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If you’re like us, you don’t always remember to whip up a delicious chicken marinade for the grill. Today we are sharing our favorite quick grilled chicken with oregano recipe for when you need dinner in 20 minutes!
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Oh man, summer is here and I’m beyond ready for it, are you?! Winter wasn’t that bad in Utah, but it was exhaustingly long. Once spring hit is when our snow came, which is never my favorite. Lately we’ve been firing up the grill or Traeger more than ever before, but that doesn’t mean we always think ahead to make a marinade.
Our daughter came up with this quick grilled chicken with oregano recipe, and I have to admit, it has become our go-to grilled chicken recipe with that yummy spice rub, the grilled lemons and fresh oregano!
My friend has her kids cook dinner once a week and once a week help her cook dinner while the adults take care of all the other days. In an effort to help our kids be more responsible and whine less about what we made for dinner we’ve adopted the same rule.
Our oldest was up first and she wanted to do a Brazilian dinner. This grilled chicken with oregano might not be Brazilian, but it paired really well with her rice, beans and Pao de Quiejo.
Quick Grilled Chicken Recipe
Because our 12 year old was going for this on her own I was a tad nervous so I told her to look through a grilled recipe we had already created, Greek Chicken Souvlaki and adapt that. She big time adapted, but that’s ok, we love it!
She chose to use fresh herbs and lemons but the rest she just winged it. I helped with measurements, but otherwise it’s all her.
The only fresh herbs we had growing was the oregano so she cut it off and we taught her how to hold the twig at the top with one hand, use the other hand to pinch the stem gently and slide her fingers towards the bottom, gently stripping the leaves off of the plant.
Because it was a grill, when she smelled the smoked paprika she knew she wanted to use that so we helped her also grab salt and pepper for seasoning, and garlic because garlic makes us happy. The only other ingredient was oil to bring the spice rub all together and help the chicken release from the grill.
The lemons she chose to grill just like our Greek Chicken Souvlaki and I’m glad she did as it was the perfect touch to brighten up an otherwise smoky meat.
Tips for Teaching Kids to Cook
- Teach your kids to smell their ingredients. -We taught our daughter that she should smell the spices and herbs she was thinking to use and if it smelled good together it would probably taste good together.
- Let them use fresh herbs– Fresh herbs are a great way to add flavor without a lot of work, plus you get to teach them how to strip the leaves and chop something fresh.
- Show them how to properly handle raw meat – Oh please teach your kids about raw meat and contamination. One cutting board and one utensil for meat and another for veggies or herbs.
- Teach them to use all their senses– Cooking should use your eyes to watch the food, listening to hear if something is sizzling or bursting, smell because as something cooks the smells grow and touch; a raw piece of meat gives a lot when you touch it while cooked meat is firm.
- Teach them about timers to help you not burn food– And of course teach them to set a timer just to be safe. 5-7 minutes per side on chicken depending on how big and thick the breast is.
How to Know When Grilled Chicken is Done
Grilled chicken might seem intimidating to some because we all want to avoid pink, undercooked chicken that can make you sick, and dry, overcooked chicken that makes you choke as your try to chew your way through it.
If you follow our guide for how to cook chicken in a pan, it’s the exact same thing for the grill. The high heat, a well heated grill is essential to getting those beautiful grill marks, but turning the heat down allows it to cook at the right temperature.
If you’re trying to remove chicken from the grill to flip it or take it off of the grill and the meat is sticking to the grill grates, it’s not ready, put it back! The meat will release when it’s cooked. It’s a fool proof way to know when chicken is cooked.
The Secret to the BEST Grilled Chicken
Do you want to know what the real secret is though? It’s not in the seasoning, the marinade or gas versus charcoal grilling, it’s what you do with the chicken after it is cooked.
Once your chicken breast is done on the grill, do not move it to an upper rack, instead remove it completely from the grill to a plate. Tent with foil, which meant to lay foil across the meat without wrapping it in foil and allow it to rest for 3 minutes before slicing into it. The juices have gathered and if you cut into the chicken they will escape and you’ll be left with dry meat.
I know you’re hungry and ready to dig in, but just give it a minute to redistribute the juices.
Why is Grilled Chicken Breast Healthy?
Chicken breasts have a good amount of protein with lower fat, but it’s especially healthy because you tend to cook it without many extras. Now, our Grilled Hawaiian Chicken has ingredients that raise the sugar and sodium content but it’s absolutely delicious so it’s worth it, but often you’re sticking to simple spices, herbs and juices to flavor the meat versus winter cooking which is often a cream sauce, lots of butter or cheese.
How Long Does Grilled Chicken Last in the Fridge
Grilled chicken should be stored properly in a sealed container or resealable bag in the fridge for now more than 3 days after it’s been cooked. You can freeze cooked chicken but it zaps flavor like nobody’s business so should you choose to freeze the chicken please be sure to use a Food Saver. It’s the greatest thing we’ve ever bought for our kitchen.
More Marinated Chicken Dishes You’re Sure to Love:
- Asian Ginger Marinated for Grilled Chicken
- Greek Marinade Chicken Souvlaki
- Marinated Grilled Chicken Breasts
- Mexican Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa
- Marinated Smoked Chicken Thighs
- Huli Huli Grilled Chicken
- Honey Lemon Basil Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Hawaiian Chicken
- Balsamic Caprese Chicken
- Chicken Fajitas
- All our grilled recipes here!
Quick Grilled Chicken with Oregano Recipe
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4.10 from 21 votes
Servings: 2
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 14 minutes mins
Total Time: 19 minutes mins
Description
If you're like us, you don't always remember to whip up a delicious chicken marinade for the grill. Today we are sharing our favorite quick grilled chicken with oregano recipe for when you need dinner in 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
- 2 teaspoons Oregano, fresh, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic, minced fine
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Extra Virgin
- 2 Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless
- 1 Lemon, halved
Instructions
Heat the grill to high heat.
Fold up a few paper towels and drizzle with olive oil. Rub the grates of the grill with the olive oil once the grill is hot to help with meat sticking.
In a bowl, mix the spices, herbs and olive oil. Place the chicken in the bowl and rub the seasonings all over.
1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika, 2 teaspoons Oregano, 1 Tablespoon Garlic, 1/2 teaspoon Salt, Black Pepper, 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, 2 Chicken Breasts
Let the chicken rest while the grill heats up so you don't place cold chicken on the grill. If you do the outside will overcook while the cold middle stays raw.
Place the chicken on the grill.
Cook the chicken top side down first for 5-7 minutes, gently lift and flip the chicken, cooking for an additional 5-7 minutes.
Meanwhile, drizzle olive oil on one half of the flesh of the lemon, then stick both pieces back together to spread the olive oil all over it.
1 Lemon
Place the lemons flesh side down on the grill until grill marks appear and remove from the heat.
Remove the chicken to rest, tented with foil for 3 minutes.
Serve with fresh lemon juice squeezed from the lemons.
Notes
Store left-overs in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 418kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 50gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 848mgPotassium: 1016mgFiber: 4gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1826IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 3mg
Author: Sweet Basil
Course: America's Best 4th of July Desserts, Recipes and Sides
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