Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken is the perfect summertime meal. Combining the lemon pepper seasoning with the chicken makes it so flavorful.

Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken on a platter with slices of lemon

Lemon Pepper Grilled Chicken Recipe:

Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken Breast is one of my favorite meats to grill. The lemon pepper seasoning makes the chicken so flavorful and juicy. These easy ingredients and simple recipe, makes the perfect weeknight meal.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Grilled is a family favorite. We love to grill, especially during the summer grilling months. But I have been known to grill out when it gets colder. There is something about adding the chicken to the grill, makes for the most flavorful dinner.

Our entire family including the kids absolutely loves this tender chicken with the best lemon flavor. It is not heavy at all and perfectly light for a great meal any day of the week.

What does Lemon Juice do to Chicken?

Lemon juice is a must ingredient to marinate chicken in. It adds so much flavor and acidity to the chicken as well as tenderizing it.

When using lemon as part of your marinate, I recommend using fresh lemon juice. The vibrate flavor it gives the chicken as well as adding to the juiciness makes it the best marinade.

Ingredients:

Boneless Chicken Breast
Olive Oil
Minced Garlic
Black Pepper
Salt
Lemons, Juiced

How to Grill Lemon Pepper Chicken:

Whisk together Marinade Ingredients – In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
Marinade Chicken – Place the chicken in a large bowl or large ziplock bag. Pour the sauce on top of the chicken. Allow it to marinade for at least 20 to 30 minutes but overnight is preferred.

Chicken breast in a ziplock bag with marinade

Prepare Grill – Then preheat your grill over medium high heat (approximately 400 degrees F).
Grill Chicken – Place the chicken directly on the grill grate. Cook for 6-7 minutes per side until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Serve Chicken and Enjoy – Remove the chicken from the grill, let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Then the chicken is ready to slice, serve and enjoy. We like to squeeze fresh lemon slices on the chicken when done.

Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken Tips:

Hot Grill – Make sure your grill is hot. Cooking chicken on a hot grill helps to keep them juicy.
Same Size Chicken – When preparing your chicken, make sure that they are all even thickness. This makes sure they are evenly cooked.
Allow Chicken to rest – After chicken is done cooking, make sure you allow chicken to rest. This locks in the juices and the flavoring.
Indirect Heat – If chicken is getting burnt but not done, place chicken on indirect heat until finish cooking.

How do you know when Chicken is done?

When grilling chicken, we make sure that each chicken is about the same size and thickness. To make sure that our chicken is done, we use an instant read meat thermometer. This ensures that the chicken is cooked to a safe temperature.

For chicken it needs to read an internal temperature of 165 degrees. When making chicken it is very important that it is done before serving.

How long do you Grill a Chicken Breast for?

When preparing your chicken for grilling, you want to make sure that each chicken breast about the same size. You may have need to filet you chicken or pound it to thin it out.

Grilling chicken doesn’t take long to cook. My husband usually stays close by the grill so he can monitor it. Flipping the chicken after cooking about 5 minutes on each side makes for the juiciest chicken.

We use an instant read meat thermometer to make sure that the chicken is cooked to a safe temperature before eating.

How to Bake Lemon Pepper Chicken:

If you prefer, you can bake this lemon pepper chicken recipe. The process is still the same to marinate the chicken. But instead of placing on the grill, put in a baking dish.

Then bake chicken in the oven at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. The chicken is flavorful and juicy. We still use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is done before serving.

Variation Ideas:

Use different types of Chicken – This recipes works great if you want to use chicken thighs. You may need to cook for a little longer, but you will still get that juicy and full of flavor chicken.
Change the Seasoning – You can change the seasoning to what you have on hand. Sometimes I just use some season salt and pepper and the chicken comes out flavorful and juicy.
Uses for chicken – There are many ways to your this lemon pepper chicken. Slice and make a wrap, quesadilla, and on top of a salad. This is the perfect chicken to meal prep with.

What to Serve with Chicken?

White Rice – We love serving rice with chicken. We have even made brown rice or cauliflower rice for a low carb option.
Grilled Greens – When we grill out, we love to be able to make our sides on the grill. It makes for an easy clean up.
Grilled Carrots in Foil – Slice carrots with butter on top makes for an amazing side dish with this lemon pepper chicken.
More Grilled Chicken Side Dishes

How to Store Leftovers:

Refrigerate the leftover chicken in an air tight container for up to 5 days.

Print Recipe here for Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken:

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