This recipe just went into my meal prep rotation on repeat! It was so good I had to prep another batch for the latter part of the week after my family ate 1.5 pounds of it the first part of the week. Grilled chicken is such an easy re-heat option as long as you do not over-cook it. Plus it lasts in the fridge for a few days so it's easy to pair with salads for lunch, my Summer Chickpea Salad, or to enjoy on its own.
The pop of acid from the lemons compliments the garlic and the Italian Seasoning so well and makes this dish so light and fresh, it's perfect for summer!
The key to a good grilled chicken is to make sure you pull it off the grill right when it hits 165°. This ensures the chicken stays juicy and then if you re-heat it, it's still enjoyable and doesn't get tough. To do this, invest in a good food thermometer!! Seriously, it's a game changer.
This one is my favorites and I've been using it for years. I've tried a few other ones but they didn't live up to their claims unfortunately, so back to my $10 one I went and I couldn't be happier.
This chicken was so easy to put together and only uses a few ingredients. With the summer temperatures in the 90s every day here, I want light, fresh and healthy. Plus, running the AC so close to bedtime when I turn the AC down to polar bear temperatures, I don't want to be heating up the house. It's much easier to pop out onto the deck for a few minutes to get some chicken grilled up than to heat up the house and be miserable and hot at bedtime. I really do like it that cold at night, haha.
A few simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry bring this dish to life. Lemons, garlic, olive oil and Italian Seasoning, plus some salt and pepper...and you're ready to go!
I squeezed the juice out of 3 lemons and added my olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and Italian Seasoning into a large bowl. One good mix and it's ready. This serves as the marinade for the chicken and it comes together in 5 minutes. Win/win. This would also be great on shrimp as well.
Whenever I grill chicken breasts, I always halve them. It allows for the chicken to absorb more flavor, grill quicker, and also, is easier to cut up for toddlers because I have a few of them :)
I halved my chicken breasts, added them to the marinade in a ziplock baggie and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours until I was ready to grill. Because of the acid of the lemons, this is not a good overnight marinade. It will make the chicken chewy, so just be aware. 4-6 hours and that should do it for marinating. If you are cooking this closer to dinner time, let the chicken sit out on the counter at room temperature in the marinade for 20 minutes and it will be similar in taste as if you had marinaded all afternoon.
That's it!
Once your'e ready to grill, get your grill heated up and grates cleaned. I cooked mine at a medium-high heat to ensure good char lines. I find this adds a bit of a crisp to the chicken on the outside but still leaves it juicy and tender on the inside.
5-6 minutes on one side, flip and cook for 3-4 minutes on the second time. Flip it once more, ensuring to rotate the chicken 90° to get some solid grill lines and leave it on for 1-2 minutes. Pull the chicken from the grill and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into it.
Juicy, tender, light and fresh tasting, this chicken dish is so easy to cook in large batches to enjoy all week or as a simple weeknight dinner.
Enjoy!
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