Italian Grilled Chicken

5 from 1 vote

If you think chicken breasts are dry and bland, think again! This Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts recipe yields golden-brown, juicy-tender, crazy-delicious results with minimal effort. The optional Salmoriglio sauce is the crowning glory!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Marinade time4

Total Time4 20

Course: Grilled Chicken, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, Italian-Inspired

Keyword: Italian Grilled Chicken, Sicilian Salmoriglio Sauce

Servings: servings

Calories: 450kcal

Author: Chris Scheuer

Ingredients

For the marinade:

⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 medium garlic cloves finely minced
finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the chicken:

2-2 ½ pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the marinade/basting sauce:

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup. Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade and set aside for grilling. Transfer the chicken pieces to a large ziplock bag. Add the remaining marinade. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal well. Massage the bag for about 30 seconds to coat each piece with the oil mixture.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

When ready to grill:

Preheat the grill to medium (about 400˚F) Clean and oil the grates well.
Gently shake the marinade off of each piece of chicken and place them on the grill. Discard the remaining marinade. Cook for 3-4 minutes until light golden brown on the side facing the grill. The chicken should release easily from the grill. Flip to the other size and brush with the reserved marinade.
Cook for another 2-3 minutes then flip again and brush with the oil. Continue flipping and brushing every minute until the internal temperature is 155˚F with an instant thermometer. Remove from the grill to a clean plate and tent with foil for 5-8 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success. If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it. ***The nutritional information includes all of the oil so the fat and calorie counts will actually be a fair amount less.

Nutrition