The Best Grilled Chicken Breast Recipe

Steps

1. 1Pound the chicken. Place the chicken breasts into a 1-gallon zip-top bag. I prefer to use a freezer-safe bag as they tend to be thicker than a storage bag. Use a heavy rolling pin, meat mallet, or saucepan and pound the chicken to 1/2-inch thickness. This process is key to tender chicken. The marinade flavors the chicken, rather than tenderizing as many believe.
2. 2Make the marinade. Stir together the ingredients for the chicken marinade. You can use the same ziptop bag used for pounding (if it is still in good condition) or transfer the pounded chicken breasts to a non-reactive mixing bowl, such as a glass bowl and pour the marinade over the chicken.
3. 3Marinate the chicken. Allow the chicken to rest in the marinade for 1 hour to overnight covered with wrap in the refrigerator.
4. 4Grill the chicken. Preheat the grill or a grill pan to 400º F. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator as the grill preheats. Grill the chicken breasts over direct heat at 400º F for 6 to 8 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken breasts and cook until the chicken reaches 160º F - 165º F when checked with an instant-read thermometer, about 6 to 8 more minutes. Remove from the grill and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving or slicing.