This week's pick: Lemon-Garlic Grilled Chicken

Genevieve Ko's Lemon-Garlic Grilled Chicken Breasts is the recipe to cook this week. The NYT Cooking page lists 45 minutes total time, 4 to 8 servings, 7 ingredients, and 105 ratings at 5 stars. 1

It wins because it is direct instead of fussy. Ko's recipe uses boneless skinless chicken breasts, lemon, garlic, olive oil, and fresh herbs, and the recipe notes say the breasts can be marinated up to 4 hours and refrigerated leftovers keep for 5 days. 1

Get the recipe: Lemon-Garlic Grilled Chicken Breasts on NYT Cooking.

The strongest alternative from the same window was Yotam Ottolenghi's Roasted Chicken and Zucchini With Caper-Basil Vinaigrette, which posted on July 7, runs 1 hour 40 minutes, serves 6, uses 20 ingredients, and has 38 ratings at 5 stars. 2 That is a better weekend roast than a weeknight default.

Andy Baraghani's Brothy Meatballs With Greens was also close. It takes 35 minutes, serves 4, uses 14 ingredients, and reached 77 ratings at 5 stars this week, but it leans more toward a composed stovetop bowl than a straightforward grill recipe. 3

The strongest non-NYT candidate was u/cactuschip's Hamburger Builder Bowls, which drew 459 upvotes and 103 comments on r/MealPrepSunday and packs 580 calories and 50 grams of protein per serving. 4 It is impressive, but it behaves more like a meal-prep system than a single recipe a reader can cook without committing to a whole prep day.

Ko's method matters because the chicken breasts are flattened before grilling, which the recipe frames as the key to better texture and more even chewing. 1 If you usually end up with dry chicken breast, that step is the point to pay attention to.

The ingredient list is approachable. The recipe uses pantry-level basics plus fresh herbs, and the herbs can run through parsley, cilantro, basil, or mint depending on what you have. 1

The comment section is useful because it shows both the upside and the risk. One cook said the chicken came out "truly moist and flavorful" and another praised how straightforward the recipe is, while a critical comment said the breast came out dry. 1

That leaves a clean decision. Cook it if you want a fast grilled dinner with normal grocery-store ingredients and leftovers that hold up. Skip it if you want a weekend project, because the longer roast chicken and the more elaborate meal-prep bowls both demand more time or more moving parts. 2 4