For all those who love chicken meat and are just starting their adventure with barbecue, I have prepared a small guide on how to grill chicken breast. And although the preparation of juicy, properly toasted meat is not difficult for many people, it is very often that the meat dries and burns, which makes it not taste as good as it should. These few tips and steps will allow beginners to master the grill level and, hopefully, will also help experienced barbecue enthusiasts! How long to grill chicken breast?
Grilled chicken breast – recipe
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon of dried thyme
- 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)
Preparation
- Wash chicken breasts, dry with a paper towel, clean from remaining cubes and fibers. Cut across the thickest part, dividing them into two thinner fillets. Break with a pestle, especially in the thickest parts, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- In a deep plate, mix the juice and finely grated lemon zest, add crushed garlic, thyme and olive oil. Put chicken breasts and dip them in marinade. Let stand for 10 minutes, heat the grill.
- Arrange the breasts with the whole marinade on the grill on the hot grill. Grill for about 2-5 minutes on one side until dark stripes appear, then transfer to the other side and grill for another 2-5 minutes (grilling time depends on the grill power and the amount of meat on one surface). The meat in the pan should be ready earlier. In the middle of grilling chicken lay sprigs of fresh thyme.
Serve with green olives, hazelnut and basil pesto and grilled bread, for example. You can also make sandwiches: spread bread over the pesto, cover with chicken and olives.
How to grill chicken in a pan?
Before grilling, chicken breasts should be seasoned, because they almost have no taste. You can go to the smallest and smelt pieces in veg or similar vegetable seasoning, you can also marinate the chicken lightly, you can choose spices for the dish, etc. – depending on who has what time, what he wants, what he has at home, and what abilities he has.
You can buy the marinade in the store ready, in a bag – according to the operating instructions, add oil or water, add the meat to the marinade, melt it and put it down for a while. But it’s definitely better to do something your own – mix the spices with oil, pour the meat over them, mix and set aside. You can find a lot of marinade recipes online.
Let’s move to the grilling part, now!
The pan must be warmed up and the meat placed on it. To make sure that the chicken is not raw inside, I grill it until it is all white (in contrast to the original pink color). Then I roll it over and grill it a little more. You can’t fry the chicken too long, because first it will be burnt on top (whether it should be crispy or not it depends on the dish – in general, it’s better to be soft), and secondly it will be dry inside.