Herby Grilled Chicken

At some point, I stopped marinating chicken because, honestly? You get the most flavor from a marinade if you put it on the chicken after it’s cooked. 

I don’t know what you call an after-the-fact marinade, but you’ll love how vibrant and zesty the chicken turns out when you make it this way. 

Please note that the ingredients here are totally flexible: You can use lemon and/or lime, you can use shallots, scallions, and/or garlic, and you can use any herbs you like. In the summer I use basil, mint, and cilantro; in the fall I use parsley and tarragon; in the winter I often just use the leaves from inside a bunch of celery, but you could even use a few hearty pinches of dried herbs, such as thyme, oregano, or marjoram.

Recipe Details: Fast and Easy Grilled Chicken With Herbs

From Catherine Newman

Makes: 4 servings

Total carbohydrates: 3 grams per serving

Hands-on time: 30 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Recipe Notes

If it’s not grilling season – or if you don’t grill – feel free to broil the chicken in the oven instead, rubbing it with oil after seasoning it, and cooking it 3-5 minutes per side.

Ingredients

• 1 package skinless, boneless chicken breasts (around 1½ pounds), trimmed of extra fat
• Kosher salt (or regular salt)
• Grated zest of 1 lemon or lime
• Freshly squeezed juice of 2 lemons or limes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced or put through a garlic press, and/or 1 finely chopped shallot or 3 finely slivered scallions
• Black pepper or a pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs, all one type or a mixture of 2-3: parsley, mint, dill, basil, cilantro, and chives, plus smaller amounts of tarragon, thyme, marjoram, and/or oregano

Instructions

1. Salt the chicken well on both sides. Preheat the grill on high and oil it. Turn the burners that you’ll be cooking over down to medium; leave the others (if there are any) on high.
2. Put the chicken on the grill and cover. Cook for 3 minutes, then rotate the chicken a little bit (for those nice grill marks) and cook 3 minutes more. Turn the chicken over and repeat the cooking and rotating, aiming for around 10 minutes of cooking altogether. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for a minute or two.
3. Meanwhile, stir together 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt) and the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Slice the rested chicken, put it on a platter, and pour the sauce over it.

Photo credits: iStockPhoto (top); Catherine Newman (bottom)