Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts

Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts are one of the low-carb grilled chicken recipes I make most often when I have dinner guests and it’s grilling season. This tasty low-carb grilled chicken is also Keto, low-glycemic, gluten-free, Paleo, Whole 30, and South Beach Diet friendly! Use Grilling Recipes to find more recipes like this one.

Click here to PIN Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts!

I think mid-May definitely means grilling season has arrived (at least in Utah) and today I’m reminding you of these Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts that are one of my go-to grilled chicken recipes to make for dinner guests. And in the photo the chicken is served with Spicy Mexican Slaw, which is another one of my regulars when I’m cooking for guests.

I created this recipe a few years ago and it was just a riff on Grilled Chicken and Veggie Kabobs with Garlic and Basil, but sometimes you don’t want to bother with kabobs. The chicken was such a hit that I made it all summer long for guests the second summer after I moved to the new house.  And my friend Mary’s granddaughter even said “This chicken is GOOD,” which I thought definitely qualified it to be called kid-friendly.

But chicken breasts cooked on the grill are always on the summer menu at my house even when there are no dinner guests, and my post on How to Make Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts has been hugely popular on the blog. So why is this particular grilled chicken such a go-to for me? It’s because it uses ingredients I almost always have on hand, plus I made the recipe for 6 servings and this chicken makes great leftovers to go on top of a salad, in a lettuce wrap, or inside whole-wheat pita bread.

If you’re a regular reader who hasn’t tried Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts yet, I hope this reminder will get you try try them. And this might become your favorite recipe for grilled chicken too; hope you enjoy!

My Tips for Making Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts:

Check out my post on How to Make Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts that are Perfect Every Time to see my Five Easy Steps for Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts!

Trim the chicken breasts so they’re the same thickness and any visible fat or undesirable parts are removed, and then cut shallow slits going crosswise down each chicken breast.  (I save the scraps in the freezer to make homemade chicken stock, so I don’t mind trimming.) Whisk together the marinade ingredients.

Marinate chicken in the fridge for about 8 hours, turning occasionally if you’re home.  (A slightly shorter or longer marinating time won’t matter much, but I usually start marinating mid-morning for chicken to cook for dinner that night.) When it’s time to cook, spray grill with non-stick spray or brush with oil, preheat grill to medium-high, and drain the chicken and let it come to room temperature.  (If you don’t drain off the marinade, it will flame up when the oil drips down on the grill.)

Here’s the secret to perfect grill marks.  Cook the chicken on an angle to the grill for about 3-4 minute, then lift up the edge of each piece of chicken and look to see that the grill marks are as dark as you’d like before you rotate the pieces. When the first set of grill marks are nice and dark, rotate the chicken pieces going at the opposite angle on the grill and cook 3-4 minutes more, again checking the grill marks before you turn the chicken over.

When you have nice grill marks, turn the chicken completely over and cook 4-6 minutes more, or until chicken feels firm but not hard to the touch.  (Thinner breasts will take less time.) Serve Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts hot and enjoy!

Make it a Meal:

For a low-carb meal World’s Easiest Grilled Vegetables or Spicy Mexican Slaw like you see in the photo would be a perfect side dish with this grilled chicken.

More Tasty Chicken for Dinner:

Chicken Recipes Index Page ~ Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker
Very Greek Grilled Chicken ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Grilled Lemon Yogurt Chicken ~ Food Wishes
Rosemary Mustard Grilled Chicken or Zucchini ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a new category called Weekend Food Prep  to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Print Recipe

Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts

Yield: 6 servings

Total Time: 35-39 minutes + marinating time

Prep Time: 25 minutes + marinating time

Cook Time: 10-14 minutes

This recipe for Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts is a great recipe for  summer grilling!

Ingredients:

Ingredients

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Marinade Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 T garlic powder
• 2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (or use another all-purpose seasoning blend)
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried sage
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1. Trim any visible fat from the chicken breasts, and if some breasts are a lot thicker than others trim some of the underneath part to make them about the same thickness.  (I save the scraps in the freezer to make homemade chicken stock.)
2. Cut short shallow slits crosswise going down each chicken breast.
3. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, Spike Seasoning (or other all-purpose seasoning blend), dried basil, dried oregano, onion powder, dried sage, and pepper to make the marinade.
4. Put the chicken in a single layer in a Ziploc bag (or a plastic container with a snap-tight lid).
5. Pour in the marinade, and marinate in the fridge for 8 hours, turning occasionally if you’re home.  (A slightly shorter or longer marinating time won’t matter but I would marinate at least 5-6  hours if possible.)
6. When you’re ready to cook, dump the chicken breasts into a colander and drain off the marinade.  (If you take it directly from the marinade and place on the hot grill, it will flame up from the marinade that drips down.)
7. Make sure the grill is clean; then spray with non-stick grill spray or brush with oil and preheat the grill to medium-high.
8. Lay the chicken top side down on an angle to the grill grates and cook 3-4 minutes; then lift up the edge of each piece of chicken to see if the grill marks are showing as much as you’d like.
9. When you have nice grill marks, rotate each chicken breast so it’s at the opposite angle to the grill grates and cook 3-4 minutes more (again lifting each piece of chicken to check the grill marks.)
10.  When you have good criss-cross grill marks, turn the chicken over and cook 4-6 minutes on the other side.
11.  Actual cooking time will depend on how thick the chicken breasts are and how hot your grill is, but chicken should feel firm but not hard to the touch when you press down on it with your finger.
12.  Chicken should be cooked to 165F/74C to be safe; if you have an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer, that’s a perfect way to tell when it’s done.)
13.  Serve hot.
14. This chicken is great for leftovers.  Refrigerate until needed; then cut up and serve over a salad, in lettuce wraps with avocado and salsa, or inside low-carb pita bread with some Tzatziki sauce.

Notes:

I use my fresh-frozen lemon juice for this recipe.

The chicken could also be cooked in a stove-top grill pan with ridges or a George Foreman Grill with good results.

This recipe created by Kalyn as a variation to Grilled Chicken and Veggie Kabobs with Garlic and Basil.

All images and text ©Kalyn Denny for Kalyn's Kitchen.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts are a perfect main dish for any low-carb, Keto, or low-glycemic eating plan, and also for any phase of the South Beach Diet. (Use another seasoning blend instead of Spike if you want this to be Paleo.)

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Nutritional Information?
If you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into this nutrition analyzer, which will calculate it for you. Or if you’re a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.