Juicy Grilled Chicken (Print version)
Marinated chicken breasts grilled to juicy tenderness with lemon, garlic, and smoked paprika.
# What goes in:
→ Poultry
01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5 oz each)
→ Marinade
02 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
06 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
07 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
08 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
09 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
→ Garnish
10 - Fresh parsley, finely chopped
11 - Lemon wedges for serving
# Cooking steps:
01 - In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, smoked paprika, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes until well combined.
02 - Place the chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag or shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken, turning each piece to coat evenly. Seal the bag or cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 hours for optimal flavor penetration.
03 - Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium-high heat (approximately 400°F). Lightly brush the grates with oil to prevent sticking.
04 - Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing any excess to drip off. Place the chicken on the hot grill and cook for 6 to 8 minutes per side, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each breast registers 165°F.
05 - Transfer the grilled chicken to a clean plate and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and lemon wedges before serving.
# Tips from flavorandfeast:
01 -
- The smoked paprika in the marinade tricks people into thinking you spent hours over a wood fire when you really just opened a jar.
- It is genuinely forgiving, even if you wander off and forget about the chicken for an extra minute, it bounces back beautifully.
02 -
- Under no circumstances should you reuse the leftover marinade as a basting sauce unless you bring it to a full rolling boil first, raw chicken juices are nothing to gamble with.
- Pounding the chicken to an even thickness before marinating changed my results more than any other single adjustment I have ever made to this recipe.
03 -
- Take the chicken out of the fridge twenty minutes before grilling so it is not ice cold in the center, cold meat cooks unevenly every single time.
- Brush the chicken with a thin layer of oil right before it hits the grill in addition to the oil in the marinade, this extra step is what gives you those restaurant quality grill marks.