Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken Strips
This is a staple protein option to quickly chop up and add to salads (see my Strawberry Jicama Salad here for an option), into pitas, or I will even eat them cold as a snack. But honestly, these remind me of the grilled chicken nuggets from my favorite fast food restaurant, Chic-fil-a, and I will keep them in the fridge to snack on with the signature Chic-fil-a sauce. I am pretty sure everyone knows but you can buy the sauce on Amazon!
To make this chicken, I use thin chicken breasts and cut them into strips (cutting is optional but in my opinion makes it taste better!). I then marinate the chicken in Lemon, white balsamic vinegar, honey, and garlic! I prefer to marinate overnight to get the most flavor and the vinegar acts as a tenderizing agent to make the chicken taste delicious. Then I will add lots of freshly ground pepper right before grilling and a little more lemon juice once its done grilling (I swear this helps it taste better leftover!)
One thing I should mention, is I like my chicken cooked very well-done. Some people may call it overcooked, but I call it charred to perfection! (so maybe cook to your preference if extra juicy chicken is your thing). The chicken is flavorful but versatile enough to add to almost any recipe asking for pre-cooked chicken or to up your protein needs! We collaborated on this recipe with a local photographer kwatkinsphotog.
Meet Margot Searls
Hi, I'm Margot Searls and my hope is to turn around recipes from my table to yours. I truly believe the food you are putting on your table can turn around your lifestyle for the better (hence turned around table).
Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken Strips
Equipment
- Grill
Ingredients
- 4 single Thin Chicken Breast (I used the frozen kind from Costco for economical purposes, but you can use any!)
- 1 single Large Lemon (½ in marinade and ½ to drizzle over while grilling)
- 1/4 cup White Balsamic Vinegar (or champagne vinegar)
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 5 cloves Garlic, Chopped (fresh or frozen)
- 1/4 tsp Salt (or to preference)
- 1 tbsp Course Ground Pepper
Instructions
- If frozen, thaw chicken breast in fridge overnight. (Can be done while marinating)
- Optional (can also use whole chicken breast if preferred): Cut chicken breast long ways into strips. Approx. 4-5 strips per breast.
- In a Ziploc bag, mix ½ the large lemon juice, ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbsp. Honey, 5 cloves garlic, and salt. Add in chicken. Marinate at least a few hours up to a day in advance.
- Take chicken out of Ziploc bag, pat dry, and cover in freshly cracked black pepper.
- Preheat grill to medium/high heat and grill chicken approx. 7 minutes per side until grill marks are on both sides. (As mentioned above, I prefer my chicken to be on the more well-done side, so monitor to your preference. Some people will prefer it to be cooked for 4-5 min per side)
- Add to your favorite salads or Pitas. Serve with a side of veggies and rice. Or enjoy as a snack!
Notes
- I would marinate at least a few hours but overnight if possible
- I prefer to have my chicken cut into strips for a quicker cook time, more grilled char, and easy to grab out of the fridge as a snack. However, if you prefer to keep the whole chicken breast, just up the grill times
THIS ONE TASTES LIKE CHICKEN
MUCH CHICKEN. MANY GOOD.