Grilled Lemon Chicken
on Apr 28, 2023, Updated Aug 17, 2024
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My Grilled Lemon Chicken recipe guarantees you the juiciest, most tender 🍗 chicken every time. This style of chicken happens to be a Bulgarian staple and it’s on every restaurant menu in the summer. If there’s one thing you should order in Bulgaria, it’s “pileshki parjoli” which translates to “chicken steaks.” They are not actually “steaks,” but the thin cut resembles a small steak. This is hands down my go-to chicken recipe that I make 3 to 4 times per week.
Why You’ll Love Grilled Lemon Chicken
This Grilled Lemon Chicken recipe is a weeknight savior. It uses just 5 basic ingredients, which you probably already have on hand, and comes together in literally 10 minutes, start to finish. Because the chicken is sliced thinly, it cooks up in no 💨 time, it stays super tender and juicy, so you really lower the chances of drying it out. The pan sauce is simple: just fresh 🍋 lemon juice and avocado oil, so it’s nice and light and can be served with any side dish, sliced up on top of a salad, or in a 🌯 wrap for lunch. Feel free to season the chicken any way you like, but less is more in a recipe like this one.
How to Prepare
🌡️ Start by taking the chicken out of the fridge and leaving it at room temp for at least 30 minutes before preparing the dish.
🔪 Now, use a sharp knife to cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, then take each half and place it in between two pieces of plastic wrap.
🔨 Take the flat side of a meat mallet and gently pound each piece until thin, about 1/4-inch thick. This will tenderize the meat as well as help it to cook much faster and evenly in the pan.
🧂 Season each side of the chicken with salt and pepper.
🥑 Add some avocado oil to a pan and heat it up on medium-high heat. The oil should shimmer when hot.
♨️ Place the filets into the pan, making sure they are not touching. If the pan is overcrowded, the meat will STEAM and we do not want that.
⏲️ Cook the chicken for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden. You can also insert a meat thermometer and make sure the chicken is cooked to 165F (74C).
🍋 Squeeze the lemon on top of the chicken.
🌿 Let the chicken rest for 2 minutes before cutting. Garnish the Grilled Lemon Chicken with parsley and enjoy!
Nonna’s Tip 🌡️
Make sure to take the chicken out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before it goes into a hot pan so it can come up to temperature. Cold meat directly from the fridge should never go into a hot pan.
Variations and Substitutions for Grilled Lemon Chicken
- You can use as much or as little 🍋 lemon as you like in this Grilled Lemon Chicken recipe.
- You could also brine the chicken overnight before cooking in 2 cups of cold water and 1.5 tablespoons of table 🧂 salt. If you brine your chicken you probably won’t need extra salt before cooking.
- Play with the 🌿herbs in this recipe. I just used some parsley as a garnish, but you could also use rosemary, thyme, or oregano.
Similar Recipes
Greek Lemon Chicken
1 hr 35 mins
One Pan Chicken Dinner
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Easy Baked Chicken
55 mins
Herb Marinated Chicken
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Ajvar Chicken Recipe
45 mins
Juicy Chicken Breast
13 mins
Best Served With
- I usually pair this Grilled Lemon Chicken with my Bulgarian Shopska Salad and Crispy Lemon Potatoes on the Barbecue.
- You can absolutely serve this chicken sliced up on top of a salad as a main dish, such as my delicious Lemon Parmesan Salad or Caesar Salad.
- Serve Grilled Lemon Chicken with any veggie side, like Roasted Bell Peppers, Green Beans, or Broccoli with Feta.
Common Questions
Certainly! You can cook the chicken on a regular pan, a grill pan, or a barbecue.
Using a meat mallet gently tenderizes the halved chicken breast. You can use the flat side of the mallet (or even a wooden rolling pin) and pound the chicken until super thin.
The grilled lemon chicken should be golden on the outside and reach an internal temperature of 165°F (75°C) on a meat thermometer. You can also cut into a piece of chicken to check for doneness; the juices should run clear.
Leftover grilled chicken is a powerhouse in the kitchen! I love using it in salads, sandwiches, wraps, or as a topping for pasta or pizza.
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Grilled Lemon Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, or thinly sliced chicken filets
- salt and pepper , to taste
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Take the chicken out of the fridge and leave it at room temp for at least 30 minutes before preparing the dish.
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, or you can ask the butcher at any meat department to do that for you. Alternatively, you can purchase thinly sliced chicken filets as well.
- Once you cut the chicken breasts in half, take each half and place it in between two pieces of plastic wrap. You can also place it into a Ziplock bag as well.
- Take the flat side of a meat mallet and gently pound each piece until thin, about 1/4-inch thick. This will tenderize the meat as well as help it to cook much faster and evenly in the pan.
- Season each side with salt and pepper. When seasoning, hold the seasoning high above the chicken, and then sprinkle it all over; seasoning from high above helps for even distribution.
- In a grill pan or regular pan add some avocado oil and heat it up on medium-high heat. The oil should shimmer when hot.
- Place the filets into the pan, making sure they are not touching. If the pan is overcrowded the meat will STEAM and we do not want that.
- Cook the chicken for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden. If you prefer, you can also insert a meat thermometer and make sure the chicken is cooked to 165F (74C).
- I poke a hole on the bottom of my lemon with a metal or bamboo straw and squeeze the lemon on top of my chicken both on and off the heat.
- Let the chicken rest for 2 minutes before cutting. Garnish with parsley, if you like, and enjoy with any side you like!
My Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We had a “Modern Nonna Dinner” today: Pasta Limone and Grilled Lemon Chicken Breast served with a simple fresh green salad. The whole family enjoyed it so much, they didn’t know this very special lemon taste from our meals. Now they want more of this kind…LOL
Omg so so happy yay!!!
Just a question; what is the purpose of preparing the chicken the night before in a brine? Is it more tender?
yes exactly, it makes the meat incredibly tender and juicy