Fire up the BBQ or even the griddle to enjoy a thin cut chicken breast with our honey mustard marinade. You will be amazed at how easy this BBQ recipe is.
Recipe Highlights
Beyond the recipe: What is great about thin cut chicken breast is the ease of even cooking and nothing goes to waste.
Equipment you will need: A boning knife is important for easy trimming. You can then do this on the BBQ, griddle, or pan.
Time for this recipe: The grilling on the BBQ is under 15 minutes. However, the total time comes down to dry brining and marinating with the honey mustard marinade.
Servings: 10 people and with the small trimmed-off pieces you can make nuggets for the kids.
Jump to:
- Recipe Highlights
- Trimming chicken breasts
- Ingredients
- Honey mustard marinade
- Sprinkle’s Note
- How to cook thin cut chicken breast
- Side dishes for grilled chicken breasts
- Chicken on griddle
- Equipment
- Storage / Reheat / Leftovers
- Need some more tasty chicken recipes
- FAQ
- Thin cut chicken breast grilled on the BBQ
- Food Safety
Trimming chicken breasts
I have noticed that chicken breasts are not the best shape for grilling evenly. This is why I fillet and trim them. Having a nice thin cut chicken breast leads to a more even cook on the BBQ or even the griddle. Filleting or trimming is done easily with a curved boning knife. I gotta tell you, I wish I had bought one sooner. It has made my life so much easier working with chicken to flank steak.
I remove the chicken breasts from the packaging to determine which are thick enough to fillet in half or just need to be trimmed. This only takes a few minutes and it is going to lead to a more tender and flavorful chicken. Hold on to any of those trimmed pieces. You can dry brine and marinate like the fillets but I suggest using the air fryer to cook them. Our air fryer chicken bites recipe is ideal for this.
Ingredients
The lemon pepper dry rub and honey mustard marinade use everyday ingredients that are usually in the cupboard. The celery seed and salt may be new but give them a try in the rub. Trim the whole chicken breasts into fillets.
Scroll down to the recipe card for ingredients and quantities.
Honey mustard marinade
Our homemade lemon pepper rub and honey mustard marinade are so tasty and simple. The lemon pepper rub adds flavor and tenderizes the chicken fillets. The honey mustard marinade is just that, honey and Dijon mustard whisked up in a bowl. Using both is a wonderful way to develop more flavor. Check out our top round steak done in a similar way. Its dry brine combines with the umami marinade to give an Asia-inspired flavor.
Sprinkle’s Note
The more you dry brine and marinate the more flavorful the chicken is. The rub and marinade can be left on overnight or even 24 hours.
How to cook thin cut chicken breast
Once you have cut the whole breast into thin cut chicken fillets, it is time to make the lemon pepper rub and honey mustard marinade. Then the fridge handles the rest before firing up the BBQ to grill. Then it is a quick sear on each side before you can enjoy them.
After dry brining and marinating in the fridge. Bring the thin cut chicken fillets out to the BBQ.
Sear on both sides while closing the BBQ lid in between.
Check and Serve. Enjoy perfectly cooked chicken breasts.
Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for exact quantities and instructions.
Side dishes for grilled chicken breasts
Chicken on griddle
Don’t wanna use the BBQ? Then you can do the chicken on the griddle. It has become one of our go-tos for a quick dinner. The griddle or even a frying pan is a great way to get this recipe done. Cooking the chicken fillets is similar to our beef sliders on the griddle. You just wait for the color of the raw chicken to change then flip. Give it a moment and check the internal temperature. Once you have cooked your chicken on the griddle it can be added to fried rice, quesadillas, or tacos.
Equipment
- BBQ
- BBQ spatula and tongs
- Marinating container
- Instant read thermometer
Storage / Reheat / Leftovers
- Storage: You can store the grilled chicken in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: The air fryer at 350°F for 2 – 3 minutes is a great way to warm it to your desired temperature.
- Leftovers: The chicken is great to add to street tacos, nachos, or chicken fried rice.
Need some more tasty chicken recipes
FAQ
First, I look at the thickness. Then determine which breast needs to be trimmed and which can be filleted in half into a similar thickness.
Yes. For the rub just check to see if there is enough salt and the marinade needs to be thick enough not to wash off the rub.
Yes. You will lose some of the tenderizing from the mustard, so I suggest leaving the rub on longer.
Once you have flipped the chicken to the final side wait until the side of the fillet has fully changed color. Then you should check the internal temperature. If the temperature has reached above 155°F, that is my indicator that it is rising rapidly and almost done.
Thin cut chicken breast grilled on the BBQ
Equipment
- BBQ
- BBQ spatula
- BBQ tongs
- Marinating container
- Instant read thermometer
Ingredients
- 6 chicken breasts
Lemon pepper dry rub
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
Honey mustard marinade
- 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
Make the lemon pepper rub and honey mustard marinade.
- In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, celery salt, lemon pepper, and celery seed. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the Dijon mustard and the honey. Set aside.
Trim the chicken breast, rub, and marinate.
- Unpacked the chicken breasts. Pat dry with a paper towel and place on a tray.
- Trim the chicken breasts to about equal sizes and thicknesses. This lets them cook more evenly.NOTE: Remember not to throw away those small pieces use them in one of our chicken nugget recipes.
- Rub each thin cut chicken breast with the lemon pepper seasoning and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour to dry brine.
- Bring the chicken back out to the counter and gently coat every breast with the honey mustard marinade. Place back and refrigerate to marinate for a minimum of an hour to 24 hours.
Fire up the BBQ
- Fire up the BBQ and get it ready for direct heating. It will be above 400℉. Since the lid will be closed for part of the cook you can throw your favorite smoking wood in to add a subtle hint of smoke.
- Once you have an even layer of hot charcoal under the grill grates place the thin chicken breasts on.
- Grill for 2 minutes then close the lid for 4 minutes. Now just flip and grill the other side for 2 minutes. Check the internal temperature before you close the lid. If the temperature is coming up fast to 165℉, check the breast sooner for the final temperature. For our cook, it was another 4 minutes.NOTE: Leaving the lid up aids in keeping the heat up for a good sear. Once you close it it tamps down the fire and aids in convection cooking.
- Once the chicken has reached 165℉ internal temperature, pull it.
- Place the chicken on a serving plate and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve and Enjoy!
Notes
- Planning. I like to start this recipe in the morning or evening before. It works great either way. I can let the chicken dry brine for 4 or so hours then add the honey mustard marinade and if it goes longer no problem. It is just more flavor.
- What if you left the breast whole? You can do this too. It just takes a bit more work and knowing your BBQ. First, place the thinner portion of the breast towards your cooler side of the grill. When you go to flip check to see that the breast has changed color at least halfway up before flipping. Additionally, start grilling on the rounded side first. Then finish with the wider side to have better control of the final temperature. Check the breast temperatures for doneness, as you may need to reposition them on the grill for more even cooking. Finally, the lid closed portion of the cook will be longer. So use the recipe cards information as a guide.
Food Safety
All of us are responsible for the safe preparation, cooking, and serving of food. The Kitchen Bucket List shares with you our personal experiences in cooking and food safety. We are not a food safety site. As a convenience, we provide informative information we find from food safety sites. If you have questions about your food safety check your local guidelines and/or head over to the USDA. The “Storage / Leftovers / Rewarm” section of the posts are our personal estimates.
Here are some key things to remember:
- Like Mom always said, “Wash your hands.” It is the easiest thing to do for your food safety.
- Avoid cross-contamination between raw food items and the utensils with which they come in contact with.
I’m always looking for chicken marinades and this one is a keeper! So good!