An easy recipe for grilled chicken breast uses a simple olive oil and soy sauce marinade that keeps this dish nice and juicy.
Grilled chicken breast is the ultimate healthy food, and for good reason. An 8-oz serving contains about 300 calories, 50 grams of protein, and no carbs. It’s substantial and filling and will keep you full for hours.
But this dish isn’t just healthy. It can be delicious too! In this recipe, a simple marinade of olive oil, soy sauce, and garlic adds lots of flavor to an otherwise basic recipe.
The ingredients you’ll need
You’ll only need five ingredients to make this tasty dish (exact measurements are included in the recipe card below):
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Olive oil
- Soy sauce
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
What marinade to use?
I use a simple marinade of olive oil and soy sauce to flavor the chicken. I simply brush the marinade on the chicken prior to grilling. But you can marinate it in the fridge for a few hours in a Ziploc bag, then grill.
How to make grilled chicken breast
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 chicken is to get your grill hot, then grill 5 minutes on each side (5 minutes total in a George Foreman type grill), and allow the chicken to rest for five minutes before digging in.
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.
Is grilling healthy?
That depends. My main concern when making grill recipes is that charred food is considered unhealthy. It’s unclear how big the risk really is outside of the lab, but I still don’t think we should ignore it.
My solution is to try and grill my food without charring it, or at the very least try to minimize charring. As you can see in the photos, the chicken is nicely grilled, but it is not burned.
To prevent the chicken from charring, keep a close eye on it. You can turn it frequently on the grill instead of just midway through cooking. Another option is to grill over medium heat instead of medium-high and grill for a little longer if needed.
What side dishes go with 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 this dish with grilled vegetables. Examples:
What about leftovers?
Grilled chicken breast is extremely versatile, so make sure to make several at a time.
It’s excellent fresh off the grill! But leftovers are wonderful on salads (such as this chicken cobb salad), 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.
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Grilled Chicken Breast
INGREDIENTS
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (8 oz each)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or a gluten-free alternative)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
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 a George Foreman grill or a grill pan on medium-high heat and lightly grease the grill.
- Grill the chicken breasts until cooked through and no longer pink, flipping them midway through cooking. For medium chicken breasts, this should take a total of 5 minutes on the George Foreman grill, or 5 minutes on each side in a grill pan. The best way to ensure that they are fully cooked is to use 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 let them rest 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
NOTES
More Healthy Recipes:
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., has been following a healthy real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She has taken 
