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Forget dry, flavorless chicken! This simple grilled chicken breast recipe is packed with flavor and turns out perfect every time. Here I'll show you the tips and tricks needed to grill the perfect chicken breast.
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Simple Ingredients
This easy to follow grilled chicken breast recipe has minimal ingredients and features my favorite chicken rub.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Meat Church - Honey Hog BBQ Rub
- White Onion
Prepping the Chicken
Start with boneless skinless chicken breasts. Easily found at your local grocery store or meat market.
Tenderize the Chicken
We are going to pound these breasts down with a meat mallet to tenderize the meat before grilling. This will speed up the cooking process and make extremely tender and juicy chicken breasts.
If you are grilling chicken thighs, this step is not necessary. Skip the tenderizing process and go straight to seasoning the chicken.
- Place a breast in a ziplock bag on a cutting board
- Pound the breast with the pointed end (pyramid spike end) of the mallet, 8-10 blows.
- Turn the breast over and tenderize with another 8-10 blows until chicken is ½" thick.
Beating the chicken with the mallet will break up the meat fibers and tenderize the meat. This will also double the diameter of the chicken breast.
Seasoning
Once the chicken breasts have been pounded out and tenderized, rub with olive oil on both sides of the breasts.
Season both sides of the breasts liberally with Meat Church - Honey Hog BBQ Rub. This is my FAVORITE rub to use when making bbq chicken. It's sweet flavor goes perfectly on grilled chicken breast.
Allow to marinate at ROOM TEMPERATURE for 30 minutes before grilling.
Grilling the Chicken
I'm grilling this chicken recipe on my Weber Genesis Gas Grill (affiliate link). You can use a charcoal grill or a pellet grill if that's what you have at the house.
Grilling & Smoking chicken is one of my favorite things to make for dinner. If you have never made a Smoked Spatchcock Chicken or Crispy Smoked Chicken Wings, you need to check out those chicken recipes next!
Pre-heat & Clean with Onion
Pre-heat the grill to 450°F, we want the grill HOT when cooking chicken. Once at temperature, clean the grill grates with an onion cut in half.
- Cut an onion in half (doesn't matter what color onion)
- Rub the onion, cut side down, on the hot grill grates cleaning off dirt and grease
- Discard the onion
This is the best natural way to clean dirt and grime from the grates with the acidic juices of the onion. The antibacterial juices will also sanitize the grill.
Cooking Hot & Fast
When it comes to cooking chicken, hot & fast is the best way to churn out tender and juicy chicken. The only time low and slow is acceptable when preparing chicken is when making chicken jerky.
Place the chicken on the grill grates over direct heat and close the lid. Cook for 4 minutes without touching it. After 4 minutes, flip the chicken.
The chicken should NOT stick to the grill grates. If it's sticking, let it cook another 1 minute and then flip.
Cook another 3-4 minutes until the breast reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Test this using a meat thermometer (affiliate link). Using a meat thermometer is the BEST way to cook meat to the perfect doneness, preventing overcooked and dry meat.
Video - How to Grill Chicken Breasts (Step-by-step)
Serving & Sides
Once the chicken reaches that perfect temperature of 165°F, immediately pull of the grill and place on a plate or serving platter. Allow to rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.
Serve with a side of rice or on a bun making the perfect chicken sandwich. Here are some great side dishes that go perfectly with grilled chicken breast.
- Waffle Fries (Joshua Weissman)
- Smoked Deviled Eggs (Jerkyholic)
- Southern Potato Salad (Don't Sweat the Recipe)
- Amish Macaroni Salad (The Suburban Soapbox)
FAQ
At 450°F, grill 4 minutes a side for a total of 8 minutes. However, always check the internal temperature for 165°F for the perfect doneness. Cook to temperature, not time.
Grilled skinless chicken breast is high in protein and low in fat. It's a favorite ingredient/protein of diet and workout meal plans.
Hot & Fast as well as tenderize. Tenderize breast to ½" with a meat mallet. Grill at a minimum temperature of 450°F until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Old Pro Tips
- Place chicken in ziplock bag before tenderizing with meat mallet. This prevents raw chicken juices from contaminating your kitchen.
- Clean grill with a raw onion to remove dirt and sanitize before cooking chicken.
- Grill at a minimum of 450°F to make sure the chicken cooks fast.
- Cook grilled chicken to an internal temp of 165°F and not simply 4 minutes a side. Checking with a thermometer will prevent overcooking and drying out the chicken.
Try these great recipes next!
Ingredients
- 4 lbs chicken breast (boneless skinless)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoon bbq seasoning (Honey Hog BBQ Rub)
Equipment
Instructions
- Rinse chicken breasts under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Place a chicken breast inside a large ziplock bag and tenderize with the pointy side of a meat mallet 8-10 times. Flip breast over and tenderize another 8-10 times or until the chicken is ½" thick.
- Rub breast with olive oil and season liberally with bbq rub. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat grill to 450°F and clean grill with an onion.
- Once cleaned, add chicken breasts to grill and cook for 4 minutes with the grill lid closed. Flip after 4 minutes and continue to cook another 3-4 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F when tested with a meat thermometer.
- Remove from grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes before eating.
- Enjoy! Please leave a star rating and comment if you tried this recipe. Thanks!
Pro Tips
- Place chicken in ziplock bag before tenderizing with meat mallet. This prevents raw chicken juices from contaminating your kitchen.
- Clean grill with a raw onion to remove dirt and sanitize before cooking chicken.
- Grill at a minimum of 450°F to make sure the chicken cooks fast.
- Cook grilled chicken to an internal temp of 165°F and not simply 4 minutes a side. Checking with a thermometer will prevent overcooking and drying out the chicken.
Linda says
OMG, this was the best, most tender grilled chicken breast. This recipe is a keeper