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Soy grilled chicken is fast and easy. This recipe doesn’t need hours of marinating or bottled glaze to taste amazing. A quick soak in soy, garlic, and ginger builds big flavor fast, and the grill does the rest. Serve it with spicy peanut sauce and call dinner handled.

Grilled chicken with peanut sauce, basil, white rice, and salad in background.

Here’s Why This Soy Grilled Chicken Recipe Works

Fast marinade, big payoff. Soy sauce, vinegar, and aromatics work fast, so you get deep flavor without planning a day ahead.

Even cooking, no guesswork. Pounding the chicken to an even thickness means no dry edges or underdone spots. Just juicy chicken all the way through.

Char that counts. A little brown sugar helps the chicken caramelize on the grill and builds flavor.

More than soy and garlic. The peanut sauce brings richness, heat, and balance without overpowering the chicken.

Spoon pours peanut sauce over grilled chicken with rice and lime on plate. — Spicy peanut sauce tastes fantastic with a soy-marinated chicken!

If you like this technique but want a more neutral flavor, my grilled chicken breast recipe uses the same approach.

Recipe Tips

Pound the thicker end. Even out the thickness of the chicken so it cookes evenly. No guessing game on the grill.

Pat it dry. Dry chicken sears better and develops great color instead of steaming.

Watch your heat. Keep the grill around 350–375°F. Too hot and it’ll char before it cooks through.

Move it if needed. Shift to a cooler zone if it’s browning too fast.

Pull at 160°F. Let it rest off the grill to finish cooking. This keeps it juicy and prevents that chalky texture.

Use a thermometer, not timing. Chicken thickness varies, so internal temperature is the only reliable guide.

Oil the grates. A quick brush of oil before grilling keeps the chicken from sticking and helps those clean grill marks form.

Don’t over-brine. Thirty minutes to two hours is plenty. Longer and the texture can get a little rubbery.

Let the grill preheat fully. Putting chicken on too soon can make it stick or cook unevenly.

Slice against the grain. It makes the meat more tender and easier to eat, especially if you’re serving leftovers cold.

If you’re after something with a little sweetness, my grilled pineapple chicken kabobs have a tangy-sweet twist from caramelized pineapple.

Close-up of grilled chicken breast with grill marks on a barbecue.

Grilled chicken breast with rice and lime on a plate, salad behind.

a slice of grilled chicken on a fork with the chicken breast in the background

Soy Marinated Grilled Chicken

This is the kind of grilled chicken you’ll actually want to make on repeat. A little prep and the right technique are all it takes to turn plain chicken into something worth firing up the grill for. Serve it with coconut rice and some green veggies.

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A grilled chicken breast topped with spicy peanut sauce plated with rice.

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 40

4.80 from 5 votes

Soy Grilled Chicken with Peanut Sauce

By Dahn Boquist

Tender, juicy chicken breasts char grilled on the outdoor grill to perfection and smothered in a spicy peanut sauce. The marinade is an amazing flavor that goes magically with the flavors in the peanut sauce. Don’t skip the marinade, it also makes the chicken tender and moist.

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.

Servings: servings

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Ingredients

Chicken and Sauce

▢ 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
▢ Spicy Peanut Sauce

Instructions

Combine the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger in a shallow bowl or re-sealable plastic bag.
Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound each of them with a meat mallet so they are an even thickness.
Place the chicken in the soy marinade and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
Prep your grill. The grill should be moderately hot at 350°F to 375°F (see below). If you are using a pellet grill, we recommend Hickory, Mesquite, Alder, or a blend for the pellets.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry, then place on the hot grill. Cook on each side for about 3 to 5 minutes or until cooked through (see below for internal temperature)
If the chicken gets browned too fast and the center is not cooked completely, move the chicken breasts to a cooler zone on the grill until they are completely cooked.
Remove the chicken from the grill and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with spicy peanut sauce.

Notes

Pound the chicken evenly. Flattening the thicker end helps the chicken cook evenly and prevents dry or undercooked spots.

Check your grill temperature. Aim for 350–375°F. If your grill doesn’t have a thermometer, hold your hand about 5 inches above the grate. If you can keep it there for 6 to 7 seconds, the heat is just right.

Cook to a safe temperature. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 165°F for chicken breasts. I usually pull them off the grill around 157–160°F; the carryover heat during the 5–7 minute rest brings them up to about 165°F. Always follow FDA guidelines.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 343kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 43g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 103mg, Sodium: 2250mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 15g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!

4.80 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

2 Comments

angiesrecipes says:

September 28, 2019 at 7:59 PM

The chicken is perfectly grilled with those beautiful grill marks. But the star here is the that peanut sauce!! It would also great to toss with some cold noodles :-)) Yummy!

1. Dahn Boquist says:
  
  September 28, 2019 at 9:29 PM
  
  Oh yes Angie that peanut sauce is amazing smothered over noodles 😉