Name: How to perfectly oven grill chicken (Juicy, tender, & crispy)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 3 lb chicken. Skin and fat removed.; 1 tablespoon of garlic powder; 2 tablespoons of onion powder; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 tablespoon of whole milk yogurt; 3 tablespoons of avocado oil; Salt and pepper; Lemon and parsley for garnish

Jump to Recipe

Learn how to perfectly oven grill chicken (Juicy, tender, & crispy) in the comfort of your home. Bone-in whole chicken cut into small pieces makes a perfect grilled chicken for feasting at home. Serve it hot and sizzling, and garnish it with fresh lemon juice and parsley as the best quick main dish.

oven grill chicken (Juicy, tender, & crispy) is served and garnished with parsely.

Now that the weather is getting warm, I am looking forward to grilling outside. However, I love grilling inside in the comfort of my oven just as much. I think grilling inside the oven is much faster and easier than grilling outside with having all I need close by in the kitchen. I love the unique experience of both grilling inside and out anyway.

Hand holding a white plate with chicken kebabs in oven

When you are tired and hungry and have a whole family to feed, you need a recipe to save you. So do not look any further than this healthy recipe, ready in less than 30 minutes. Grab your thawed chicken and get inspired by my simple steps and instructions below to make the best oven grill chicken in the oven effortlessly.

A quick fresh salad with avocado, tomato, cucumber, and onion, garnished with lemon juice and parsley, goes best with this dish. And my super simple sourdough discard naans made freshly completes this dish.

So I encourage you to make this easy homemade grill chicken in the oven without a grill all seasons long, especially this spring and summer. This is a great make-ahead picnic and potluck food too.

Find more simple, delicious, nutritious chicken recipes:

Can I oven-grill chicken?

Absolutely, In fact, it is way more convenient and easy to grill chicken in the oven than outside. Adjust the oven rack close to the broil, then turn on the broil to high. Let the oven heat up. For best results, use a well-heated cast iron skillet to grill the chicken in the oven. To make no mess in the oven, remove the fat and skin of the chicken but use bone-in chicken. Finally, marinating chopped chicken into small bones in pieces makes the grilling process extremely fast.

How long does it take to grill chicken in the oven?

It all depends on the size of the chicken and how hot your oven is. If you are going to use small chunks of bone-in chicken pieces, it only takes 10 minutes for a well-done but still tender, juicy, and crispy grilled chicken. Adjust the time, if you are using a bigger chuck of chicken. A cooked chicken juice is clear but an undercooked chicken has red/pink juice.

is oven-grilled chicken healthy?

Yes. Chicken is not only a healthy rich source of protein and inexpensive. Oven-grilling chicken at high temperatures is a great way to preserve its high quality and nutrients.

A hand holding a piece of chicken kebabs in oven

Ingredients

Chicken. I used whole chicken cut into small pieces. I remove most skin and fat.
Garlic and onion powder. Flavor enhancers.
Lemon juice. Tenderize meat and add flavor.
Yogurt. Help tenderize the chicken.
Avocado oil. Add to chicken right before grilling.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Lemon and parsley for garnish.

Instructions to make a perfect oven-grilled chicken (step by step)

Prepare the chicken by cutting it into small same-sized pieces and removing its skin and fat.

Move the oven rack to the second indent. It needs to be close to the oven flame but not too tight.

Turn the oven broil to high when ready to grill the chicken, and let the oven warm up.

photo of ingredients chicken, onion powder, garlic powder, oil, lemon juice

In a bowl, mix the garlic and onion powder with lemon juice and yogurt to create a sauce.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Add the sauce to the seasoned chicken pieces and marinate them.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes. (optional)

Add oil to chicken pieces before grilling them, and mix them all.

Grill chicken pieces in two rounds.

Grease a cast-iron sheet pan with oil and lay the first chicken pieces on it. Leave enough room between chicken pieces for a faster, searing, and crispy result.

You may let the cast-iron sheet pan warm up beforehand in the oven. Then layer the chicken on it. This way, the chicken grills up faster and stays juicier.

marinated chicken on a cast iron sheet pan

Place the sheet pan in the oven and close the oven door.

Take the tray out in the middle of cooking and turn the chicken pieces around. It takes about 5 minutes for the chicken to grill nicely on each side. Please make sure not to overcook them—a total of 10 minutes for both sides of the chicken pieces to grill nicely- well done but still tender and juicy!

Be careful with the hot oven!

Repeat the same process with the rest of the chicken pieces.

marinated chicken pieces in the oven grilling

In about 20 minutes, the whole chicken pieces are done.

Garnish them with parsley and lemon, and serve them hot.

Make a chicken taco and ENJOY!

a hand holding a taco sandwich of chicken kebabs in oven

Notes

Cutting chicken pieces small makes the grilling time shorter.
Grilling chicken pieces in direct high heat results in faster searing and juicier chicken.
Make sure to remove skin and fat from the chicken. Otherwise, it will create lots of smoke and mess inside your oven!
If you find excess water in the sheet pan while the chicken pieces are grilling inside the oven, remove the water with a paper towel. Let the paper towel soak in the water.
I used bone-in chicken pieces. Bone-in chicken pieces take longer to grill compared to only chicken meat. So adjust for grilling time.
Grill on a cast iron sheet pan for the best result. Otherwise, any other sheet pan will work fine.
When grilling this chicken recipe outside, removing chicken skin and fat before grilling is optional. Unless it is an organic chicken, I usually serve it lean without chicken fat and skin.
You may let the cast-iron sheet pan warm up beforehand in the oven. Then layer the chicken on it. This way, the chicken grills up faster and stays juicier.
You may add ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the marinated chicken before grilling. This will result in the ultimate juicy grilled chicken, especially for the chicken breast pieces to stay juicy and tender after grilling in the oven.

Tips for tender and juicy oven grilled chicken

For quick grilling, cut the chicken into small same-size pieces with bone on. The grilled chicken with bone adds more flavor to the dish.
Remove all chicken skin and fat so that it does not create smoke and mess inside your oven.
Leave the marinated chicken in the fridge for 30 minutes before grilling to absorb flavor. But always add oil right before grilling.
Marinate chicken ahead of time and leave it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, grill as you need, and leave the rest for another day.
Leave enough room between chicken pieces while grilling. And grill in two rounds if needed.
Place the sheet pan close to the flame, but not too close. The second oven rack is better.
Grill chicken on a cast-iron sheet pan for the best result.
Remove any excess water from the sheet pan with a paper towel while the chicken grills inside the oven: the dryer sheet pan makes the chicken crispier and juicier.
Be very careful with the open flame and scorching oven.
Leave the oven door closed while grilling.
Serve it hot out of the oven and garnish it with lemon juice and parsley.
Bread, fresh salad, or sauté veggies are great side dishes.

Substitutes

You can substitute chicken with fish fillet or bone-in beef.

Sour cream, milk, and kefir are other substitutes for yogurt.

Equipment

I used this 15.5 x 10.5-inch cast-iron sheet pan (Affiliate link) to grill the chicken. Everything tastes extra delicious when cooked in cast iron cookware.

How to serve it

Serve them hot with side dishes such as bread, rice, sauté veggies, fermented veggies like sauerkraut, or a fresh salad.

I served it as a taco with avocado, tomato, cucumber, and onion salad on top of my homemade sourdough discard naans.

Check out my side dish recipes for more ideas.

A salad mix of grilled chicken with avocado, tomato, cucumber and parsley

a hand holding a piece of grilled chicken

Secrets to tender & juicy oven-grilled chicken

The secret to the best oven-grilled chicken is close direct heat and the length of grilling. You want to grill the chicken pieces close to the flame. As soon as one side of the chicken is grilled, turn it around to the other side to grill.
I always like to cut a whole chicken into small bone-in pieces for a quick and more flavorful dish. And, of course, using a cast-iron sheet pan helps to luck the chicken juice faster and grill more evenly.
Ensure to dry the chicken and remove excess water created while chicken pieces are grilling inside the oven.
You may let the cast-iron sheet pan warm up beforehand in the oven. Then layer the chicken on it. This way, the chicken grills up faster and stays juicier.
You may add ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the marinated chicken before grilling. This will result in the ultimate juicy grilled chicken, specially for the chicken breast pieces to stay juicy and tender after grilling in the oven.

What did you substitute? How did your family and kids like it? Let me know in the comment below your favorite combination. I love to hear from you!

Find more simple, delicious, nutritious chicken recipes:

best chicken kebabs in oven served on cast iron sheet pan and garnished with parsley

Pin it for later

If you loved this recipe, I would appreciate it if you would come back, comment, and rate it five stars! Thank you. Please share it on Pinterest.

Recipe