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5.0 from 129 votes

Easy Marinated Grilled Chicken (30 Minutes!)

Incredibly easy, fast marinated grilled chicken. Ready in just 30 minutes with 10 ingredients (give or take a spice). Serve with grains, vegetables, or pasta of choice!

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 4 (Servings)
Calories: 157 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: gluten-free

Ingredients

CHICKEN
  • 2 (~8-ounce) chicken breasts* (pasture raised, organic when possible, boneless and skinless)
  • 1 ½ tsp avocado oil (or other neutral oil with high smoke point)
  • 1 ½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp dried oregano (or sub 2 tsp fresh)
  • 1 tsp dried basil (or sub 2 tsp fresh)
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/8 tsp red pepper flake (reduce or omit for less heat)
  • 1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
  • 1 dash cayenne pepper (optional // reduce or omit for less heat)
FOR SERVING optional
  • Tahini Dressing
  • parsley
  • Brown Rice, White Rice, Quinoa, or Cauliflower Rice

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. If using grill, start by heating grill. If using a grill pan, set on the stovetop and lightly oil.
  2. Optional: For quicker cooking, place chicken breasts between two pieces of parchment paper and use the underside of a saucepan to gently pound the meat into thinner pieces. This can cut cook time in half.
  3. Add chicken to a shallow bowl or dish and top with oil and vinegar, then flip 1-2 times to coat.
  4. Add half of the spices to one side of the breasts and half of the spices to the other side. Mixture will include sea salt, pepper, oregano, basil, paprika, pepper flake, rosemary, and cayenne (optional). Flip a few times to coat.
  5. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes or overnight (covered in the refrigerator // can marinate up to 24 hours).NOTE: You can also poke your chicken with a knife to allow the marinade and spices to more thoroughly infuse the meat with flavor. 
  6. Grill chicken on a hot grill or hot grill pan over medium heat until cooked through (to an internal temperature of 165 F — 74 C).
  7. Enjoy as is, or — our preferred method — with tahini dressing, grains, and fresh herbs.
  8. Best when fresh. Store leftover cooked chicken in the refrigerator up to 2-3 days (depending on freshness of chicken). Reheat on the stovetop in a hot skillet until warmed through.

Notes

  • *Feel free to sub chicken breasts with another similar cut of meat — we suspect this spice rub would work well on other types of meat and fish as well. *Though we haven’t tested it, we suspect a good vegan option would be to sub a block of extra firm tofu cut in half to yield two “steaks” — then proceed with recipe as instructed. This marinade would also work well with cauliflower steaks! *Inspired by the lovely Eating Bird Food. *Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1half chicken breast servings Calories 157 (8%) Carbohydrates 0.4g (0%) Protein 26.1g (52%) Fat 4.8g (7%) Saturated Fat 0.7g (4%) Sodium 432mg (18%) Potassium 13mg (0%) Fiber 0.3g (1%) Sugar 0g (0%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4(Servings)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 157

% Daily Value*

Serving 1half chicken breast servings
Calories 157 8%
Carbohydrates 0.4g 0%
Protein 26.1g 52%
Fat 4.8g 7%
Saturated Fat 0.7g 4%
Sodium 432mg 18%
Potassium 13mg 0%
Fiber 0.3g 1%
Sugar 0g 0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.