Though seemingly unconventional, this recipe will surely please anyone. The combination of exotic ingredients comes together perfectly to form an altogether delicious grilled chicken.

Bessy's Zesty Grilled Garlic-Herb Chicken

chicken breast

extra virgin olive oil

white sugar

honey

saffron

garlic,

basil

thyme

cayenne pepper

salt

oregano

parsley

sage

Place chicken in a shallow dish. In a medium bowl, mix together the olive oil, sugar, honey, saffron, garlic, basil, thyme, cayenne pepper, salt, oregano, parsley, and sage. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Cover, and marinate 20 to 25 minutes in the refrigerator.


Lightly oil the grill grate. Discard marinade, and place chicken on the grill. Cook for 10 minutes on each side, or until exterior is charred and juices run clear.


This chicken is definitely zesty and a bit sweet with a nice touch of garlic.  I omitted the saffron as did a lot of others and cut the oil down to 3/4 cup. Other than that I didn't change a thing. I pounded the chicken down to 1/2 inch and let it marinate for a few hours.  The marinade didn't soak through, but the chicken was nice and tender and the outside was carmelized.  It looks great and tastes even better.  This goes very nice with pasta.  I served it with Penne from Heaven and a nice tossed salad.  

SO GOOD! Saffron is a bit expensive but luckily I had some.  It doesn't really add much flavor so with or without is fine.  Also try this recipe without sugar and honey it's still really good.  *HINT* You only need enough olive oil to coat.

definately delish. I normally don't like anything charred, but the "char" is just carmolized sugar... it's my new favorite marinade. We barbequed chicken and had it as a main corse, and i also have used the George Foreman to cook the chicken in this marinade and then sliced it up for salads. Highly recomended :)

This is SO delicious.  I have made this a ton of times this summer, and everyone who has tasted it cannot say enough about how moist and flavorful it is.  I change a few minor things:  I skip the saffron (used it once out of curiosity, and it didn't make enough of a difference to justify the price -- it's amazing without it), I cut the cayenne pepper back to just under 1/2 tsp. (to be honest, I've never tried it with the full amount, but it just sounds like a lot of cayenne to me -- 1/2 tsp. is great), I cut the amount of olive oil in half, and I increase the marinating time.  I've let this marinate anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days (once when going away on a trip when I had to take dinner along to make a couple of days later) -- delicious, any way you go about it.  Great for chicken sandwiches; equally great with rice pilaf or grilled potatoes.

This recipe was okay, but it had A LOT of olive oil in it.  Also, the saffron was too expensive and didn't add much taste.  If you cut down on the olive oil and eliminate the saffron, the recipe is good, but I wouldn't put it into my regular rotation of recipes.

Zesty is right. This is a great change from all the soy sauce marinades. The chicken had great flavor. I marinted it during the day as opposed for 20 or 25 minutes. I also didn't have saffron but I don't think it made a difference. I also doubled the garlic. When it came off the grill it looked fantastic. A nice brownish glaze with all the herbs basted in. My husband said this was a keeper. Make it, eat it, enjoy it.

This recipe is AWESOME.  I thought the ingredients looked pretty weird altogether but thought I'd try it anyhow.  My husband and I loved it.  So I made it for my in-laws who loved it, and then for my family back home, and they loved it, too.  Everyone I make this for has asked for the recipe.  The only change I made was that I left out the saffron because I simply can't afford it!  But one of these days I'd like to try it with it and see if it adds anything...
NOTE: It's a few months later, and I'm on the Atkins diet.  I modified the recipe and it was just as good!  I omitted the honey and used Splenda in place of the sugar.  My husband didn't even know the difference.

Excellent, excellent and excellent!!! The recipe made a great sauce to put over egg noodles.  My mom said that it was similar to something she had at the New York Hilton.  She highly recommended me making this again.

I've just recently been trying to take over some of the cooking responsibilities for my wife, and this was my first big endeavor - my wife and i LOVED it!  It tasted like something you might expect to receive at a high-class restaurant!

this was pretty good.. a little sweet so i would cut back on the sugar if i were to make it again. a little spicy for the kids.. otherwise pretty tasty.

This was good-but I won't make this a regular in my house.  I did reduce the oil as others suggested.  The cooking time is too long for boneless chickne.  I would recommend cooking this only 10 minutes each side.

Amazing! This is my absolutely favorite Chicken recipe.  It is sooooo easy and tastes awesome!  I came up with an idea while we were eating it.  I made the recipe in a skillet instead of the grill.  I only pulled the chicken out of the marinade but there was left over marinade so I decided to make a gravy out of it..... oh my goodness made the chicken into some crazy amazing, restaurant quality meal.  I was thinking next time to have it with rice/pasta or even mashed potatoes, it was simply fantastic.  We are definitely going to be eating this over and over.  I already got out chicken to defrost again!!! haha.  (oh and my 6 and 7 year olds loved it too!) My daughter took one bite and came over and hugged me... LOL

OMG!! I want to eat this chicken everyday!! I doubled the spice and kept the same amount of oil, and marinated the chicken all day. Sweet and spicy all at the same time, the saffron is a must. So tender also :)

This was very tasty.  My son said "Mom, this is so so so good!" My two year old didn't throw it around either.  For once he was quiet and ate.  This is the first time I've used a recipe online so I was kind of sceptical.  This sure made a believer in me.

I wish I could give zero stars. I actually did buy the saffron--dont bother. The tastes were very weird. Blech.

Wow, what a dish.  Few alterations: ground chipotle instead of cayenne, fresh herbs instead of dried, 1/4 the oil, sauted instead of grilled, and finished with a Pinot Grigio and red onion reduction from the saute pan.  Served on oiled and salted penne with slivered Parmesan and side of chilled balsamic green beans with garlic and Golden Nugget tomatoes.  It was sweet, warming, and crisp.  Very pretty dish.

Bessy Zesty Chicken Haiku: "Irresistible. A reason to use saffron! Tender, vibrant taste!" This is one of those marinades that, despite all the elements that goes into it, sneaks up on you, with its unusual, light, and yes, zesty taste. I love that it's not soy sauce or citrus, based, and that the saffron imparts a subtle unique flavor and yellow tinge. The honey and the additional herbs all come together for a taste that while not bold or ostentatious, still produce a delicate flavor. The only things that I changed was halving the recipe for 2 chicken breasts that I'd cut into strips, and also halving the olive oil.

good recipe, even my picky husband like it.

Wow! This was divine and tantalizing! I ended up marinating the chicken overnight and grilling on the George Forman - came out amazing!

We're definitely in the minority here.  The finished meat had a strange mouth feel and very little flavor.  I'm disappointed because this was my first time using the saffron my cousin brought back from her honeymoon in Spain.

Very Good!  I substituted splenda for the sugar and I cut the oil in half and that was still too much oil.  It just created flare ups on the grill.  Next time I'll use 2 tbsps of oil and add some chicken stock to marinate next time.

This was excellent.  I marinated two chicken breasts using these ingredients:  1/3 cup of olive oil &amp; 1/3 cup of honey (no sugar used!).  I left the spices the same, except I substituted 1/2 tsp of turmeric for saffron (they both add colour, but turmeric is way cheaper!). I let them sit for about 3 hours.  I baked them at 425 for 30 minutes.  They were moist and delicious!  I'll definitely make this one again.  If you're baking it, make sure to line the pan with tin foil.  The sauce is super sticky!

The whole family enjoyed this dinner.  I did make some drumsticks and the kids complained they were too sticky.  That was the extent of the complaints.  I do think I'll marinate it longer next time though.

I cut back half the oil, cayenne pepper
and salt and omitted the sugar. (Honey is sweet enough on it's own without adding extra on top.) My chicken is marinading in the fridge now, so I'll update this after I've cooked it and everyone's tried it. EDITED: This chicken was de-lic-ious. Even both my kids loved it. I'm really glad I didn't add more sugar, it was perfect without it. I'd make this again and again. It was fabulous.

We'd like to give this recipe 4.5 stars.  It was simple to make and all the ingrediants we had on hand.  We marindaded as the recipe called and it turned out very good.  The chicken was very moist and had a great flavor.  Will definitely marinade over night next time and then it would be a 5 star recipe for sure! Thanks!

I must admit I was bit skeptical about this recipe to begin with, but after trying it, I see that the previous comments were quite correct. It is, indeed, DELICIOUS. The carmelized sugar coating adds so much  to it. It is sweet but with a spicy after taste. I did not use thyme or saffron, but found the cooking time to be correct when using a frying pan rather than a grill.  And over egg noodles, it is, indeed DELICOUS, as suggested below. Awesome recipe! Genius creator!

This is great!  I also used it on pork but omitted the saffron.

I followed the recipe exactly.  What went wrong?  This recipe got such rave reviews... but it wasn't anything special for me and my husband.  We tasted the sweet and a slight earthy herb flavor but other than that - nothing special (not much favor).  Not a keeper.

Well, I’m sorry to say neither Hubs nor I was impressed with this one.  I thought the amount of oil called for was excessive and reduced it by half.  I also reduced the sugar by half and it was still too sweet for us.  I guess this one just wasn’t for us.

This was not bad, but was also not anything special.

This recipe really caught my family's attention!  Most of my experiments with new meals get responses like "It's OK mom..", but this one was a big hit!

My picky boys (ages 5&amp;7) love this chicken.  They call it secret ingredient chicken because of the saffron, and request it often.

This recipe is relatively easy for the most part. I took the advice of previous reviews and nixxed the saffron for cost purposes. I would add a few extra shakes of the cayenne pepper though, because it does add more flavor. I've only tried this recipe on chicken breasts, not legs, thighs or wings, but I'm sure it's do-able.

This recipe is fun to try at least once. You might want to use a little less than what they recommend for olive oil and honey because there seemed to be a little too much. Plus you want to get the spices in there as much as poassible to hold he flavor, and if it's all olive oil and honey, then it tastes a little off.

This recipe is good if you're looking for something fast.  I agree that the saffron did not add a lot to the recipe but the garlic sure did.  I think that overall it would taste better if the marinating time was longer than the called for time on the recipe.  That way the flavors would be able to infuse better.  I did use a little less EVOO too.  Believe me... it was plenty.  I would try it again though and just marinate it longer.

This marinade is great!  I made minor changes to fit our tastes - I used only 3/4 cup EVOO; just a little less than 1/2 cup of sugar; and I cut the cayenne back to 1/2 tsp; and I use saffron.  This will definately be added to our weekly rotation.  Everyone loved it! Thank you!

Great when you don't have time to marinate.  The side of the grill with the chicken I kept on low but turned the other side to high to avoid flames and charring from the olive oil

fantastic! used a little more saffron than called for, and some ancho chille seeds instead of cayenne. I think next time I'll try the cayenne, absolutely delicious though!

Grilled over a low heat for about 10 minutes longer than specified, the chicken was exceptionally juicy and very, very delicious.  I thought initially that the 4 cloves of garlic would overpower the saffron, but I was wrong.  The saffron really does add a unique flavor and is worth the extra cost in my opinion - you are missing out if you don't at least try it.

This is delicious. I only use half the oil and sugar called for and never use the saffron, and it turns out great. I've grilled it, but on a rainy day, I decided to bake it and we enjoyed it even better. About 25 minutes at 400 and it was tender and tasty.

Wasn't able to try it with saffron but loved it without. Hopefully will get to try the full recipe soon!

Yummy...  Totally agreed, this is a great break from the soy based marinades.  We'll be adding this to our collection.  Skipped the saffron.  Good stuff.

OMG Sooo good. Omit sugar, double honey. Add 1 cup white wine and 2 tbs corn starch to marinade and boil. Bake 15 min each side at 350.

This recipe was great.  I didn't have any sage or saffron, so skipped out on those two but it was still delicious.  I was a little hesitant about the cayenne pepper because I am not one for spicy foods, but it didn't carry much kick - may even add more next time.  I cooked it on a George Foreman grill and it took about 5 minutes for each piece.

Sorry, not much flavor.  My wife and kids didn't like it either.

This was SOOOO very delicious and EASY!!!  I left out the saffron as everyone else said to...  I followed recipe except for that but I would cut the olive oil in half next time as it is a wasteful amount and half the amount gets the job done!!  We made this twice last week!!  This will be in my weekly rotation!

I made this exactly as written. I can't stress enough how unnecessary the saffron is! It adds nothing in color or flavor and it's too expensive to waste. This was also too sweet and I knew it would be but I wanted to give it a shot as written. I'm giving it 3 stars because it was juicy and I liked the spice mix but those are the only reasons. :o)

Good recipe however it will not be going into the regular recipe rotation.

I love this recipe. I didn't add saffron...I don't know what that is anyway and from the other reviews, others omitted it as well. LOVE the sweet and spicy flavor. I used chicken tenders and they were very moist and yummy good!

We also skipped on the saffron and cut back on the olive oil and it still came out great! Easy to grill and a great mix of sweet and spicy.

I thought that this would taste great from reading the rating and reviews. I followed the recipe exactly and was sorely disappointed.  I used 1/2 teaspoon of saffron and I think that's what ruined the flavor.  We grilled our large chicken breasts and I think the taste that I did not like was the very expensive saffron.  Next time I might try again, but without saffron.

husband didn't like it - didn't even finish it. I was okay with it, lacked definite flavor. Grilled. Marinated 24 hours. Otherwise no deviations.

Great recipe. I am slightly concerned by the eating chicken that has been marinating in a cup of oil though. So as much as I enjoyed it, it will be an infrequent meal at best.

LOVED this chicken.  We did cut the cayenne pepper down to 1/4 tsp. just because we don't like really spicy food.  Marinated it about 2 hours.  So moist and flavorful. Thanks for the recipe.  It's a keeper.

This recipe has potential to be five stars, but there is just too much oil as written.  All in all it is a great marinade and I will definitely use it again this summer!

This was so delicious!  I don't have a grill but it came out very nicely in the broiler.  Very moist, not dry at all.  I let it marinate for several hours instead of 25 minutes and didn't use the saffron because I didn't have any.  My fiance raved about it all through the meal!  Thanks for the recipe!

YUM YUM YUM! So good! Too lazy to fire up the grill though, so I just cooked it in a skillet and it was still great! (Also omitted the Saffron... And didn't happen to have cayenne pepper, so I used a little Tabasco sauce.)

Wow, was this good. I used 6 chicken breasts, since mine were fairly thin--and still had enough marinade leftover for 2 more chicken breasts!! (I'll be making those tomorrow for lunch!) I left out the saffron, b/c I don't usually have that on hand. Otherwise I made as written, and only marinated for an hour. It was amazing, caramelized to a really beautiful golden color. Flavor was phenomenal, I wouldn't change a thing. You do have to keep an eye on these while grilling, the sugar tends to want to burn if left over the heat too long.

It was definitely flavorful, and sweet. I didn't have saffron on hand so I didn't use it; basically I just used whatever herbs and spices I had (basil, thyme, cayenne, oregano, parsley) and I added a little paprika too. It tastes good, mmm.. However, I think the recipe calls for too much oil. Still very good, though.

This was an amazing recipe. The chicken was so moist and full of flavor!!!! Cant wait to have it again!!!!

Excellent! I used chicken legs.To make it more "light" (we are all on a diet) I substituted sugar substitute for the sugar and reduced the oil. Also, becuse I had it on hand, I added about 1/2 cup of hot chutney to the marianade. I removed all trace of marinade before cooking (baked in oven). Even hubby liked this and he hates chicken!

This was fine, nothing extra special.  It was sweet, so having the chicken on a salad would be good.  I thought the chicken was a little tough from the marinade.

I didn't use exact measurements of any of the ingredients. I used about 2 breasts and cut them in to strips. I did not have saffron, i added cilantro paste and lime juice. They turned out amazing on the grill and were a huge hit at the pool party

Five stars for flavor.
Just a note: we had to grill the marinated chicken using an indirect method because the marinade flamed.

This turned out great! I used 3 tbsp. of olive oil - 1 cup is way to much! I also did not use the sugar - but i did increase the amount of honey to about 2 tbsp. I used fresh basil and fresh parsley. It was raining outside - so i didn't grill it. I placed the chicken on skewers (my kids will basically eat anything on skewers...)and put it into the oven - on broil. It turned out fabulous! Update - I made this with salmon - I marinated it for about 24 hours and baked it covered! Served it over a bed of spinach. Super moist and very delicious and flavorful!

This is the second time I have made this and it is definitely a great tasting 5 star marinade.  I reduced the amount of oil and replaced with a little water (still very thick).  I added a little extra honey.  I did not use saffron for the obvious cost reason.  The marinade has a nice sweet &amp; garlic flavor with a slightly spicy aftertaste.  As I like things hot, I added extra chipotle pepper along with the cayenne pepper.  I also marinated the chicken for about 7 hours (instead of 20 or so) since I forgot to make the marinade the night before.  I placed on a medium, preheated grill, brushed more marinade on, grilled for 5 minutes, flipped for three cycles and then grilled an additional 5 minuets.  I served with rice and a small tossed salad.  Turned out great!

My husband made this for me for my birthday. I'm a very picky eater so he got extra points for spending so much time making sure it was something I'd like. And if I like it, I know you will too!

Delicious!!  Perfect alternative to BBQ sauce for family picnics!

The flavor of this recipe was fantastic! I have made it twice now. It is so quick and easy and tastes wonderful. The second time I made it I didn't marinate it for very long, it was still good but it's way better when it has had a good amount of time to marinate.

This is so yum!! By far one of the best chicken recipes I have ever made!!! I omitted the saffron and grilled it on low (still only needed to cook for 15-20 mins) so as to prevent it from charring as I don't like the tasted of charred foods. It turned out juicy and tender and just plain delicious!! Highly recommended!

I really enjoyed this zesty grilled garlic-herb chicken. Brilliant flavor. Everyone asked for seconds.

So Juicy! I would cut the oil and sugar as there is more marinade than necessary for chicken but really one of the best chicken recipes I've made in a long time.

So many people complained about the saffron that I omitted it. I also slightly reduced the oil and sugar since I only did 3 chicken breasts. The sugar turned into a nice glaze on the grill though! I think I'll add jalapenos next time to make it hot...

not a big fan of chicken myself, but my sister who is couldn't get enough!
She's made it regularly since her first taste.

I'm giving only 4 stars because I modified the recipe, but it turned out fantastic. I made this for my mom for Mother's Day because she said she wanted grilled chicken that was flavored with garlic and herbs, but not sweet. So I started with the crushed garlic and the dried spices (except saffron and sage because I didn't have any on hand) then added a few tablespoons of olive oil and the honey, but left out the sugar. I had watched the video on this site about making marinades, and they said that something acidic like lemon juice or vinegar helps tenderize the meat and keep it moist. So I then added enough white wine vinegar and more olive oil to make a good marinade consistency. I let 3 boneless chicken breasts marinate overnight, turning once, and grilled the next afternoon. They were delicious! The only change I might make would be to put in less salt because I felt it was a little on the salty side, but my parents thought it was fine. I think because I marinated it longer it may have picked up more salt from the marinade than it would have if it had only been 20 minutes or so. But it was so good that my mom wants me to make it for my brother's wedding rehearsal dinner this fall!

This is an easy and tasty dish. I substituted Splenda for sugar to cut down on calories with no noticeable difference. The herb combination with the sweetness gives it a nice flavor and the saffron adds an appealing color to the grilled chicken.

Made this this evening. Barely had time to marinate it for 30 minutes but it still tasted great. I didn't use the saffron because I didn't have it. Used 3/4 cup of olive oil. Will definitely put this into the dinner rotation.

Interesting blend of sweet and hot. I will probably add just a touch more Cayenne pepper next time. I did omit the saffron as I didn't have any on hand. I also marinated the chicken overnight. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks, Bessy!

Made this recipe this evening for my husband and I and I have to say that I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be.  My husband did love it, though.  For me, the flavor was almost too subtle.  I liked the addition of the saffron and garlic, but I would add more cayenne next time to give it a little more tang.  As it was it was a little too sweet for my tastes.  May make again.

NO GRILL? NO WORRIES! Ok, this was super easy and soooo good! I was looking for a quick weeknight recipe to use items already on hand and I struck gold with this one. I used all ingredients except the saffron, which I didn't have on hand, and cut the sugar and oil in half. I also didn't grill the chicken. Instead, I cut the breasts into bite size pieces before marinating for about an hour, then dumped it all in my sautee pan. The chicken pieces browned beautifully and cooked to perfection as the marinade reduced into a lovely glaze. I tossed in steamed broccoli at the last minute and served over rice. The kids loved it! We will definitely be adding this to our regular rotation!

This brought rave reviews from my usually picky crew. I used a fork to poke holes in the chicken and then marinated it in a plastic bag with all the air removed for about 3 hours. I will be making this again!!

I love the flavor all the spices give the chicken,I do not use the safron and I use 1 tsp of honey instead of a 1/2 tsp.

This was delicious and our dinner guests raved.  Quick and easy and with just the right zing.

Absolutely delicious! The whole family loved it. I did omit the saffron, and used 1/4 less oil. I oven baked the chicken rather than use the grill, was still incredibly flavourful and different. The gravy went perfectly over garlic mashed potatoes. Will definitely be making again!

delicious!  I skipped the saffron.  Great recipe.

so delicious! I halved the oil, used the saffron. I doubled the spices while I was mixing that many. I used half for the marinade and reserved half on pan-fried squash the next day. it was all so good.

Great blend of flavors and a crowd favorite.Great Recipe

I followed the suggestions about cutting the olive oil in half.  I think I will omit the sugar next time, and keep the honey.  I LOVED this unique recipe.  We grill chicken all of the time and this was a very nice change of pace!

Super easy and so, so tasty. I did cut out the white sugar, used 1/4 cup of Splenda and a full tablespoon of honey. I skipped the saffron; didn't have any and don't think it has much flavor anyway.

Fabulous!  I cut the sugar in half and omitted the safron.  I thought it was still a bit sweet, but my husband disagreed.  It grilled up nice and crispy on the outside and moist and flavorful on the inside.  This one's a keeper!  Thanks!

This was a little too sweet for us, even after having cut back the sugar a little.  I will try it again without the honey and sugar.

Oh my goodness, this is the best!  We always use boneless breasts and make sandwiches out of them (on hamburger buns with lots of mayo, lettuce, tomato and onion) and they are heaven!!!  The longer you marinate them, the better!  My husband always grumbles about how hard they are to grill without burning (sugar and oil) but it's always well worth it!  You won't be sorry!!!

I make this on a monthly basis...my family absolutely loves this marinated. I have cooked my chicken on the skillet and on the grill. My favorite way to prepare is on the skillet. Highly recommended

bessy's zesty grilled garlic-herb chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total: 1 hours, 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Cost: $16.60 /serving

Author : Mildred Smith

Ingredients

Instructions

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