Simply Scrumptious Grilled Chicken Breasts with Garlic Basil Butter
Garlic basil butter helps deliver a juicy and flavorful bone-in chicken breast.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 tbsp butter (I used non-dairy, see note)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 to 8 basil leaves, sliced into thin julienned strips
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
- 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
Instructions
- Make the butter: Leave the butter out of fridge for 30 minutes, or microwave for 10 seconds to get it soft enough to work with.
- Add the garlic and basil, stir in vigorously to get it well incorporated into the butter. Stir in a generous pinch of salt and optional lemon juice.
- Prep the chicken: Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts. Gently pull back the skin just enough so you can slip your fingers in between the skin and the breast meat. Grab a dollop of the butter, and work it under the skin. Gently rub it onto the breast meat. Try to get about halfway down the breast with your fingers. This is enough to spread the flavor without making the skin too loose.
- Grab another dollop of the butter and rub that over the outside of the skin, forming a thin coating of butter all over the breast. Repeat the process with the butter on the other chicken breast.
- Grill the chicken: Pre-heat the grill to about 400. Turn off the back burner(s) so that you have an area available for indirect heat cooking. Place the chicken on direct heat for 5 minutes, then turn the chicken over to grill on direct heat for another 5 minutes. Using your tongs, carefully move the chicken and place it breast meat side down on the back of the grill.
- Cook on indirect heat with the grill covered for 15 to 20 minutes. Check the chicken for doneness (chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees), taking care not to overcook. When done, the chicken should be safely cooked through but still nice and juicy, with golden brown skin.
