An easy recipe for grilled chicken breast uses a simple olive oil and soy sauce marinade that keeps the chicken breast nice and juicy.
Grilled chicken breast is the ultimate healthy food, and for good reason. An 8-oz grilled chicken breast contains about 300 calories, 50 grams of protein, and no carbs. It’s substantial and filling and will keep you full for hours.
How do you marinate chicken breast for grilling?
Grilled chicken breast isn’t just healthy. It can be delicious too! I use a simple marinade of olive oil and soy sauce to flavor the chicken, and the result is very tasty. I simply brush the marinade on the chicken breasts prior to grilling. But you can marinate them in the fridge for a few hours, then grill.
How long do you cook chicken breast on the grill?
I use my George Foreman grill in this recipe. But you can easily make it in any indoor or outdoor grill, or in a grill pan on the stovetop.
The secret to juicy grilled chicken breast is to get your grill really hot! Then grill 5 minutes on each side (5 minutes total in a George Foreman type grill), and allow to rest for five minutes before digging in.
As always, it’s best to use an instant read thermometer to ensure the chicken is fully cooked and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. I wrote this recipe for 8 oz chicken breasts. If yours are much bigger, they will need more time on the grill.
How to serve grilled chicken breast
This is easy. It goes with anything! It’s such a versatile dish. Of course, if your grill is large enough, it’s easiest to serve grilled chicken breast with grilled vegetables. Such as grilled zucchini, grilled broccolini or grilled okra.
What about leftovers?
Grilled chicken breast is extremely versatile, so make sure to grill several at a time. It’s excellent fresh off the grill! But leftovers are wonderful on salads, in wraps, in stir fry recipes and in casseroles (such as this yummy enchilada casserole). You can keep the leftovers for 3-4 days in the fridge, in an airtight container.
More chicken breast recipes you might like
If you’re looking for more awesome things to do with chicken breast, try this easy baked recipe for chicken Parmesan. And for the grill, a good tasty variation on the basic grilled chicken breast is this grilled Moroccan chicken.
Grilled Chicken Breast
INGREDIENTS
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (8 oz each)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Cooking spray
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut three shallow slits across the top of each chicken breast, to help the marinade better penetrate the meat. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, black pepper and garlic powder. Brush the chicken breasts on both sides with the marinade.
- Heat George Foreman grill or a grill pan on high, about 5 minutes. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Grill the chicken breasts 5 minutes on the George Foreman, or 5 minutes on each side on a grill pan, flipping them midway through cooking, until cooked through and no longer pink.
- The best way to ensure that the chicken breasts are done is using an instant-read thermometer. It should read 160-165 degrees F.
- Transfer the grilled chicken breasts to a sheet of foil, cover with another sheet of foil and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
