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    🏠Home » Recipes » Chicken Breast Recipes

    Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts

    Jul 16, 2010 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · Last modified: Jul 1, 2023 · 9 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Table of Contents Print     Email Pin
    4.42 from 17 votes

    This simple Italian Grilled Chicken Breast recipe has great Italian flavor with a tender and moist chicken—a quick and easy weeknight grilling recipe.

    Italian Grilled Chicken Breast from 101 Cooking for Two
    Jump To:
    • 🐓Ingredients
    • 👨‍🍳How to Cook Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts
    • 👨‍🍳How to Oven Bake Italian Chicken Breasts
    • ✔️Tips
    • 🇮🇹 Homemade Italian Seasoning
    • ❓FAQs
    • Chicken Safety Tips
    • Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Pro Tips
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    Everybody needs great chicken recipes, and this one is a keeper.

    These juicy and flavorful chicken breasts will be your new favorite dinner idea. Pair it with a simple salad and a white wine for a completely eloquent Italian dinner.

    These flavorful and tender chicken breasts fit a healthy diet like a low-calorie or low-fat diet or even a low-carb keto diet.

    Check out my tutorial about chicken breasts at How to Grill Chicken Breasts. Or see for other specific options see Blackened Chicken Breasts, Honey Glazed Chicken Breasts, Buttermilk Marinaded Chicken Breasts, or Lemon Chicken Marinade.

    🐓Ingredients

    • Chicken breasts—skinless boneless
    • Olive oil
    • Salt and pepper
    • Italian seasoning
    • Homemade Italian Seasoning—basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, thyme

    👨‍🍳How to Cook Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts

    1. Trim chicken breasts. Even out the thickness some with a meat mallet to ¾ inch
    2. Optional brine: Mix a brine of water, table salt, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper (optional). Add chicken and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
    3. Mix coating of olive oil and Italian seasoning.
    4. Gently rinse off the brine if used, pat dry, and lightly pepper and salt if not brined. Then brush both sides with the oil mixture.
    5. Place on a preheated 450° grill over direct heat with the grill lid closed.
    6. Flip about every 5 minutes until internal temp is 165°—about 25-30 minutes total on the grill.
    7. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

    👨‍🍳How to Oven Bake Italian Chicken Breasts

    To oven-bake Italian chicken breasts, preheat the oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional.

    Prepare the breasts like the grilling recipe, but at the point of placing them on the grill, place them on a prepared tray and bake to an internal temperature of 165°—about 25 minutes.

    ✔️Tips

    • When you pick your chicken breasts, try to get approximately the same size and thickness. If thicker than ¾ inch, flatten it out some with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan.
    • Brining is always good if you have time for chicken breast to prevent drying. I suggest a brine of 2 cups of water, 2 tablespoons salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
    • Grill temperature is very important when cooking skinless boneless chicken breasts. You generally want a surface temperature of about 450° for chicken. See A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill for more details.

    🇮🇹 Homemade Italian Seasoning

    I believe in individual herbs and spices for the best freshness and taste. This recipe includes instructions for individual spices, but you may use a commercial Italian spice mix.

    ❓FAQs

    How do you prevent grilled chicken breasts from drying?

    Chicken breasts are very lean meat that will tend to dry quickly during cooking. Previously frozen chicken breasts are more prone to drying since freeze will force some moisture out of the cells.

    The first is not to overcook the chicken. 165° is the minimum safe internal temperature, and you should reach it but try not to overcook the breasts.

    The second, especially if previously frozen, is to brine the chicken to add moisture before cooking.

    What to serve with grilled Italian chicken breasts?

    Serve with a garden salad or hot side dishes of Stuffed Tomatoes, Grilled Mixed Vegetables, or Grill Corn on the Cob. And a nice bread like Julia Childs French Bread or Easy Yeast Dinner Rolls.

    Chicken Safety Tips

    • We no longer rinse chicken ( see  Chicken… To Rinse or Not To Rinse? ) except, after a brine, the breast should be rinsed with great care to remove extra salt.
    • To be safe to eat, all chicken must reach 165° according to the USDA guidelines.
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    ↑Jump to Table of Contents

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    Chicken Breast Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Grill Recipes, Italian Recipes
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    Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    trimming chicken breasts on a white board

    Trim the chicken breasts. If the thickness is over ¾ inches, flatten it with a meat mallet.

    adding chicken to the brine

    Optional: In a ziplock bag, mix a brine of 3 cups water, 3 tablespoons table salt, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, and ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional). Add chicken and submerge and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

    clean and oil grill crates

    Clean and oil grill grates and preheat to a surface temperature of about 450°, which is about medium-high on most grills. I recommend a surface thermometer to be able to control your grill well.

    spices for Italian seasoning

    If making your seasoning, use equal parts dried basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, and thyme. I used one tablespoon each and saved the extra in a small airtight container suitable for storage.

    Mixing Italian seasoning into oil in white bowl

    Mix oil and 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning.

    brushing chicken breast with seasoning on white board

    Pepper lightly on both sides and salt if not brined. Then brush both sides with the oil mixture. Place on the grill over direct heat with the grill lid closed.

    Italian Chicken Breast on white plate

    Flip about every 5 minutes until the internal temp is 165°. About 25-30 minutes total on the grill. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

    Italian Chicken Breast on white plate
    ↑Jump to Table of Contents

    📖 Recipe

    Italian Grilled Chicken Breast from 101 Cooking for Two

    Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    This simple Italian Grilled Chicken Breast recipe has great Italian flavor with a tender and moist chicken—a quick and easy weeknight grilling recipe.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.42 from 17 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 2

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • salt and pepper
    • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

    Homemade Italian Seasoning (will be almost a tablespoon, enough for this recipe but I make more for later.)

    • ½ teaspoon dried basil
    • ½ teaspoon oregano
    • ½ teaspoon marjoram
    • ½ teaspoon rosemary
    • ½ teaspoon thyme
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Trim the chicken breasts. If the thickness is over ¾ inches, flatten it with a meat mallet.
    • Optional: In a ziplock bag, mix a brine of 3 cups water, 3 tablespoons table salt, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, and ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional). Add chicken and submerge and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
    • Clean and oil grill grates and preheat to a surface temperature of about 450°, which is about medium-high on most grills. I recommend a surface thermometer to be able to control your grill well.
    • If making your seasoning, use equal parts dried basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, and thyme. I used one tablespoon each and saved the extra in a small airtight container suitable for storage.
    • Mix oil and 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning.
    • Pepper lightly on both sides and salt if not brined. Then brush both sides with the oil mixture. Place on the grill over direct heat with the grill lid closed.
    • Flip about every 5 minutes until the internal temp is 165°. About 25-30 minutes total on the grill. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    Your Own Private Notes

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. Brining is optional but recommended. If you brine, rinse carefully after and do not add any more salt.
    2. Try to get approximately the same size and thickness of chicken breasts. If one is significantly thicker, flatten it out some with a meat mallet or bottom of a heavy pan.
    3. As with all grilled chicken, you need to get the surface temperature correct, or you will have poor results.
    4. Use the Italian season you want, or I have included a recommended homemade version.
    5. Grill to 165°, and be sure to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
    6. Serve with salad or pasta—other suggestions in the post.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories : 197.3 kcal (10%)Carbohydrates : 1.7 g (1%)Protein : 24.2 g (48%)Fat : 10 g (15%)Saturated Fat : 1.6 g (8%)Polyunsaturated Fat : 1.2 gMonounsaturated Fat : 6 gTrans Fat : 0.01 gCholesterol : 72.3 mg (24%)Sodium : 131.8 mg (5%)Potassium : 449.7 mg (13%)Fiber : 1.1 g (4%)Sugar : 0.1 gVitamin A : 76.4 IU (2%)Vitamin C : 1.4 mg (2%)Calcium : 45.6 mg (5%)Iron : 1.4 mg (8%)
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Main Course
    Cuisine : Italian

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Editor's Note: Originally published July 16, 2010. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

    Molly looking good

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    1. Jane Leaf

      April 22, 2020 at 6:36 am

      5 stars
      I added a clove of crushed garlic, my husband loved it.

      Reply
    2. Anita

      April 20, 2019 at 7:42 am

      The grilling time seems o be a little long for just 2 boneless breasts, especially at 450* over direct heat. Won’t they burn and dry out?

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        April 20, 2019 at 11:08 am

        Hi Anita,r
        Welcome to the blog.

        That is about the right cooking time if your grill surface temperature is 450. But there are a lot of variables. Total size and thickness of the breast. The starting temperature of the meat etc. So as always, cook to a final internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat. Never cook by time alone.

        If you have smaller/thinner breasts or if you flatten the breast some, that time will decrease by 5 minutes or more.

        Dan

    3. Ruby Holbert

      February 13, 2014 at 9:02 pm

      We purchased this Italian Brand Bruchetta flavor boneless skinless chicken breast from a salesperson that came to our neighborhood in Pearland, Texas several months ago. We really loved it and all the other meat products we bought. He has not been back. We do not have a phone number or address to contact him. Please let us now where we can contact someone to purchase more meat products as soon as possible.

      Thanks

      Reply
      • DrDan

        February 16, 2014 at 6:59 pm

        No clue... But try this recipe and make your own.
        DrDan

    4. Dr Dan

      July 17, 2010 at 11:02 am

      Really almost any spice recipe works. Just know your grills hot spots and avoid them or turn the heat down and take a little longer

      Reply
    5. Sage

      July 17, 2010 at 10:22 am

      This looks really good.Wonder if I would used my fresh herbs to make this juicy recipe.
      Rita

      Reply
    6. Dr Dan

      July 16, 2010 at 10:14 pm

      I remember using it 20 years ago but I much prefer the make your own method if possible for most recipes.
      I'm working on a Jerk recipe and I think I will wimp and reach for the jar. Way more work than I want to do but Italian was simple.

      Reply
    7. Chris

      July 16, 2010 at 9:49 pm

      Laugh if you want, but bottled Italian dressing was the first chicken marinade when my buddies and I were 18/19 learning to cook on our own.

      But taking your approach is much more tailored to personal tastes! Then again, I didn't have such a nice grill back then either:)

      Reply

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