Craving grilled chicken but too busy to start the grill? I have a solution! Make Cast Iron Grilled Chicken! This delicious grilled chicken marinated in garlic and lemon tastes just as if it was hot off the grill. It is effortless to make and cooks in less than 15 minutes. Here is my step by step method:
First, mix together the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 6 minced garlic cloves. Add into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Next, rinse and dry your chicken and remove the bones with some kitchen shears. You can also have your butcher do this.
Don’t throw away those bones! Put them in a zip-lock bag and store them in the freezer. When you are ready to make stock, pull them out and make magic!
Next, put your chicken thighs skin-side up. Cover with a large sheet of plastic wrap and pound with the flat side of a meat mallet until it is even.
It should look like this. Approximately 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick.
Place chicken in the garlic-lemon-marinade, and coat all the sides.
Heat up your Cast-Iron Griddle
to medium heat with the grill sides up. I got mine at Amazon and I cannot tell you how much I love this griddle. One side has grill marks and the other is flat for pancakes or tortillas. I could go on and on about why I love cast iron! It heats evenly, you get a dose of iron, plus a well seasoned pan is non-stick without harmful chemicals! If you don’t have one of these, you should seriously consider it! Plus, you can make cast iron grilled chicken!
Once your cast iron griddle is hot, add your 6 chicken thighs skin side down. Do not touch them! Set your kitchen timer for 8 minutes and then flip over with kitchen tongs.
Heat up on the underside for 5 more minutes. Ooh, grilled aroma will kick start your taste buds!
Let your chicken rest for a few minutes to allow the juices to set in. I stack them up on a plate or in a container.
Slice them into strip or cubes with a sharp knife, (I love my Cutco Chef’s Knife!). These are perfect on salads or in tacos.
I am on day 6 of Whole30 so I am having this on a bed of spinach and shredded carrots with a strawberry balsamic dressing. The chicken tastes perfect on its own but I am crazy about lemon so I squeeze a little on top! This cast iron grilled chicken tastes AMAZING! It reheats really well too! Both my kids who are picky eaters loved it!
Looking for a great guide for going Paleo with delicious healthy quick recipes, I highly recommend my friend Louise’s book, The Essential Paleo Cookbook.
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Cast Iron Grilled Garlic Chicken
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Craving grilled chicken but too busy to start the grill? I have a solution! Make Cast Iron Grilled Chicken! This delicious grilled chicken marinated in garlic and lemon tastes just as if it was hot off the grill. It is effortless to make and cooks in less than 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- juice of half lemon
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 6 chicken thighs with skin on
- lemon wedges (optional)
Instructions
- To make marinade add lemon juice, garlic and salt to a large mixing bowl. Stir and set aside.
- Remove bones from chicken thighs with kitchen shears. Place bones in a zip-lock bag, freeze and reserve for making chicken stock.
- Place chicken thigh on cutting board skin side up. Cover with plastic wrap and pound with flat side of meat mallet until chicken is even, about 1/2” to 3/4” thick. Place flattened chicken in marinade and coat on all sides. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Heat cast iron griddle to medium heat.
- When cast iron is hot, place chicken skin side down and grill 8 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken over and grill another 5 minutes.
- Remove chicken and let rest 3-5 minutes. Slice and serve with lemon wedges.
- Prep Time: 12 mins
- Cook Time: 13 mins
- Category: Main
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My picky family loved this chicken. Thank you!!
★★★★★
I am so happy to hear that! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your results! Best Regards, Ester
I love chicken. Now I want to make this for my dinner. Dam, gotta go out now and buy some chicken. ? Yummy!
★★★★★
This is a great recipe that is very easy to make! I just made a similar version of this today along with grilled asparagus and mushrooms all in my cast iron griddle. It is great to pull out for a simple indoor grilling hack! Thanks for stopping by! Warmly, Ester
I like the sweet and sour taste of the meat. Great recipe!
★★★★★
Thank you!
This turned out to be tastier than I have expected <3
I have reduced the number of garlic cloves from 6 to 4 since I don't like garlic much but it was yummy.
Thanks for the recipe
So glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 You’re welcome! Ester
Thank you! I hope you like them! Xoxo, Ester
Looks wonderful. Question…you need a gas stove to use a cast iron griddle indoors, right? Any suggestions if I am on electric?
Excellent question Doug! If you are using an electric stove, you can buy a heat diffuser at your local kitchen store to help distribute heat evenly plus protect for stove top. Best of luck!