If you want a delicious grilled dinner without needing to head outdoors, this Ninja Foodi Grill Chicken Breast is absolute perfection. With just four ingredients (plus salt and pepper), you have perfectly seasoned chicken with all the char you would expect from outdoor grilling. This grilled chicken is tender and juicy with just the right amount of crispiness.
Don't have a Ninja Grill? No worries - I have got traditional grilling instructions too!
I have always been a massive fan of using an indoor grill.
Living in Florida, it is so hot here much of the year. While I love the experience of outdoor grilling, I don't love sweating or swatting bugs.
The Foodi Grill makes cooking chicken - and so many other things - so stinking easy. Recipes like this Ninja Foodi Grill Chicken Breast come together in a flash!
Serve this with Baked Zucchini Chips, Air Fried Asparagus, Citrus Slaw or Instant Pot Red Potato Salad.
If you are looking for more ways to use your Foodi Grill, don't miss my grilled brats, Ninja Foodi Grill Pizza, and Ninja Foodi Grill Burger.
Simple Ingredients to Make Foodi Grill Chicken
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Tips for Perfect Grilling with the Ninja Foodi Grill
Don't Skip Preheating
The Ninja Foodi Grill doesn't take long to preheat, and you will be richly rewarded for your patience. Preheating the grill is essential to achieving a great sear and charred flavor.
The Foodi Grill has an indicator that lets you know when the grill grate is ready, and it is time to add your food. Like a traditional grill, you will want to keep the lid closed while you are preheating.
Use Oil
Adding oil to foods promotes charring and crisping. I recommend spraying or brushing meats, seafood, and vegetables with avocado oil before cooking. Alternatively, you can do what I did in this Ninja Foodi Grill chicken breast recipe and marinate your meats in a heat-safe oil.
Salt Meat Ahead of Time
If at all possible, salt your meat ahead of time. This allows the salt time to work into the muscle structure, giving you seasoning beyond what you would get if you salted just before cooking.
Salting ahead of time increases the meat's ability to retain water. The result is juicer cuts. I strive to salt meat 24 hours ahead of time, but even an hour will make a difference.
Allow Meat to Rest
Not resting meat is probably one of the biggest mistakes made in cooking. Resting allows the liquid to redistribute throughout the meat and prevents those delicious juices from ending up all over your plate.
For most cuts of meat, five to ten minutes of resting is all that is needed. Larger cuts can benefit from a longer rest.
Use an Instant Read Thermometer
For perfectly cooked meat every time, an instant-read meat thermometer is an invaluable tool. It is essential, because cooking times can vary based on the thickness of the meat.
You can pick up an inexpensive thermometer that you insert into the meat to determine the temperature. At the higher end, there are models with a sensor you can leave in the food and an external display that allows you to see what temperature your meat is without having to open the lid. Some models even have apps that will display the temperature on your smartphone!
Some of the newer Ninja Foodi Grills have a thermometer built-in!
Ninja Foodi Grill Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- ½ cup packed parsley leaves
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 24 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast
- Optional Garnishes: crushed red pepper flakes, Maldon sea salt, parsley
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the avocado oil, lemon juice and zest, parsley, salt, and pepper—process for 1 minute.
- Place the chicken in a shallow dish or zip-top bag. Pour all but ¼ cup of the marinade over the chicken and toss to coat.
- Reserve the remaining marinade.
- Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Drain the marinade.
Ninja Foodi Grill
- Using the grill setting, preheat to medium heat. Set the timer to 16 minutes.
- When you get the add food notification, add the chicken.
- Cook for 8 minutes and then flip. Brush with reserved marinade.
- Cook for an additional eight minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160° F.
- Allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Grill or Grill Pan
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
- Grill, covered, for 8 minutes. Flip and brush with the reserved marinade.
- Cook for about 8 minutes more until the meat reaches about 160 degrees.
- (It will continue to cook as it rests and reach the recommended 165 degrees.
Jen says
I recently made this chicken recipe for my 4th of July get-together, and it was a hit! My friends loved it so much that they asked to take home the leftovers.
Instead of using Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, I added a bit of Trader Joe's Soffritto seasoning. This substitution balanced the tartness from the lemon perfectly. For the gathering, I marinated the chicken for about three hours, and it turned out incredibly tender and juicy. I reserved a couple of pieces, uncooked, for myself and let them sit in the marinade for three days. Despite what I've heard about citrus-based marinades affecting texture, this was not the case at all. The chicken was succulent and flavorful.
I used my 'Kitchen HQ' air fryer grill and set it at the highest temperature to get some char. I cooked the chicken for 8 minutes, having cut the breasts in half length-wise. Thicker cuts would likely need additional time, but the internal temperature of my pieces exceeded 165°F after 8 minutes.
This recipe is definitely going into my regular rotation. Highly recommend!
Wendy Polisi says
I am so glad you enjoyed it - and I am going to look for that seasoning next time I am at Trader Joe's!