Grilled Tuscan Lemon Chicken and Vegetables
This simple recipe for Grilled Tuscan Lemon Chicken and Vegetables is a favorite easy and healthy midweek dinner, all year long. Change up the vegetables depending on what is on season and simply serve alongside bread, quinoa or rice, and a simple side salad!
I love this recipe for Grilled Tuscan Lemon Chicken and Vegetables even during the winter months. In fact, when January comes around, I’m craving everything citrus I can find.
This Grilled Lemon Chicken fits the bill, perfectly. I use my indoor grill, either my cast iron stove top grill or my Cuisinart Griddler (affiliate link). That Griddler is one of my favorite kitchen tools! A gift from my parents, it’s in use all the time at my house.
While marinading your grilled meats and veggies might take a bit of time, a bit of planning, the health benefits are worth the extra time. WebMD says the following are four ways marinades become magic in your kitchen.
Why you should marinate meat
1. Marinades add flavor. The acid ingredient, as well as herbs, spices, and flavored oils (things like sesame oil, mustard, honey, soy sauce, citrus zest, catsup, and molasses) add zest to your meat.
2. They add moisture. A small amount of oil in a marinade can help add moisture to the meat. Other ingredients that add moisture include buttermilk, yogurt, and coconut milk.
3. They help tenderize. Acidic ingredients in marinades can help tenderize the proteins on the surface of the meat. But dairy products — like buttermilk and yogurt — are the only ingredients that seem to tenderize meat all the way through while keeping its texture mostly the same (not mushy).
4. They reduce the production of potentially cancer-causing compounds in grilled meat. Marinating meats before grilling them may reduce the amount of heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that can form on meat exposed to high cooking temperatures. Studies have shown that in some cases, even briefly marinating foods can reduce HCAs by as much as 92% to 99%, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). Scientists aren’t sure exactly what causes this: A marinade may act as a barrier, or the protective powers may lie in its ingredients. “Vinegar, citrus juice, herbs, spices, and olive oil all seem to contribute to the prevention of HCA formation,” notes the AICR. (You can further reduce HCA formation by flipping your meat frequently, thus speeding up the cooking process).
Frequently Asked Questions
Any vegetable suitable for grilling would work here – just make sure when you’re preparing them to try to keep everything the same size so they cook evenly, but to chop tougher vegetables that take longer to cook into smaller pieces.
If you have any leftovers the chicken and the veg are great tossed with any type of rice or grain to make a delicious salad for lunch. You could even make extra for your lunch the next day.
You Might Also Enjoy
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- Lemon Herb Marinade for Chicken Thighs
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- Greek Chicken with Lemon and Orzo
- Seared Greek Chicken with Cucumber Salad
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Tuscan Grilled Lemon Chicken with Vegetables
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 lemons juiced and zested (2 teaspoons zest, 1/3 cup lemon juice)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoons fresh rosemary minced
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 8- ounces button mushrooms halved
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 lemon thick slices
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, juice, garlic, rosemary, and thyme in a small measuring cup. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade to baste while grilling. Place the chicken, mushrooms, green onions and lemon slices in a glass dish, pour the lemon marinade over the chicken and veggies, turning to coat both sides. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, or up to overnight.
- Preheat the grill to a medium-high heat. Place the chicken breasts on the grill. (The veggies will be added during the last 10 minutes of cooking). Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the underside of the chicken breast is golden brown; baste as it grills. Turn the chicken breasts over, baste with reserved marinade and continue to cook another 12 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
- During the last 10 minutes of cooking, place the mushrooms, green onions and lemon halves on the grill, cut side down.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.