Using a prepared seasoning blend and employing a few tricks, ensures that this Garlic Herb Grilled Chicken cooks perfectly every time. Cook-up some extra for your weekday salads.
In order to keep our eating on track, I spend a little extra time in the kitchen on the weekends cooking things we will want to enjoy during the week. One thing I always focus on preparing is a protein that we can put on our lunch salads. Sometimes, it's a tri-tip that I slice very thinly, other times it's sausages, taco meat or turkey patties, but most often it's grilled chicken.
We usually buy the big bags of frozen boneless-skinless chicken breasts from Costco, but lately, I've been buying the family packs of bone-in chicken breast halves at the grocery store. There are typically 5 breast halves in each package and by doing the work myself, I save money.
From 1 family pack I typically get 10 tenders, 5 trimmed boneless-skinless breasts, and bones for homemade bone broth. I meant to include a tutorial on how I do this, remove the meat from the bones, but the pictures were terrible, so, I will link to it at another time.
Some, may be wondering why I would include a post on grilling chicken breast. Chicken on the grill is often the first thing one learns to grill. It's a basic skill. But, if you have a problem with your chicken sticking to the grill or if it comes off the grill with a dry exterior or a raw center, then I have included a tip or two to help counter some of those problems.
My Tips For Perfect Garlic Herb Grilled Chicken Every Time
- Let the chicken come to room temperature. I let it sit in a baking dish for at least a half hour before I even think about touching it. Cooking chilled protein will result in a dry exterior and sometimes raw interior. It also shocks the meat making it tough.
- Heat the grill. When hot, clean off any debris. Nobody wants burned bits from last weeks dinner on their chicken.
- Once the chicken has warmed-up a bit, dry it thoroughly with a paper towel. Then, pour about 2 tablespoons of oil over the chicken and distribute it evenly over the entire surface of each piece. No, it's not going to bump up the calories, it will mostly drip or burn-off while cooking.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper BEFORE adding another seasoning unless that seasoning is very salty. Why? the flavor basically sits on the outer surface of the meat, so the seasoning needs to be strong enough to flavor the whole bite of chicken. Remember: Protein loves salt.
- Pour a few tablespoons of oil into a small bowl, wad up a paper towel, pick-it-up with long handled tongs and rub the oil on the grill grate. This step cleans the grate a bit and helps make a non-stick surface.
- Place the chicken on the grill and leave it in one place until the sides begin to turn white, then flip it over. I cook mine covered, but that is a personal preference. Switch the pieces of chicken around on the grill by swapping a piece from a hotter part of the grill with a piece from a cooler part of the grill. Then, leave it alone.
- Cook until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees. It will continue to cook a few minutes after being removed (unless the chicken was very cold when it went on the grill).
- Alternate done-ness test: I have a sixth sense when it comes to cooking chicken and just "know" when it's time to flip and take it off of the flame. I also use the scientific "finger-push" test. If the thickest part of the breast is squishy when I push on it, it's not done. If it gives just slightly, it's perfect. If it is firm as in no-give -- it's over done.
Garlic Herb Grilled Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring the chicken to room temperature by leaving it on the counter for at least 20 minutes before beginning.
- Dry off the chicken breasts. Coat the breasts in olive oil.
- Season them well, on both sides with salt and pepper).
- Season the boneless chicken breasts with the Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend or what ever seasoning you prefer.
- Turn on the grill. When it is hot, clean the grill and oil the grill grate.
- When the grill is hot again, add the chicken and cook covered until the sides of the breasts turn white. Flip them over and rearrange them by putting the pieces that were on the hotter parts of the grill onto the cooler parts and vise versa.
- The chicken is done when the internal temperature reads 160 degrees UNLESS the chicken was put onto the grill COLD. If so, then wait until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
- Let the chicken rest loosely covered by a piece of foil, for at least 15 minutes before cutting.
Adam
when you say leave out for about thirty minutes to get to room tempurature. are you talking about from the freezer or from the fridge. sorry i know nothing about cooking but I want to learn!
Kim Hardesty
Hi Adam. It's best to thaw frozen chicken in the refrigerator for 1-2 days depending on how thick it is and how much. So, that involves a little advanced planning... What I was referring to was letting the chicken sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes after taking it out of the refrigerator to "take the chill off". If it's cooked straight from the fridge, the protein will react by contracting and may be tough. I hope this helps. -Kim
DEANNA ELFERS
How many carbs?
Kim
This has less than one carb, Deanna. -Kim
Lama
How many carbs is in 1 serving of this?
Kim
Hi Lama. There are trace amount of carbs. My recipe card doesn't let me put "trace". -Kim
Carrie
This is NOT Keto Cooking using low fat chicken breasts etc. Keto is EATING THE FAT! 80% of your calories are supposed to be fat! Dr. Berg on You Tube says fatty grass fed hamburger and eggs from truly free range chickens are the best. You want as high a ratio of fat to protein that you can get. Wild salmon is also good.
Kim
Hi Carrie. Eating quality protein of any kind, including lean protein, is keto. Chicken breast is a great protein to use on salads which include healthy low carb vegetables, cheese, nuts/seeds, olives, and full fat dressing.
A keto diet is a high-fat, moderate protein and low carb way of eating. Not all people doing keto can eat at 80% fat and lose weight. Many, have to eat at 65%-75% fat until they have lost a significant amount of body fat and then they can increase their fat consumption. As we are all unique individuals and our body chemistry/hormones/metabolism are different, each person tweaks their keto diet to best suit them. Some people are very stringent in following "the rules" of keto and others subscribe to the "if it fits within your macros" way of eating, while others add cheat days to their week or month. If it works for someone, who am I to say that they are doing their diet wrong?
Yes, grass-fed beef is great, as is free range eggs and poultry, wild caught fish, game, heritage pork and organic vegetables. It would be wonderful if we all could afford these better quality options, but I have many readers on very strict budgets who must buy what is on sale for the week - and it works for them. They are losing weight and gaining health. I try to provide a variety of recipes for everyone.
Thank you for sharing your information, Carrie. -Kim
Matt
Thanks for all the tips!
Kim
You're welcome. I hope some of them help. -Kim
Connie
I love these tips for chicken! I struggle a lot with getting it cooked just right. thank you so much for sharing. Great pics and website, btw!
Kim
Hi Connie. I know exactly what you mean, I struggled for years with steak, but now I've mastered it. Yes! Thanks for the nice comments. -Kim