Cooked right, grilled chicken is juicy, smoky, and deeply flavorful. Cooked wrong, it is charred on the outside and dry on the inside. Both problems can be remedied with this Mediterranean grilled chicken recipe with an easy marinade and a smart grill setup.
The Marinade Does the Heavy Lifting
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are lean by nature, making them one of the cuts most likely to dry out over high heat. A marinade of extra‑virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs helps prevent that. The acid in lemon juice tenderizes the meat’s surface, helping it absorb flavor and retain moisture during cooking. Olive oil creates a light protective coating that slows moisture loss and promotes even browning on the grill.The marinade does double duty for health. Marinating meat can reduce carcinogenic compounds such as heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that form at very high heat.
