Description
This Best Grilled Chicken Breast recipe features flavorful boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets marinated in a tangy and sweet mixture of lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard, smoked paprika, thyme, and spices. Grilled to perfection, the chicken turns out moist, tender, and delicious, perfect for a quick and easy dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 4 boneless-skinless chicken breast thin cutlets (approximately 1 ½ – 2 pounds total weight)
Marinade
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: In a large, heavy duty, zip top bag, place the boneless-skinless chicken breast cutlets. Set aside.
- Make the marinade: In a mixing bowl, combine fresh lemon juice, canola oil, honey, dijon mustard, smoked paprika, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper. Whisk together until fully combined.
- Marinate the chicken: Pour the marinade over the chicken inside the zip top bag. Seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Place the bag onto a plate and refrigerate to marinate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the grill: Preheat an outdoor gas grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grill the chicken: Place the marinated chicken breasts on the grill, close the lid, and cook for 8 minutes. Flip the chicken over and cook for an additional 8 minutes or until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rest the chicken: Remove the grilled chicken to a plate and turn off your grill according to factory instructions. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Using pre-portioned chicken breast cutlets makes preparation quick and easy. For larger cutlets, butterfly or pound them to uniform thickness for even cooking.
- The marinade quantity can be doubled or halved depending on the amount of chicken.
- This marinade yields moist and tender grilled chicken that pairs well with many sides.
- For thicker or bone-in chicken breasts, marinate up to 8 hours and increase grilling time accordingly.
- Canola oil can be substituted with olive oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil.
- Dried thyme is used for convenience; if using fresh thyme, increase to 2 teaspoons for similar flavor intensity.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast cutlet
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 570 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
