Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 T garlic powder
• 2 tsp. Spike Seasoning 
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried sage
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions

1. Trim any visible fat from the chicken breasts, and if some breasts are a lot thicker than others trim some of the underneath part to make them about the same thickness. (I save the scraps in the freezer to make homemade chicken stock.)Cut short shallow slits crosswise going down each chicken breast.Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, Spike Seasoning (or other all-purpose seasoning blend), dried basil, dried oregano, onion powder, dried sage, and pepper to make the marinade.Put the chicken in a single layer in a Ziploc bag (or a plastic container with a snap-tight lid).Pour in the marinade, and marinate in the fridge for 8 hours, turning occasionally if you’re home. (A slightly shorter or longer marinating time won’t matter but I would marinate at least 5-6 hours if possible.)When you’re ready to cook, dump the chicken breasts into a colander and drain off the marinade. (If you take it directly from the marinade and place on the hot grill, it will flame up from the marinade that drips down.)Make sure the grill is clean; then spray with non-stick grill spray or brush with oil and preheat the grill to medium-high.Lay the chicken top side down on an angle to the grill grates and cook 3-4 minutes; then lift up the edge of each piece of chicken to see if the grill marks are showing as much as you’d like.When you have nice grill marks, rotate each chicken breast so it’s at the opposite angle to the grill grates and cook 3-4 minutes more (again lifting each piece of chicken to check the grill marks.) When you have good criss-cross grill marks, turn the chicken over and cook 4-6 minutes on the other side. Actual cooking time will depend on how thick the chicken breasts are and how hot your grill is, but chicken should feel firm but not hard to the touch when you press down on it with your finger. Chicken should be cooked to 165F/74C to be safe; if you have an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer, that’s a perfect way to tell when it’s done.) Serve hot.This chicken is great for leftovers.
2. Refrigerate until needed; then cut up and serve over a salad, in lettuce wraps with avocado and salsa, or inside low-carb pita bread with some Tzatziki sauce.