out for you. Happy cooking!
Janelle says
I sauté it on a pan and it came out great, definitely going to continue to make. My fiancé loved it too!
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thank you so much for the feed back!
Glenna Brewer says
Grilled this chicken and my husband loved it. I ran out of cayenne pepper so threw in red pepper flakes and marinated the breasts overnight and into the next afternoon. This recipe is a definite keeper.
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, Yes, Yes. Thank you so much Glenna!!!!!
Dasha says
Hi can you post nutrition facts so I can know the calories and sodium
imma africanbites says
Updated the post. Thanks for bringing this up! 🙂
mommypharma says
I always love your recipes, my kids love when I make something from your site. Can’t wait to try this out
mommypharma.wordpress.com
Don says
I made this tonight and it was wonderful! I had some baby carrots that need to be used, so I pared it with your Pineapple Ginger Glazed Carrots and a handful of spring mix salad with a little balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The crowd went wild! Okay, not a crowd…but my wife raved about it !! It really was excellent!!
imma africanbites says
Weekend backyard bbq is the best. Glad you two love it!
Ian Shaw says
Hello, my comment relates not to the marinated chicken breast but to the Maafe West African Peanut Soup.
Unfortunately, the published instructions are not very clear. In (1), it says:
“In a large saucepan, season meat with salt, and onions and boil until tender, depending on the choice of meat. You should have at least 3-4 cups of stock. Remove the meat and reserve the stock.”
But in 2) it asks to saute the meat.
Yet it was supposed to have been cooked in a broth 1).
Please clarify.
Ian Shaw
ishaw@afrihost.co.za
ImmaculateBites says
Hello, you saute the meat after boiling , It’s optional
Aisha says
I love how your recipes come with notes and tips, thank you for that
ImmaculateBites says
Aww,thanks Aisha! Glad you find the notes and tips helpful.
Ian says
Wow! I will try this next.
Deborah @ The Harvest Kitchen says
This chicken looks incredible! Can’t wait to try the marinade!!
imma africanbites says
Thank you, Deborah! Can’t wait to hear how this one turned out for you. Enjoy!