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This EASY Garlic Honey Lemon Grilled Chicken is a tasty way to level up your grilled chicken. It is sweet and savory with the sage, garlic, lemon, and honey marinade and is just what your chicken needs next time it hits the grill!
This recipe is a simple combination of a few ingredients that will take your ordinary grilled chicken to new heights.
A chicken dinner that brings everyone to the table! If you love easy chicken recipes, try these: Red Wine Braised Chicken and Plums Recipe, Chicken Skillet Creamy Chive Mascarpone Sauce, Pollo Asado Recipe, or Stuffed Chicken Thighs (Involtini di Pollo).
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Honey
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Fresh sage
- Black pepper
- Garlic
- Chicken thighs
See recipe card for quantities.
Homemade Gilled Chicken Marinade
Garlic, sage, honey, and lemon
In Italy we love using sage (in Italian it is called “salvia”) with meats, especially chicken and pork.
Sage has a pronounced herbal flavor that is earthy, slightly peppery taste with hints of mint, eucalyptus, and lemon.
When paired with honey, lemon, garlic and the olive oil the flavors create a pop of delight to any chicken on the grill.
What kind of chicken is best for the grill?
I love chicken thighs because they remain flavorful and tender and they are difficult to overcook.
You can use this marinade for any cut of chicken and it will taste delicious!
The good news is that pretty much any cut of chicken is well-suited for barbecuing.
How long do you grill chicken
Generally speaking, legs and thighs will hold up better to long, slow cooking than will breasts, but as long as you cook your chicken to the proper temperature (160°F for breasts and 170°F for thighs) they will turn out deliciously.
What Creates a Good Marinade/Sauce? Read more about it in this POST
What to serve with grilled chicken
This tasty grilled chicken will be the star of your next BBQ. Make sure to serve a tasty Berry Summer Salad, Easy Sicilian Eggplant Caponata, or Prosciutto Melon Arugula Salad. Bring a tasty pasta salad or our family favorite potato salad.
Serve Creamy Frozen Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust for dessert and everyone will praise you for it!
From my Cucina to your Table!
Made with Amore, Elena
More Delicious Chicken Recipes for YOU
Chicken Skillet Creamy Chive Mascarpone Sauce
Stuffed Chicken Thighs (Involtini di Pollo)
Breaded Chicken Breast Pan Fried (Italian)
Braised Chicken Thighs Artichokes Olives Farro
Perfect Roast Chicken with Citrus and Fennel
Creamy Parmigiano Herb and Mushroom Chicken
Red Wine Braised Chicken and Plums Recipe
I hope you enjoy this tasty EASY Garlic Honey Lemon Grilled Chicken. If you are looking for more summer dishes read 29 BEST Italian Inspired Summer Recipes!
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Tastiest Sage Garlic Honey Lemon Grilled Chicken
This EASY Garlic Honey Lemon Grilled Chicken is a tasty way to level up your grilled chicken. It is sweet and savory with the sage, garlic, lemon and honey marinade is just what your chicken needs next time it hits the grill!
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 large bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
Instructions
- Mix together the honey, lemon juice, sage, pepper and garlic in a bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade to use for basting later. Marinate the chicken with the remaining liquid in a resealable bag for 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
GRILL METHOD: Heat one side of a gas grill to medium heat, keeping one side cooler. Grill the chicken thighs on medium for approximately 5 minutes on each side, taking care not to let the sugars burn.
Move the thighs to the cool side of the grill and baste with the reserved marinade. Cover the grill and cook, basting every 3 to 4 minutes, until the thighs are cooked completely through, about 10 minutes more.
OVEN METHOD: preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Heat a cast-iron pan on medium-high heat and add some olive oil. Place the thighs skin-side down and sear for 5 to 6 minutes.
Flip the chicken and transfer to the oven for 20 minutes or until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Notes
You can easily double or triple this recipe
- Prep Time: 5 min + chilling time
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Savory
- Method: Italian
- Cuisine: Italian
Does the 1/2 cup olive oil also go into the bag for the marinade? It only says use a little in the cast iron pan.
Yes! It goes in the bag. Enjoy!
Directions say vinegar but vinegar is not listed in ingredients. You have lemon juice listed in the ingredients list. Which one is it?
It is lemon juice! Thank you.
The instructions mention adding soy sauce (“Mix together the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, sage, pepper and garlic in a bowl.”), but I don’t see soy sauce listed with the other ingredients. Is this just a typo, or should I be adding soy sauce? And if so, how much?
The recipe looks delicious and I’d like to make it for my family. Looking forward to trying it!
Liz, it is a typo and I deleted it. Thanks! Hope you love it.
Thanks for your reply, will try it tonight!