Whether you enjoy them on their own, sliced and piled on salads, or sandwiched between your favorite bread, my Marinated Grilled Chicken cutlets are easy to make, juicy, and so delicious!
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The lighter chicken cutlet
When the weather starts to warm up, I naturally gravitate toward food that’s a little less filling, and as much as I adore classic breaded and fried Italian chicken cutlets, now is when I reach for my marinated grilled chicken cutlets.
The marinade ensures that they’re super juicy and never dry, and my instructions below walk you through how to get great results on the grill.
These grilled chicken breasts are perfect for a lighter meal, especially when paired with my caprese farro salad, roasted fig salad, or lemon rice.
They’re also great on deli-style sandwiches or topped with sun-dried tomato tapenade or artichoke pesto, or added to any pasta dish to increase the protein content of the meal.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Chicken. I’m using 3 pounds of thin-sliced chicken cutlets that I pound to equal thickness.
- Marinade. My marinade is a combo of olive oil, garlic, fresh lemon juice, kosher salt, and black pepper. Half of the marinade will go on the chicken; the other half will be reserved for use at the end.
- Serving. I love to add parsley to the reserved marinade (the marinade that has not come in contact with the raw chicken) and use it to top the chicken at the very end as well as some lemon wedges.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to make easy marinated grilled chicken
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Use a hand blender or whisk to combine the olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Taste test the marinade, adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Place the chicken in a large sealable bag and pour half of the marinade into the bag. Save the other half of the marinade to serve with the chicken after grilling. Place the bag in a baking dish (to catch any leaks), and refrigerate for at least 6 hours but preferably overnight. Flip the chicken at the halfway point so it evenly marinates.
- Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat (375°-450°F). Wipe the grates with oil or cooking spray and place the marinated cutlets on the grill.
- Grill for ~3 minutes per side or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160°F then transfer to a platter and cover with tented foil.
- Whisk the parsley into the reserved marinade (the marinade that did not come in contact with the raw chicken). Pour some of the reserved marinade over the chicken or serve at the table along with lemon wedges.
Top tips
- The marinade. Be sure to separate the marinade before adding to the raw chicken. Only half the marinade is used to marinate the chicken. The other half should be stored and served with the cooked chicken. If you find the marinade to be too acidic, feel free to add a pinch of sugar or more olive oil.
- Grilling the chicken. Since we’re using thin cutlets here, they will cook quickly when the grill heat is 375-450°F. Be sure to remove promptly once cooked. Since you’re using the grill for the chicken, consider making some grilled zucchini as well to serve alongside.
- Use a thermometer. I suggest using an instant-read digital thermometer to take the guesswork out of grilling the chicken. Once it reaches 160°F internally, it’s done.
Favorites from the grill
Be sure to give these other grilled favorites a try!
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Marinated Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
Base ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken cutlets thin sliced, pounded to equal thickness
- 2 large lemons cut into wedges
- 1/4 cup minced Italian flat-leaf parsley
For the marinade
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
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Instructions
- Hand whisk or use a blender to combine the marinade ingredients.
- Place the chicken into a large sealable bag or in a baking dish and pour over half of the marinade. Use your hands to spread the marinade all over the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours but preferably overnight, flipping the chicken at the halfway point to ensure even marination. Refrigerate the chicken and save the other half of the marinade to serve with the chicken after grilling.
- Remove the chicken and reserved marinade from the fridge 30 minutes before grilling.
- Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat (375°F-450°F). Wipe the grates with oil or cooking spray. Grill the chicken for ~3 minutes per side or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 160°F. Remove the grilled chicken to a platter and tent with foil.
- Whisk the parsley into the reserved marinade. Pour the reserved marinade over the chicken or serve at the table. Serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
- Grill heat. 375°F-450°F grill heat is recommended. Since the cutlets are thin they will cook quickly. Use an instant read thermometer for accuracy. The chicken should be cooked to no higher than 160°F internal temp.
- Marinade. The other half of the marinade should not touch the raw chicken. Make sure to separate half of the marinade to use for pouring over the chicken or serving at the table. The marinade makes an excellent salad dressing too. If you find the marinade is too acidic for salad, simply add a pinch of sugar or more olive oil.
- Chicken. If using whole chicken breasts, fillet and pound out to no more than 1/2″ thick. The thinner, the better. A lot of grocery stores sell thin cutlets these days.
- Storing and Leftovers. Marinated grilled chicken can be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven until warm. The cutlets are great cold, too.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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