Easy Grilled Lemon and Herb Chicken
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Lemon and Herb Chicken is an easy recipe perfect for summertime grilling. Chicken is marinated in a lemony dressing made with fresh herbs and garlic, then grilled until golden brown and juicy. No need to marinate it overnight, this marinade works its magic in just a couple of hours!
Summer cooking should be easy, delicious, and done outside, and grilled chicken checks all the boxes.
Honestly, we pretty much live on grilled chicken once summer hits. Dishes like Grilled Chicken Legs, Smoked Chicken Legs, and Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breast make it so easy to get dinner on the table without heating up the kitchen.
Lately, this chicken has been a big hit at our house, too. It’s light, full of flavor, and perfect for everything from easy weeknight meals to backyard BBQs. I love how the char from the grill makes it smoky, juicy, and totally irresistible!
Why You Will Love This Lemon Herb Chicken
- This marinade is unbelievably fragrant, gives the chicken a fresh citrusy flavor, and keeps it moist and juicy while cooking.
- This recipe is easy to prepare with simple ingredients.
- The chicken can be ready to cook after a 30-minute marinade, making it a great weeknight dinner option.
- Everyone loves this grilled lemony chicken recipe!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Chicken: I like to use skin-on chicken legs, cut into thighs and drumsticks. If you prefer a slightly healthier option, you can use skinless chicken breasts or legs.
Lemon: You’ll need the juice and zest of the lemon for the marinade. It is easier to zest the lemon first and then juice it.
Fresh Herbs: Rosemary, thyme, and Italian flat-leaf parsley are my favorites to use in this marinade, but you can add or substitute any herbs you like. For best results, I suggest using fresh herbs in this recipe.
Minced Garlic: Crushed or minced fresh garlic will impart more flavor than roughly chopped garlic and will be less noticeable on the chicken.
Olive Oil: You can substitute a mild-flavored oil like grapeseed oil or canola oil if you don’t have olive oil. You will want to make sure that the oil you select does not have too strong a flavor that might overpower the other ingredients in the marinade.
Variations
This grilled chicken is a versatile recipe that can be easily adapted to your liking.
- Use lime in place of the lemon zest and juice for a different citrusy twist.
- Stir a little honey into the marinade for a hint of sweetness — it gives the chicken a beautiful caramelized finish you’ll love.
- Spice things up a bit with the addition of red pepper flakes in the marinade!
- Try this with seafood like shrimp or scallops as an appetizer. Or use it on pork tenderloin for a delicious entree.
How to Make Grilled Lemon and Herb Chicken
Step 1: Make the marinade: Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.
Step 2: Place the chicken in a casserole dish large enough to fit it in a single layer. Pour the marinade over the chicken and use your hands to massage it into the chicken, making sure to get it under the skin too.
Step 3: Prepare your grill for medium to low heat, about 350°F. Cook for about 10 minutes per side, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°F. When the chicken is done, transfer it to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for 10 minutes.
Cooking Tips
- Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before grilling it. This allows for even cooking, so the outside of the chicken is not done before the inside.
- Oil the grill grates so the chicken doesn’t stick.
- Make sure your grill isn’t too hot. 350°F is ideal for grilling chicken thighs and drumsticks.
- Cook the chicken with the lid closed so the heat doesn’t escape and the chicken cooks evenly.
- Let the chicken rest. The chicken will continue to cook, and its juices will redistribute so it stays tender and moist.
Oven Baked Options
Lemon and herb chicken is incredibly good baked in the oven too! Want a delicious one pan dinner? Nestle the chicken in a baking dish or cast-iron skillet with potatoes and other vegetables, and bake it in a 400°F oven for 45-50 minutes.
What to Serve with Easy Grilled Lemon and Herb Chicken
This grilled chicken recipe offers so many options for delicious dinners.
When I want a quick and easy weeknight dinner, I love to throw some veggies on the grill along with this lemon chicken. My Grilled Eggplant is the perfect choice. It is easy, quick, and flavorful! Serve some Extra Moist Cornbread on the side for a complete meal.
This grilled lemon herb chicken recipe is perfect for a Memorial Day or Fourth of July cookout! Serve it with a pasta salad like my Italian Seafood Pasta Salad or Pesto Tortellini Salad. Then finish it off with a light dessert like my Lemon Ricotta Cookies or Pina Colada Cupcakes.
You can also use boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs and serve it over rice, pasta, or a salad.
Lemon and Herb Chicken Recipe FAQs
According to the USDA, “Rinsing or soaking chicken does not destroy bacteria. Only cooking will destroy any bacteria that might be present on fresh chicken.” Furthermore, a recent study found that rinsing or washing chicken very easily spreads the bacteria from chicken to other foods and surfaces. It is recommended that you pat the chicken down with a paper towel and immediately wash your hands and any surfaces the chicken may have touched.
Lemon juice is acidic and is a great agent for tenderizing and flavoring chicken and other foods. When using a lemon-based marinade, you can marinate the chicken for 12 hours, but no more than 24 hours. Over long periods of time lemon juice will start to break down the chicken, and it will ruin the texture of the meat. The chicken can become mushy and soft, and your dish will not be what you had hoped for.
Yes. It is not safe to leave the chicken on the counter to marinate. Leaving it out can promote the growth of harmful bacteria in the chicken that can cause foodborne illnesses. Always place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate, and then cook it to an internal temperature of 165°F.
Yes, this marinade is delicious on meat and fish. I initially created this lemon and herb recipe for chicken, but I have used it on pork and fish, and it’s wonderful, so feel free to experiment. When using this marinade on poultry or pork, I will let the meat sit in it for up to 2-3 hours. Fish does not need to marinate as long. Because of the amount of lemon in the marinade, if you leave the fish in it too long, it will start to break down and can become mushy. I would recommend no more than 30 minutes for fish or seafood.
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Easy Grilled Lemon and Herb Chicken
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Ingredients
- 4 Chicken leg quarters split
- ½ cup Olive oil
- 3 Lemons juice
- 2 Lemon zest
- 6 cloves Garlic large, finely diced
- 1 tbsp Thyme fresh, chopped
- 2 tbsp Rosemary fresh, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp Parsley fresh, chopped
- 1½ tsp Salt Kosher
- ¼ tsp Black pepper ground
Instructions
- Place chicken pieces in a glass dish with sides, that will allow the chicken to lay in one layer, such as a casserole or baking dish.
- Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken and massage it into all sides of the chicken pieces so that they are all completely coated. Place chicken in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 hours.
- Prepare your grill. If using a gas or electric grill, once it is hot reduce the temperature to medium. Place the chicken on the gill over direct heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, turn the chicken over and grill about 10 minutes longer or until the chicken reaches 165° when a thermometer is inserted in the thickest part of the meat. Make sure the thermometer is not touching the bone. Brush the marinade on the chicken as it cooks to give it a more robust flavor.
Video
Notes
- Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before grilling it. This allows for even cooking, so the outside of the chicken is not done before the inside.
- Oil the grill grates so the chicken doesn’t stick.
- Make sure your grill isn’t too hot. 350°F is ideal for grilling chicken thighs and drumsticks.
- Cook the chicken with the lid closed so the heat doesn’t escape and the chicken cooks evenly.
- Let the chicken rest. The chicken will continue to cook, and its juices will redistribute so it stays tender and moist.
Even my pickiest eaters love this chicken!
Just like Nonna made!
Delicious
Enza, this looks delicious. I am going to try making it!
Awesome Pat! Let me know how you like it!