Citrus Herb Grilled Chicken with Gremolata Drizzle
- May 22
- 3 min read
Updated: May 28
Citrus Herb Grilled Chicken with Gremolata Drizzle
Eight summers ago we showed up to our annual camping trip with a cooler full of marinated chicken and a vague plan. I was delighted when everyone raved about it. Since then, this chicken has become the thing people request. It's our version of a standing tradition - the meal that says we made it another year.
The marinade is simple: orange juice, fresh herbs, olive oil, shallot, and garlic. Bright without being aggressive. Herby without being fussy. The gremolata drizzle at the end — lemon, parsley, chives, dill — is the part that makes people think you did something fancy. You didn't. You just made good food.
This works on tenders, breasts, or thighs. Cook it at a campsite or in your backyard on a Tuesday. Either way it delivers.
The Marinade
Juice of 1 orange (about a quarter cup)
1 cup olive oil
1 finely chopped shallot
1 cube of frozen garlic or 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh dill
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 to 2 garlic cloves, crushed
Black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional but worth trying)
Whisk together the orange juice, olive oil, and salt until the salt begins to dissolve. Stir in the chives, parsley, dill, shallot, garlic, and pepper. Add the Dijon if using — it adds a quiet depth and helps everything emulsify.
I have a marinade bucket I use for up to about 3 pounds of chicken. Add your chicken and marinade to the bucket. Cover and refrigerate anywhere from two hours to overnight, works beautifully. Don't go overnight on tenders — the texture gets too soft and no one loves mushy chicken.
The Gremolata Drizzle
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Half a cup of olive oil
Quarter cup of fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped
Whisk everything together. Spoon it generously over the chicken right after it comes off the grill while it's still resting. Don't be shy with it. This is the part people ask about.
How I Cook It
Grill over medium-high heat and use a meat thermometer — chicken is done at 165 degrees internal temperature at the thickest part. The move I've been doing for years for this large group, that I genuinely recommend: grill the chicken whole, then slice it half, and briefly put the cut side back on the grill to get the grill marks. It makes each piece go farther,, and in a bufffet setting it allows people to take a smaller piece and still try other things. Bonus: you get beautiful marks on every surface, and you can visually confirm every piece is cooked through. At a campsite feeding 50 people, that matters.
Citrus herb grilled chicken with marinade, now cut in half and grilled
A Few Things I've Learned
Two hours is genuinely enough for tenders. The citrus starts to break down the protein if you go much longer and you'll notice the texture. For thicker cuts overnight is great — the salt and oil do a lot of the work.
The Dijon is completely optional. You don't taste mustard. You just taste a slightly more cohesive, slightly more interesting marinade. I add it probably half the time.
Make extra gremolata. I mean it. People will want it on everything else on the table.
This recipe scales easily. One batch of marinade per pound and a half to two pounds of chicken. We've made it for twenty people and it's never once felt like too much effort.
ENJOY!!!
The Shopping List
Produce and fresh herbs:
1 orange
1 lemon
Fresh chives
Fresh parsley
Fresh dill
1 small shallot
1 to 2 garlic cloves
Pantry:
Olive oil (about one and a half cups total for marinade and gremolata)
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Dijon mustard (optional)
Misc:
Protein:
Chicken tenders, breasts, or thighs
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