This simple Italian Grilled Chicken Breast recipe has great Italian flavor with a tender and moist chicken—a quick and easy weeknight grilling recipe.
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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
- Trim chicken breasts. Even out the thickness some with a meat mallet to ¾ inch
- 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.
- Mix coating of olive oil and Italian seasoning.
- 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.
- Place on a preheated 450° grill over direct heat with the grill lid closed.
- Flip about every 5 minutes until internal temp is 165°—about 25-30 minutes total on the grill.
- 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
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.
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.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Step-by-Step Photo 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 of 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.
📖 Recipe
Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 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
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.
Your Own Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Brining is optional but recommended. If you brine, rinse carefully after and do not add any more salt.
- 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.
- As with all grilled chicken, you need to get the surface temperature correct, or you will have poor results.
- Use the Italian season you want, or I have included a recommended homemade version.
- Grill to 165°, and be sure to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- 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
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Editor's Note: Originally published July 16, 2010. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Jane Leaf
I added a clove of crushed garlic, my husband loved it.
Anita
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?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
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
Ruby Holbert
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
DrDan
No clue... But try this recipe and make your own.
DrDan
Dr Dan
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
Sage
This looks really good.Wonder if I would used my fresh herbs to make this juicy recipe.
Rita
Dr Dan
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.
Chris
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:)