You have to try this juicy and flavorful grilled Dijon chicken breast that is the perfect meal for weeknights! This delicious and wholesome dish is made with a quick dijon chicken marinade and includes expert tips to ensure your chicken is never dry.
Pair it with some sauteed veggies and coleslaw to cook up a mouth-watering dinner that the whole family will love!
The most common refrain I hear from people is they’re worried about drying out their chicken breast when they grill it.
I get it. Chicken breast can be challenging to grill. But I’m telling you, this dijon grilled chicken recipe will give you juicy grilled chicken breast every time.
I have grilled more chicken breasts than I can count, including marinated grilled chicken breast, wet-brined smoked chicken breast, and dry-brined grilled chicken breast. I even host a podcast about grilling!
There are two main things that you need to keep in mind when grilling chicken breast that will save you from having to eat dry chicken.
I’m going to teach you how – it’s easy to do and quick enough to make a great weeknight meal for your family. Read on to learn my tips and tricks.
You’ll need these ingredients!
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)
- Chicken breasts – use boneless skinless breasts for this recipe.
- Lemon juice – I like to use freshly squeezed as it has a brighter flavor, but you can absolutely use juice from a bottle.
- Dijon mustard – any brand you like. The ones I use most often are Annie’s Organic Dijon Mustard or Organicville Dijon Mustard.
- Herbs & spices – dried thyme and garlic powder are what you’ll need. Make sure they are fresh as herbs and spices lose potency over time after they’re opened.
- Oil – use an oil that stands up to high temperatures. I like to use avocado oil in this recipe.
- Kosher salt – this recipe uses Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you’re using a different brand or type, check out the salt conversion chart in this post to get the correct amount to use.
Tired of dry chicken breast? Try these tips!
Those tips I mentioned previously? These are them. They will save you from eating dry chicken, I promise!
1. Make your chicken breast the same width.
To ensure your meat cooks evenly, use a flat meat pounder or tenderizer and pound the thicker side of each breast until it’s the same thickness as the rest of it. Both breasts don’t need to be the same thickness as each other, but each piece of meat should be one width.
This helps keep your chicken from drying out since the entire breast should finish cooking at the same time.
2. Cook your chicken to no higher than 165 degrees F.
Chicken breast in particular dries out quickly. While marinating or brining your chicken helps with that, you still want to cook it to an internal temperature no higher than 165 degrees F.
Use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature as you’re baking or grilling your chicken.
If you don’t have a meat thermometer, we highly recommend a Thermapen. We have used and loved ours for years. The only place to get one is through Thermoworks, and it is well worth it!
How to grill dijon chicken breasts
(Note: please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the complete written instructions.)
There are three basic steps to this recipe:
- Flatten the chicken
- Marinate the chicken
- Grill the chicken
Pounding your boneless skinless chicken breast
Above I mentioned why you should flatten your chicken breast, but here’s how you actually do it.
Marinating your flattened chicken breast
Next up is making the dijon mustard chicken marinade and covering the chicken in it.
Grilling the marinated chicken breast
Now the chicken breast is prepped and ready to go on the grill!
Storing & reheating grilled chicken breast
To store this chicken, first let it cool completely then place the chicken in an airtight container. Place it in the fridge and it will keep for 3 to 4 days.
You can either reheat it in the microwave (on a microwave-safe plate in 30-second increments until it’s warmed to your liking) or eat it cold. We like to serve it on top of a grilled chicken cobb salad the next day.
What to serve with grilled dijon chicken breasts
This recipe goes with a variety of side dishes. Here are some of our favorites!
- A light and fresh salad like this Spring green salad.
- Grilled vegetables are always good – try some grilled zucchini with these!
- If you’re looking for a starch, try this Greek rice salad.
There are lots of other options – check out this post on what to serve with grilled chicken to see more!
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Juicy Grilled Dijon Chicken Breasts
Equipment
- A meat mallet or pounder
- Sealable plastic bag
- A gas grill
- A basting brush
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast about 2 medium sized breasts
- juice of 1 lemon 2-3 tbsp or 1 to 1.5 oz of juice
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or other mild high heat oil
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Place the raw chicken boneless skinless breasts on top of a cutting board and cover them with a piece of plastic wrap – this helps keep any juices from splattering.
- Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound on the thicker portion of each chicken breast. You want forceful blows that can help thin the chicken out. Once each breast is about the same thickness (roughly one-third to one-half an inch), you can stop.
- Measure out marinade ingredients and place them into a measuring cup or medium bowl. Use a small whisk to mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- Place the flattened raw chicken breasts in a sealable plastic bag. Pour in about 2 ounces of marinade, leave the remaining ounce in the cup or bowl. Press air as best you can out of the plastic bag, then seal it. Squish everything together in the bag to help cover the chicken with the marinade, then place the marinating chicken in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- After the 15 minutes are up, remove the bag with the chicken breasts from the fridge and place it on the counter to warm slightly for 15 minutes. While the chicken is warming on the counter, turn your grill on to a medium heat and let it get to a temperature of around 375 to 400 degrees F.
- Once the second 15 minutes are up and the grill is up to temperature, use a pair of tongs to remove each chicken breasts from the bag and place on the grill – you can throw the leftover marinade and bag away.
- Let the breasts cook for 5 minutes with the grill lid closed, then use the tongs to flip the chicken breast so the other side is on the grill grates. Close the grill lid and let the breasts cook another 3 to 5 minutes, until the internal temperature is roughly 135 to 145 degrees F.
- Open the grill lid again and use a basting brush to coat a layer of the reserved marinade onto each chicken breast. Close the lid again and let the breasts cook until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast, anywhere from 3 to 7 minutes depending on how thick your chicken breasts are. Then remove from the grill, let rest 5 to 10 minutes, and serve! You can also brush on a little additional of the reserved marinade if desired.
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