Grilled Lemon and Herb Chicken. Summer Night Perfection.
Grilled chicken is a family favorite, oh so easy and so many ways to prepare it.
Technically, it’s the still the Summer. It’s hot and nobody wants to be in the kitchen, especially when the weather is perfect, the birds are chirping and the sun is setting so perfectly in the sky.
Ok, it’s not always such a bucolic setting in August and early September here in New York, in fact the mosquitoes are out like frantic shoppers on Black Friday and the heat and humidity can be downright oppressive, but with this winning recipe, you’ll be cool as a cucumber enjoying the good life whether you are dining in or outdoors.
There are so many ways you can add flavor to chicken to look like a rock star to your friends and family, but one of the easiest and most rewarding ways is by marrying these simple and delicious ingredients that I use to make my Grilled Lemon and Herb Chicken.
Family and friends are so important to me and I don’t need to have any excuses to want to get people to come over and enjoy dinner and drinks on a nice night.
Sure, I’d love to think they would come over even if I served frozen pizza, but I secretly think it’s the Summer inspired recipes that keep them coming back and not wanting to leave.
And all the free beer too.
Yeah, I forgot to mention the free beer.
Looking for a fast and easy grilled chicken recipe that will rival anything ever placed before you? You’re in luck.
Confident, I am…Yes. And you’ll soon see why.
Perfect over a Caesar salad, in a quesadilla, on a bun with crisp iceberg lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise, this recipe is all about the marinade.
Quality ingredients like delicious ripe lemons, plump fresh garlic, aromatic oregano and sea salt will make your chicken the most flavorful and delicious one to come off a grill.
With the chicken at about 1/2 inch in thickness, you are sure to have a hit.
Can’t cut your cutlets that small? Try pounding two pieces of wax paper.
Oh… wait a moment class.
Before you leave, we need to quickly review the subject, Grilling Temps 101.
Now pay extra close attention to this part, ok? There may be a pop quiz later this week.
It’s very simple and can be the difference with you being on the honor roll or sitting in the corner with a dunce cap on ordering Chinese take-out.
Some grills are hotter than a jet engine.
My gas grill goes to about 750 degrees. Just because it does, doesn’t mean I need to turn it up to the max all the time.
This high heat potential has it’s place for certain types of cooking, but in this case, you don’t want to go crazy hot here, since anything over 500°F can dry out the chicken breasts in a minute.
But…then again, on the other side, you don’t want to cook over a heat that is too low either because you won’t be able to brown the breasts properly and you’ll end up with pale, boiled looking chicken on your plate.
A medium to medium high flame, which is about 375-475°F, is great for resulting in a beautiful sun kissed crust without drying out and overcooking your bird.
Now with this knowledge you can get out there and grill your hearts out without drying that bird or under cooking it.
I hope that you enjoy this recipe for Grilled Lemon and Herb Chicken and much as I do.
Check out the full recipe below and…
Spread the Love!
Like me at…..
Twitter: FoodULuv
and on Instagram @ thefooduluv
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, from one lemon
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1¾ pounds total)
- 5 lemons, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
- Whisk together lemon juice, oregano, garlic, 1/2 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and add oil in a slow stream, whisking.
- Discard excess fat from chicken and season with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper.
- Combine first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 2-6 hours .., turning occasionally.
- You don't want to have chicken cerviche.
- Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper.
- grill 3-4 min per side, depending upon thickness.
- Grill lemon slices on rack over coals, uncovered, until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes on each side, and transfer to platter with chicken.
- Before putting your chicken on the grill, the overall experience will be much better if you start with a clean and nicely oiled grill grate. Your skinless breasts have skin so they have no fat to protect them from the high heat of the grill, which means that they will easily get stuck to the grate.
- How do you prevent this? Clean and oil your grate.
Christine Cook Wannabe
August 12, 2017
I am extremely impressed with your writing skills, the way you emotionally involve the reader and as well as with the layout on your blog. Anyway keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to see a nice blog like this one these days.
Katherine Caryn
September 13, 2017
Hi, great online recipe and the picture makes it so nice.
Cruze
September 14, 2017
Simply, wow.