Grilled Chicken Breasts with Lemon and Thyme

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A bold mixture of red-pepper flakes, garlic, thyme, lemon juice, and olive oil serves as a spicy marinade for bone-in chicken breasts. If you want your chicken spicier still, increase the red pepper or leave the breasts in the marinade for an hour or two. Slideshow:  More Grilled Chicken Recipes 

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Lemon and Thyme
Photo: © Ben Dearnley
Yield:
4

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

  • 4 bone-in chicken breasts (about 2 1/4 pounds in all)

Directions

  1. Light the grill or heat the broiler. In a shallow dish, combine the lemon juice with the thyme, red-pepper flakes, garlic, oil, salt, and black pepper. Coat the chicken with the mixture.

  2. Grill the chicken breasts over moderately high heat or broil them for 8 to 10 minutes. Turn and cook until the chicken is just done, about 10 minutes longer.

Notes

Variations

* Try any dried herb you like in place of the thyme. Marjoram, oregano, rosemary, or sage are all good choices.

* Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of bone-in breasts. Grill them until just done, about five minutes per side over moderately high heat.

* Use a quartered chicken instead of bone-in breasts. Cook the breast sections as directed in Step 2 and allow thirteen minutes per side for the leg quarters.

Suggested Pairing

Red pepper can be difficult to pair with wine as it accentuates the bitterness of the alcohol. So, bypass high-alcohol wines and try an herbal, light-bodied Sauvignon Blanc from Collio.

Originally appeared: May 2014

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