# Lemon and Thyme Grilled Chicken Breasts

These classic herb and lemon-seasoned chicken breasts will win over fans, especially when cooked over charcoal to give them the deepest, smokiest taste.

- Servings: 4 servings
- Total time: 90 min
- Cuisine: American
- Category: Dinner
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped thyme leaves
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
- 2 lemons, as needed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
- Torn basil or mint leaves, as needed

## Instructions

1. Place chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment or plastic wrap.
2. Using a mallet or rolling pin, pound each to an even thickness of 1/2 inch.
3. Do not make them any thinner or they could dry out.
4. Place chicken in a large bowl and toss with salt, pepper, thyme, garlic and the zest and juice of 1 lemon.
5. Mix in olive oil.
6. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
7. Remove chicken from fridge while you heat the grill.
8. Light the grill, building a hot fire, or heat your gas grill to high.
9. Once grill is fully heated, brush breasts lightly with olive oil and place chicken on the grill.
10. Cook until undersides are browned and chicken is about halfway cooked, 3 to 5 minutes.
11. Flip breasts and grill until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more.
12. Transfer chicken to a platter.
13. Drizzle with oil and garnish with additional lemon juice, olive oil and basil or mint leaves.

## Equipment

- mallet
- rolling pin
- large bowl
- grill
- platter

## Tips

- For dark meat lovers, this recipe will also work with boneless, skinless thighs, though you might have to add a minute or so to the cooking time.
- You don't have to marinate for 1-2 hours. Marinating for 15-20 minutes is fine too.
- You can use a cast iron skillet instead of a grill.
- Instead of pounding chicken breasts, you can slice them in half lengthwise to cut down on cooking time and achieve a similar thinness.
- Careful not to use too much thyme as the herb could be a bit over powering.
- The marinade that had raw chicken in it should not be reused for other purposes.

## Source

- Original video: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017485-lemon-and-thyme-grilled-chicken-breasts
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/c26afba9-5bf7-42bc-b3d2-4ec8add08594
- Extracted: 2025-07-23

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt