If you're looking for the most tender and juicy grilled chicken, you're in the right place. This Ninja Foodi Grilled Chicken Breast Recipe is SO flavorful, you'll wonder how you lived without it!
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About this Chicken
I present to you the Best Grilled Chicken recipe for super juicy and extremely flavorful chicken. This chicken recipe is an absolute staple in my meal prep line up every single week. It's just so easy to do and adds the best flavor (and protein) to any meal!
I love these Ninja Foodi Grilled Chicken Breasts in this Grilled Apple & Goat Cheese Chicken Sandwich, on this Mediterranean Salad, on Caesar Salad, or shredded up and used in these Pulled BBQ Chicken Sliders. It's really so versatile!
After sharing about how tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken can be, I always get the same questions. "How do you prep your chicken? What do season with? I'm always overcooking, how do I prevent that?"
And while there are a lot of simple ways to prepare good food in the kitchen, I think there are a few tools necessary for a really good chicken.
Tools Needed
- Meat Thermometer: This will help us tell if our chicken is finished cooking.
- Kitchen/Meat Scissors: To trim the fat and any other unwanted blemishes.
- Meat tenderizer: We'll use this to pound & make chicken breasts the same thickness.
- Ninja Foodi Grill: I LOVE this thing. It is a great way to grill while indoors. However, you don't HAVE to use this for your chicken. A regular grill will work and I provide instructions for the oven as well.
- Plastic Wrap: This will help us keep our workstation contained. You have to be careful working with raw meat!
Then, grab a tasty marinade and you'll be set. So get ready because you're about to learn how to make the best grilled chicken yet!
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts - I buy mine from Costco because it's most cost effective and I make this recipe so often that I use them up!
- Lime Juice - What I like to call the ~secret ingredient~. It not only provides a hint of citrus, but also keeps our chicken breast moist.
- Spices - My go-to blend is paprika, basil, garlic salt, and red pepper flakes. I've experimented with a lot of different combos, but this is my favorite.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make This Recipe
What's the best way to cook chicken? I grill my chicken! And I want to point out right from the start that different grills will have varying ignition and start times. So please pay attention to that and find what works best with your grill!
And if you’re using the Ninja Indoor Foodi Grill (like I am), inset the grill pan, set Foodi to ‘grill’ setting, and press preheat. Living in an apartment means no "real" grill but to be completely honest, we love this Ninja Indoor Foodi Grill just as much! It's space efficient, easier, and makes grilling our favorite foods into a weekly occurrence.
1. Start off by removing the thawed chicken from it’s container. Run the breast under lukewarm water. Using meat scissors, trim away any excess fat from the chicken breasts.
2. Take 2 large sheets of plastic wrap and layer them on a cutting board or countertop. You want to be sure they’re overlapping slightly. Place trimmed chicken breast on the plastic wrap and then cover with 2 more sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken breasts until they’re all equal thickness I aim for mine to be about ½ inch - ¾ inch thickness.
3. Add tenderized chicken into bowl. Pour in lime juice. Then, add in seasonings. Toss to coat the breasts well. While chicken marinades, heat the Ninja Foodi to 500°F.
4. Put the marinated chicken breast into the preheated grill. Let cook for 5 minutes of cooking and flip with tongs. Let the chicken cook for another 3-5 minutes or until internal temperature measures 160-165°F. Remove and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Store cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. Cooked chicken can be diced and sealed and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. I love having fresh and frozen protein options on hand. It makes meal prep and building meals so much more efficient.
If you're not using a grill and still want the same tender results, prep using the same method, but instead of grilling, bake the chicken breasts on a sheet pan for 20 minutes at 400°F in the over. This is another efficient way to prepare chicken without the need for an additional appliance.
Yes, use what you love and/or what fits your meal! This post is meant to provide tips and techniques to get the best tender and juicy chicken. Seasonings are up to you!
When you cut into your cooked chicken, the juices should be clear or an opaque white. Any red or pink juices indicate more cooking time is needed. Your chicken should an internal temperature of 160-165°F. This is the meat thermometer I use.
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Recipe
Ninja Foodi Grilled Chicken Breasts
Equipment
- Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill
- Meat Pounder
- Meat Thermometer
- Meat Scissors
- Plastic wrap
Ingredients
- 4 medium sized chicken breasts, I buy mine from Costco
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon basil
- ½ tablespoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
Start the Grill
- **Different grills will have varying ignition and start times** If you’re using the Ninja Indoor Foodi Grill (like I am), inset the grill pan, set Foodi to ‘grill’ setting, and press preheat.
Prepping the Chicken Breasts
- Start off by removing the thawed chicken from it’s container; run the breast under luke warm water.
- Take 2 large sheets of plastic wrap and layer them on a cutting board or countertop. You want to be sure they’re overlapping slightly as this is going to be the prepping station for the raw meat.
- Using meat scissors, trim away any excess fat from the breasts.
- Place them on the plastic wrap surface once trimmed & rinsed.
- After all the breasts there, cover the chicken with 2 more sheets of plastic wrap.
- Using a meat tenderizer (I call it a meat mallet), pound the chicken breasts until they’re all equal thickness (I aim for mine to be about ½ inch - ¾ inch thickness)
- Add thinned chicken into bowl. Pour in lime juice, then add in seasonings. Coat breasts well.
Grilling the Chicken
- Put the marinated chicken breast into the preheated Ninja Foodi Grill (500F), check after 5 minutes of cooking and flip using tongs.
- Let the chicken cook for another 3-5 minutes or until internal temperature measures 160-165 degrees F.
- Remove the chicken and turn off grill after using.
Nutrition
Notes
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If you're using MyFitnessPal, search 'A Paige Of Positivity' and find Ninja Foodi Grilled Chicken Breastcalories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
Michele Gage says
The Feta Ranch Turkey burgers were fabulous! Easy to make, healthy and flavorful ingredients—will be adding these to my weekly menu rotation!
Alexi Kelly says
This grilled chicken was exactly what I was looking for to add into my week day meal prep rotation! The lime juice + spices used are the perfect blend to give the chicken flavor and just enough spice to be added into sandwiches, salads - really anything without overpowering the other ingredients you are using. I will be making again and again!
On our outdoor gas grill we cooked for 8 min on high and then flipped and did 7-10 min on medium and they turned out perfectly tender.
Courtney Paige says
Thanks for the review, Alexi!! Really helpful to know cooking times for an outdoor grill too.
Catherine Cormier says
Made a batch of this chicken a few days ago and have been enjoying it in many different meals this week. So good - very juicy and the flavour has just the right amount of spice in it.
Megan McClellan says
I make this chicken almost weekly - canNOT believe how easy it is. I like using the air fryer because it feels easier to gauge if it's finished. The spices are versatile and delicious.
Courtney Paige says
Easy to follow and turns out perfect every time. Such a staple recipe!
Sydney Van Acker says
if you want perfect chicken every time, you NEED to make it like this. Never fails and if you're debating buying a foodi, this recipe alone is a reason to
Courtney Paige says
My dad taught me the importance of pounding and prepping chicken like this! Very informative and helpful recipe post.