Quick, easy and very tasty. A marinaded chicken breast that can be the main course for dinner or the perfect topping for a lunch salad. We all know that skinless boneless chicken breast can be tasteless and have a hockey puck quality if not done correctly. This marinade has soy sauce, brown sugar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and a little salt
.This could easily be a weeknight recipe, but I ended up marinading today for 90 minutes because I got busy. You can do this for 20-30 minutes if you want. Just enough time to heat, clean and oil the grill. If you brine first (not a bad idea ever with grilled skinless chicken), do not add the salt.
The most important part of this recipe is to not to rush the cooking. I used medium heat and took about 20 minutes.
A final note: Summer is just starting, and I know there are many chicken breasts ahead of me. I’m into a cooking series that will last the summer. Think of it as a filing system, just click the label and get them all.
Rating 9 Taste 9.2 Moisture 8.8 (brining would fix this) Ease 9
Trim chicken breast of any excess fat.
In a 1-gallon zip lock bag, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, olive oil, crushed garlic and lemon juice. Add salt if you didn’t brine. See note below to brine. Add chicken to bag, remove extra air and seal. Place in a large bowl after mixing well. If using in 30 minutes or less, leave at room temperature. If longer then refrigerate. You should then remove from refrigeration about 30 minutes before grilling.
Preheat grill on medium-high for 15-20 minutes. Clean and oil grates. Turn temp down to medium.
Grill on each side for 5 minutes initially. Then cook until internal temp of 165 flipping occasionally. About 20 minutes total cooking time.
Remove and let set for 5 minutes then serve.
Notes: You could brine with a simple brine of 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons table salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar for 30 to 120 minutes. If you brine, remove the salt from the recipe. If you like the minimal salt taste, use only 1 T of salt.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 2 servings | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 20 minutes |
|
|
| Quick, easy and very tasty. A marinaded chicken breast that can be the main course for dinner or the perfect topping for a lunch salad.
|
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts well trimmed
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Trim chicken breast of any excess fat.
- In a 1-gallon zip lock bag, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, olive oil, crushed garlic and lemon juice. Add salt if you didn't brine. See note below to brine.
- Add chicken to bag, remove extra air and seal. Place in a large bowl after mixing well. If using in 30 minutes or less, leave at room temperature. If longer then refrigerate. You should then remove from refrigeration about 30 minutes before grilling.
- Preheat grill on medium-high for 15-20 minutes. Clean and oil grates. Turn temp down to medium
- Grill on each side for 5-6 minutes initially. Then cook until internal temp of 165 flipping occasionally. About 20 minutes total cooking
You could brine with a simple brine of 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons table salt and 1 tablespoon sugar for 30 to 120 minutes. If you brine, remove the salt from the recipe. If you like minimal salt taste, use only 1 T of salt.
________________________________
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated. Rating is done by clicking on the stars above.
Last Updated
July 28, 2016
Hi All, I'm DrDan and welcome to 101 Cooking for Two. We present some of the best recipes with easy to follow step by step photo instructions to make your everyday cooking needs easier. 
Chris
Brining is a definite plus for boneless skinless breasts. I like the marinade, good flavor profile.
todd little
would be real helpful for us newbs to know exactly how much of each ingredient goes in the bag to make the marinade instead of saying combine.
todd little
my bad I see now that the info is indeed there – sorry! trying this tonight!
DrDan
Sorry for the confusion. This recipe is still in the format from Blogger and need converted so it looks better and is less confusing. I have about 2/3 of 300 done. They take 15 minutes each and I’m still working on it.
DrDan
DrDan
Done
todd little
very good marinade. upping the brown sugar next time and marinading for more than 1/2 hour
DrDan
Thanks for the note. I will try upping the brown sugar next time. If my grill ever gets out the the snow. Longer is better but 30 minutes still gets very good results but not more than a couple of hours with this.
Again thanks for the comment.
DrDan
Leah Noble
Did you use a tablespoon or teaspoon for sugar, lemon juice, oil and salt? I used teaspoon since there is a lower case “t” by the ingredients, but it tastes very soy saucy…. just checking! Thanks!
DrDan
I went back to my original notes. You are right… And the garlic was left out. Fixed and please accept my apology. That was apparently a bad day.
DrDan
Sarah
Thanks! I tried this last night and loved it. It gave a good amount of flavor after 30 minutes of marinating (will try it for longer next time if I can!). I’ve never tried brining before, so that information is useful for me as well. I’ll have to give that a shot one of these days.
DrDan
Do try the brine, you won’t believe the change in moisture. I was using this recipe last weekend again. I really like that I always have the ingredients.
Thanks for the comment
DrDan
Mary
this is a keeper, it was really good!!! I let it marinade for a couple of hours and will definitely be making this again for more people :)
Amanda S.
I made this tonight per instructions (I didn’t get a chance to try the brining part) and I have to give the author some SERIOUS compliments! This is hands down the best chicken marinade I’ve ever tasted or used. It is now my go-to marinade for chicken and I especially love how quick it is to not only make but use considering I rarely think too far ahead for the need to marinate the meat I cook. It’s usually just an afterthought so I love that this had the chicken ready in a short time. Thanks so so much for posting this! And now I can’t wait to look at your other recipes.
David
I buy chicken breasts in bulk packages, make a big batch of this marinade then vacuum pack and freeze for later use. By the time the chicken thaws it maninated perfectly and makes a quick clean up.
Meg
I even slightly screwed up the recipe and it still turned out great! You can check out my review here.
https://semiunemployedgirl.wordpress.com/2015/07/07/inevitable-cooking-fail-1/
Pam
This was EASY, QUICK and DELICIOUS. I doubled the recipe for 6 chicken breasts. Cut the cooking time to about 14 mins. by pounding them first to an “even” thickness, between 2 sheets of wax paper. Sliced and served warm over cold salad – perfect summer dinner!!
DrDan
Hi Pam, I have started to “pound the chicken” some too but haven’t decided yet if I want to do it all the time. First my wife always thinks it should be on a sandwich. Second, the times I have done this it seems dryer and I’m a careful griller. I’m not done evaluating yet.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Empress
Omg this marinade was perfect!! My computer won’t let me rate it but I definitely give it five stars! I added everything in the ingredients exactly except garlic. Because I love garlic I doubled up but you don’t have to. I Waldo seasoned the chicken on both sides first with onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, and lawrys seasoning salt and some pepper before adding it to the marinade because I like my meat really flavorful. I put it in the plastic bag and let Last night and didn’t take it out until about 9 o clock tonight and it was delicious! So about a day but I’m sure if you let it sit for 4 hours or so it would still be just as good! Thank you sooooo much for this recipe I really loved the added brown sugar it balanced out all the other flavors!
Lexy
Yum! Totally transforms chicken, especially when you’re short on time for a marinade. We’re trying it on thin sliced pork chops tonight.
tina
My grill broke & I have the chicken marinating! Can I put this in a crock pot? Please advise! Thanks
DrDan
The crockpot would work but I would prefer the oven especially if you have a grill pan. If no grill pan than cast iron. If no cast iron then oven safe pan. A little oil in the pan to coat the pan and 350-375 degrees about 30 minutes plus minus depending on size, pan and oven. Use a meat thermometer and you are done at 165. I would probably flip after about 15 minutes. (I’m guessing at the time since this is not how I normally do this so keep an eye on it and thermometer ready. My guesses are usually fairly good.)
You could do a pan sear method but I’m worried about burning the sugar.
angela
I can’t grill at my apartment. when say use a grill pan do you mean in the oven or on stove top?
DrDan
Hi Angela,
With all the sugar in this, I would not be doing it stovetop. And in the oven, the chicken will take too long and again may burn before the chicken is done. Maybe not if you filp… If you try it in the oven, it would take 30-45 minutes depending on size and oven. Cook to 165 of course. I’m not sure how good that would work.
Dan