Delicious honey lemon chicken is a simple marinated chicken with honey, lemon, ginger, garlic and soy sauce.
This grilled chicken is easy to marinate ahead of time and then grilled to perfection in under 20 minutes.
Marinated grilled chicken is a great way to infuse flavor into a chicken breast and help make an ordinary dish extraordinary.
The marinade
This delicious marinade is super simple. It's made with soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, honey, garlic, freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice, fresh ginger and red pepper flakes.
This marinade can be made with either freshly squeezed lemon juice or lime juice. I've made this chicken with both and it's equally delicious with either citrus. I usually select whichever I have on hand when making this marinade.
What type of chicken?
I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. However, you could also use chicken thighs, drumsticks or chicken wings. The cooking time will vary, but the rest of the process will be the same.
Step-by-step directions
- Add all ingredients, except for chicken into a glass jar or bowl. Mix to combine
- Place chicken in a zip-top bag. Pour marinade over chicken, saving ¼ cup of marinade.
- Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes - 12 hours.
- Preheat gas barbecue grill over high heat for at least 15 minutes before grilling. Grill should reach 400 - 450 degrees.
- Remove chicken from marinade and add to grill.
- Cook for 6-8 minutes and then flip chicken.
- Brush reserved marinade on chicken
- Cook for 6-8 minutes until cooked through. Remove chicken from grill and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Slice and serve with additional reserved marinade.
Tips for cooking chicken
- Treat raw chicken with care. Avoid cross-contamination by only using cutting boards and equipment for raw chicken. Wash hands after handling raw chicken. All equipment that has come in contact with raw chicken needs to be washed. before using it on other foods.
- Use similar-sized pieces of chicken for even cooking times.
- Discard any extra marinade that was in direct contact with raw chicken.
- Make certain chicken is fully cooked through. The internal temperature of chicken should be 165 degrees. If you don't have an instant-read thermometer, slice a breast open in the center and check to see if it's cooked through.
- Allow chicken to fully brown before flipping. Do not keep moving chicken on grill.
Serving suggestions
Some of my favorite dishes to serve with honey lemon chicken include:
You'll also want to read What to Serve with BBQ Chicken for a full selection of delicious side dishes.
Honey lemon chicken breasts are delicious by themselves or cooled slightly, sliced and added to a green salad. Leftover chicken can be added to a green salad, a pasta salad or turned into a chicken salad sandwich.
More delicious chicken recipes
If you are looking for a way to add variety to your chicken menu, try these recipes:
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Be certain to check out all my main dish recipes!
Honey Lemon Chicken
Equipment
- Basting Brush
- BBQ Tongs
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless (about 1 ½ pounds))
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup lemon juice (or lime juice)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (freshly grated)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
Marinade
- Add all ingredients, except chicken breasts into a glass jar with a lid. Place lid on and shake to combine.⅓ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Pour all marinade, except for a ¼ cup, into a zip top bag. Place reserved ¼ cup of marinade in the refrigerator.
Chicken
- Place chicken in bag along with marinade. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.4 chicken breasts
- Preheat grill on high for at least 10 minutes. Grill should reach 400-450 degrees. Reduce heat to medium.
- Place chicken breasts on grill for 7-8 minutes. Flip and continue cooking for an additional 7-8 minutes. Check to make certain your chicken is cooked through. After you've flipped the chicken, brush the top of the chicken breasts with the reserved marinade.
- Flip chicken one last time and immediately brush on marinade. Remove chicken and place on a clean plate. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Top with freshly chopped chives or parsley, if desired
Notes
- Treat raw chicken with care. Avoid cross contamination by only using cutting board and equipment for raw chicken. Wash hands after handling raw chicken. All equipment that has come in contact with raw chicken needs to be washed. before using on other foods.
- Use similar sized pieces of chicken for even cooking times.
- Discard any extra marinade that was in direct contact with raw chicken.
- Make certain chicken is fully cooked through. Internal temperature of chicken should be 165 degrees. If you don't have an instant read thermometer, slice a breast open in the center and check to see if it's cooked through.
- Allow chicken to fully brown before flipping. Do not keep moving chicken on grill.
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Casper says
I made this recipe several times. It’s easy and delicious
Kathy says
Thank you! Glad you enjoy it! 🙂
Valentina says
I love the color on this chicken! And looks so delicious served with the fresh greens. This is one my whole family will love! 🙂 ~Valentina
Kathy says
Thanks 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
This sounds flavour packed, Kathy! Love the ginger and garlic in here! So many delicious uses for this chicken and it looks perfectly cooked! Happy Friday 🙂
Kathy says
It's a flavorful combination! 🙂
David @ Spiced says
The timing of this recipe is perfect, Kathy! Laura's parents are coming up next weekend, and we were just talking about finding some fun new recipes for the grill. I enjoy grilled chicken, but I've been looking for some new marinade flavors - this honey lemon version sounds fantastic! Hope you have a great weekend!
Kathy says
Perfect! Enjoy the chicken and your visit!