How long to cook chicken breast in ninja

If you're looking for the most tender and juicy grilled chicken, you're in the right place. This Ninja Foodi Grilled Chicken Breast Recipe is SO flavorful, you'll wonder how you lived without it!

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What's the secret to tender and juicy chicken breasts?

I present to you the Best Grilled Chicken recipe for super juicy and extremely flavorful chicken. This chicken recipe is an absolute staple in my meal prep line up every single week. It's just so easy to do and adds the best flavor (and protein) to any meal! 

After sharing about how tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken can be, I always get the same questions. "How do you prep your chicken? What do season with? I'm always overcooking, how do I prevent that?"

And while there are a lot of simple ways to prepare good food in the kitchen, I think there are three tools necessary for a really good chicken. 

Tools you'll need to make the best grilled chicken

Meat Thermometer: This will help us tell if our chicken is finished cooking.

Kitchen/Meat Scissors: To trim the fat and any other unwanted blemishes.

Meat tenderizer: We'll use this to pound & make chicken breasts the same thickness.

Ninja Foodi Grill: I LOVE this thing. It is a great way to grill while indoors. However, you don't HAVE to use this for your chicken. I provide instructions for the oven as well.

Plastic Wrap: This will help us keep our workstation contained. You have to be careful working with raw meat!

Then, grab a tasty marinade and you'll be set. So get ready because you're about to learn how to make the best grilled chicken yet!

How to Make Grilled Chicken on the Ninja Foodi Grill

What's the best way to cook chicken? I grill my chicken! And I want to point out right from the start that different grills will have varying ignition and start times. So please pay attention to that and find what works best with your grill! 

And if you’re using the Ninja Indoor Foodi Grill (like I am), inset the grill pan, set Foodi to ‘grill’ setting, and press preheat. Living in an apartment means no "real" grill but to be completely honest, we love this Ninja Indoor Foodi Grill just as much! It's space efficient, easier, and makes grilling our favorite foods into a weekly occurrence.

If you don't have access to a grill, no worries! I share instructions on how to bake your chicken in this post as well.

1. Start off by removing the thawed chicken from it’s container. Run the breast under lukewarm water.
2. Take 2 large sheets of plastic wrap and layer them on a cutting board or countertop. You want to be sure they’re overlapping slightly as this is going to be the prepping station for the raw meat.
3. Using meat scissors, trim away any excess fat from the chicken breasts. When complete, rinse and place the chicken on plastic wrap surface.
4. Cover the chicken with 2 more sheets of plastic wrap.
5. Using a meat tenderizer (I call it a meat mallet), pound the chicken breasts until they’re all equal thickness I aim for mine to be about ½ inch - ¾ inch thickness.
6. Add tenderized chicken into bowl. Pour in lime juice. Then, add in seasonings. Coat breasts well.
7. While chicken marinades, begin prepping the grill.
8. Put the marinated chicken breast into the preheated Ninja Foodi Grill (500°F), check after 5 minutes of cooking and flip using tongs.
9. Let the chicken cook for another 3-5 minutes or until internal temperature measures 160-165°F.
10. Remove the chicken and turn off grill after using.

You can also watch the Best Grilled Chicken Web Story here!

Can I bake chicken instead of grilling it?

If you're not using a grill and still want the same tender results, bake the chicken breasts on a sheet pan for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F in the oven! This is another efficient way to prepare chicken without the need for an additional appliance.

Frequently Asked Questions for the best grilled chicken

What's the best way to store this chicken?
Store cooked chicken in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. Cooked chicken can be diced and sealed and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. I love having fresh and frozen protein options on hand. It makes meal prep and building meals so much more efficient.

Is there anything I should watch out for?
Make sure that your chicken is thawed and fresh. You’ll be able to smell spoiled chicken EASILY. Grilling it immediately after bringing it home is always a good idea.

Do I need to grill this chicken?
No, you don't. I provide instructions above on how you can get the same results using the oven instead.

Can I use any seasoning or marinade?
Yes, use what you love and/or what fits your meal! This post is meant to provide tips and techniques to get the best tender and juicy chicken. Seasonings are up to you!

How do I tell if my chicken is done cooking?
When you cut into your cooked chicken, the juices should be clear or an opaque white. Any red or pink juices indicate more cooking time is needed. Your chicken should an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees. This is the meat thermometer I use.

Versatile and easy grilled chicken recipe

Now the real benefit of making this best grilled chicken recipe is that it's so good and easily pairs with anything. You can add it to a buddha bowl creation, make a chicken sandwich, add it to soup, top off a salad, have it in a wrap, and so forth, the options are endless! 

Here are some of my go-to recipes for this tender and juicy chicken:

Macro Friendly Cheese Quesadilla 

Healthy Chicken Tortellini Soup

Roasted Brussel Sprout Salad

Grilled Apple & Goat Cheese Chicken Sandwich 

Dairy Free White Chicken Chili

Prep5 mins

Cook8 mins

Total13 mins

The Best Grilled Chicken recipe for super juicy and extremely flavorful chicken. A simple marinade adds flavor and moisture while this prep/cook process keeps it tender!

• Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill

• Meat Pounder

• Meat Thermometer

• Meat Scissors

• Plastic wrap

• 4 medium sized chicken breasts, I buy mine from Costco
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon basil
• ½ tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Start the Grill

• **Different grills will have varying ignition and start times** If you’re using the Ninja Indoor Foodi Grill (like I am), inset the grill pan, set Foodi to ‘grill’ setting, and press preheat.

Prepping the Chicken Breasts

• Start off by removing the thawed chicken from it’s container; run the breast under luke warm water.

• Take 2 large sheets of plastic wrap and layer them on a cutting board or countertop. You want to be sure they’re overlapping slightly as this is going to be the prepping station for the raw meat.

• Using meat scissors, trim away any excess fat from the breasts.

• Place them on the plastic wrap surface once trimmed & rinsed.

• After all the breasts there, cover the chicken with 2 more sheets of plastic wrap.

• Using a meat tenderizer (I call it a meat mallet), pound the chicken breasts until they’re all equal thickness (I aim for mine to be about ½ inch - ¾ inch thickness)

• Add thinned chicken into bowl. Pour in lime juice, then add in seasonings. Coat breasts well.

Grilling the Chicken

• Put the marinated chicken breast into the preheated Ninja Foodi Grill (500F), check after 5 minutes of cooking and flip using tongs.

• Let the chicken cook for another 3-5 minutes or until internal temperature measures 160-165 degrees F.

• Remove the chicken and turn off grill after using.

**NOTE: you can use any number of chicken breasts - the seasoning blend is made for 4 so just calculate what you need if you have more/less than 4 🙂

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It's my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved, something that you think it might need, or just say hi!

Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?

If you're using MyFitnessPal, search 'A Paige Of Positivity' and find Ninja Foodi Grilled Chicken Breast

1 serving: 1 gram Carbs | 3 grams Fat | 25 grams Protein

**Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.

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