Most grilled chicken breast is boring because of how it gets cut. Butterflying splits the breast in half and leaves you with a flat slab where every fiber runs the same direction. First bite is good. By the third you are just chewing.

This recipe fixes that with a different cut, and the difference is bigger than it sounds.

Cut it like shutters

Lay a breast smooth side down with the thick end away from you. Cut a deep slit down the middle of its length without going all the way through. Then pry that slit open, turn the knife flat and parallel to the board, and slice out to the left without cutting through the edge. Repeat to the right.

What you end up with is two flaps opening outward from the center like window shutters, and one broad flat piece of meat. Smack the lumpy parts down with your palm. Do not pound hard enough to tear it.

It will not look neat. It will not be symmetrical. That is fine and it is the point. The fibers are now shorter and running in several directions at once, so every bite chews slightly differently.

Grate the garlic instead of mincing it

Zest the lemon straight into the bowl with a fine grater, then run the peeled garlic cloves over the same grater.

Grated garlic goes to paste and disperses through the marinade completely. Minced garlic stays in pieces, and pieces sitting on the surface of chicken over a hot grill burn before the meat is done. Burnt garlic is bitter and it will be the only thing you taste.

Two full cups of chopped herbs go in after that. Parsley, cilantro, basil, mint or any mix of them, leaves and tender stems both. That is a lot of herbs and it is meant to be. They are a component here rather than a garnish.

Fifteen minutes is enough

This marinade works fast because the surface area is enormous now that the meat is flattened out.

Fifteen minutes at room temperature is all you need if you are grilling straight away. If you want to get ahead, cover it and refrigerate up to four hours, then pull it out right as the grill is heating so it loses the chill.

Longer is not better here. Lemon juice is acidic and given several hours it starts to firm the outside of the meat into something chalky.

Getting the grill right

Heat it to the higher end of medium-high. The test is holding your hand five inches above the grate. You should be able to hold it there three to five seconds before pulling away.

Clean the grates with a brush if anything is stuck, then oil them properly. Wad up a paper towel, soak it in oil, grip it with tongs and rub it across the grate. Skip this and thin flattened chicken will weld itself to the metal.

Lay the chicken down with whatever marinade clings to it, spread flat in a single layer. Cook three to five minutes until the underside is deeply browned and releases from the grate on its own. If it sticks when you try to lift it, it is not ready. Wait.

Flip and go another two to three minutes. Check the center with a paring knife. The meat should be just opaque all the way through and still visibly juicy.

Rest it, then serve

Five minutes on a platter before slicing. Chicken this thin loses its juice fast if you cut into it straight off the heat.

Serve with lemon wedges. The squeeze at the table is not optional in my opinion, it wakes the whole thing back up after resting.

No outdoor grill? A cast iron grill pan on the stovetop does this well. Heat it over high, oil it lightly, and cook in batches so you are not crowding the pan. Same rule applies, turn the meat when it releases on its own.

Leftovers keep five days refrigerated in an airtight container and they are good cold in a sandwich.

Why the herbs go in whole handfuls

Two cups sounds excessive until you have eaten it. Chopped fine and mixed with oil and lemon, the herbs form a loose paste that coats the meat rather than sitting on it. Some of it chars on the grill and that char is a big part of the flavor.

Feeding four or eight

Two pounds of chicken is four generous portions or eight smaller ones alongside sides. Flattened breasts look larger than they are, which helps when you are stretching a meal.