Name: Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 72 min
Ingredients: 1/3 cup olive oil; 1 lemon (juice and zest); 2 garlic cloves (minced); 1.5 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano; 1.5 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley; 1.5 tablespoons fresh thyme; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1.5 pounds boneless (skinless chicken breast); Olive oil spray for grilling

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Have dinner ready on busy nights with this easy lemon herb grilled chicken and 5 minutes of hands-on prep! It’s lemony, garlicky, full of fresh herbs, and so juicy. It’s pretty simple: a quick marinade, 20 minutes on the counter, and 9 to 12 minutes on the grill, and dinner is ready! Plus, it serves 4, and it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and Whole30-compatible!

Four lemon herb grilled chicken breasts on a white counter topped with fresh herbs.

Table of Contents

Why This Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken Works

a girl wearing a black leather jacket holding a drink

Is it just me, or do most grilled chicken recipes turn into a whole production? Not this one! It’s ACTUALLY simple, and dinner still happens at a normal hour (not 9 pm). If you’ve never grilled chicken before, I promise this is the one to start with.

Boneless chicken breasts soak in olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, and fresh oregano, parsley, and thyme. And the key here is FRESH herbs! They’re so much more flavorful than dried and really give this chicken its flavor. I’m serving mine with my honey roasted sweet potatoes and a simple green salad, then using leftovers for lunch all week!

Jordan

A Few Ingredient Notes…

Lemon herb grilled chicken ingredients labeled on a counter.

Fresh herbs: I think fresh oregano, parsley, and thyme taste so much brighter than dried. Dried spices will work in a pinch, but fresh is where it’s at!
Lemon zest and juice: The zest adds in extra lemon flavor without watering down the marinade. Zest the lemon before juicing it. We’ve all been there, and it is soooo hard to zest a juiced lemon.
Chicken breasts: They’re my go-to! Chicken thighs work too (and they’re harder to overcook, if that’s a worry).

How to Make Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken

Lemon herb chicken marinade in a small mixing bowl with a whisk.

Whisk the marinade. Add all your ingredients into one small bowl and whisk to combine.

Chicken tossed in marinade in a ziptop bag.

Coat and chill. Toss the chicken so every piece is coated in the marinade, then pop it in the fridge. Once it’s marinated, let the chicken sit out for 20 minutes before you grill it. If you put it on the grill cold, the outside can look done way before the center is actually cooked.

Four marinated chicken breasts on a grill pan grilling until cooked.

Grill, then flip. Let the extra marinade drip off first. Flip once the bottom has deep golden-brown grill marks.

Chicken resting on a plate with a fork showing the center of one piece.

Rest, then slice. Rest the chicken for 5 minutes on a cutting board before slicing. The center should be white all the way through, with no pink.

Why the Marinade Is So Short

This marinade works fast, so there’s no need to plan a day ahead. 20 to 30 minutes in the fridge does the trick, and I haven’t needed to go longer. Just trust me!

Marinating for up to an hour is totally fine, just don’t leave it overnight. Lemon is great for flavor, but marinating chicken in citrus for too long starts to break it down. Same goes for freezing it in the marinade (I don’t recommend it!) By the time it thaws, it’s been marinating way too long, and the texture gets kinda weird. Make the marinade fresh, and you’re good to go.

Grilled lemon herb chicken breasts on a plate with lemon wedges.

Recipe Tips

The number one way to ruin chicken breast is overcooking it (we’ve all been there). Keep the grill heat in check, and grab an instant-read thermometer. Pull the chicken as soon as the thickest part reaches 165°F. If the outside chars before the middle is done, move it over to indirect heat to finish without burning the outside.
No grill? No problem! A grill pan totally works, and the heat and times are in the recipe card notes.

A fork holding up a piece of lemon herb chicken showing the center is white and not pink.

How to Serve

I love this chicken because it’s a mild marinade that pairs with just about any side. If the grill is already going, add my grilled corn on the cob with Old Bay (hey, I gotta represent!). It’s ready in about 15 minutes, and it’s not a cookout at my house without it.

I like to use leftovers for lunch throughout the week. Slice some into my grilled chicken Caesar pasta salad with homemade dressing. Need more chicken breast inspo? All my chicken breast recipes are in one place.

If you tried this Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and tell me how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!