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    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe

    Published: Mar 5, 2018 · Modified: Aug 9, 2018 by Modern Honey · This post may contain affiliate links · 464 Comments

    78092 shares
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    The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe makes chicken extra juicy and flavorful. This savory marinade makes grilled chicken mouthwatering!

    The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe makes chicken extra juicy and flavorful. This savory marinade makes grilled chicken mouthwatering! This Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe is made with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. The perfect chicken marinade recipe! www.modernhoney.com

    The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe

    When we were newly married, we lived near Dean's brother, his wife, and two kids. We were living in an apartment, going to college full-time, and working crazy hours to pay the bills. We were poor little college students and would love when Deron and Sarah would invite us over for dinner. Their go-to meal was grilled chicken in a delish marinade. They knew how much we loved it so we ate it almost every time we had dinner at their home.

    So I had to ask her what was in this amazing chicken marinade recipe. It is beyond simple! I decided to tweak it and add a few more flavors to make it extra tangy and zesty.

    The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe makes chicken extra juicy and flavorful. This savory marinade makes grilled chicken mouthwatering! This Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe is made with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. The perfect chicken marinade recipe! www.modernhoney.com

    This Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe is made with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar,  Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. You have such a variety of seasonings in this marinade.

    The extra virgin olive oil keeps the chicken extra moist and juicy. The fresh lemon juice and balsamic vinegar break down the fibers in the chicken to make it tender. The soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce give it a salty depth of flavor. The brown sugar adds some rich sweetness and gives the chicken a nice crust when grilled. All of the ingredients work together in such harmony to make the perfect chicken marinade!

    The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe makes chicken extra juicy and flavorful. This savory marinade makes grilled chicken mouthwatering! This Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe is made with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. The perfect chicken marinade recipe! www.modernhoney.com

    The key is to let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes. Pierce the chicken breasts with a fork all over to ensure the marinade can seep into the chicken to make it juicy.  An idea marinating time is 4 - 5 hours.

    To grill the chicken, set your grill at medium heat.  Allow it to preheat before adding the chicken.  To keep the chicken from sticking, brush a bit of oil on the grill. Cook for about 5 - 6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the chicken breast. The chicken needs to reach 165 degrees to ensure that it is completely cooked through.

    The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe makes chicken extra juicy and flavorful. This savory marinade makes grilled chicken mouthwatering! This Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe is made with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. The perfect chicken marinade recipe! www.modernhoney.com

    Use whatever types of chicken you prefer -- chicken breasts, thinly sliced chicken breasts, chicken tenders, or chicken thighs.  Chicken tenders and thinly sliced chicken breast will cook much quicker than thick chicken breasts so watch carefully.

    The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe makes chicken extra juicy and flavorful. This savory marinade makes grilled chicken mouthwatering! This Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe is made with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. The perfect chicken marinade recipe! www.modernhoney.com

    The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe makes chicken extra juicy and flavorful. This savory marinade makes grilled chicken mouthwatering! This Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe is made with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. The perfect chicken marinade recipe! www.modernhoney.com

    The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe

    Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey
    The best chicken marinade for juicy flavorful grilled chicken.
    4.96 from 285 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6
    Calories 224 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 lbs. Chicken Breasts Tenders, or Thighs
    • ⅓ - ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil depending on preference
    • 3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
    • 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
    • 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
    • ¼ cup Brown Sugar
    • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
    • 3 Garlic Cloves minced or ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
    • 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
    • 1 teaspoon Pepper

    • Garnish:
    • Fresh Parsley

    Instructions
     

    • In a bowl, stir together oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper.
    • Pierce chicken breasts with a fork all over. Place in a large Ziploc bag. Pour marinade over chicken.
    • Let marinate for at least 30 minutes. 4 - 5 hours is ideal.
    • Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush grill with oil to prevent sticking.
    • Place chicken on the grill. Cook for approximately 5 - 6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of chicken. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 degrees.
    • Remove chicken from grill and let rest for 5 minutes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 224kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 33gFat: 3gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 1291mgPotassium: 633mgSugar: 10gVitamin A: 45IUVitamin C: 5.5mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1.1mg
    Keyword Grilled Chicken
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    PIN on PINTEREST:

    The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe makes chicken extra juicy and flavorful. This savory marinade makes grilled chicken mouthwatering! This Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe is made with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. The perfect chicken marinade recipe! www.modernhoney.com

    Happy Cooking, my friends!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sarah

      September 26, 2022 at 5:09 am

      If weather is bad, can the chicken be cooked in the air fryer after marinating? I know it can be baked but do love my air fryer! Thank you and this marinade is delicious as we have already used it for grilling. Piercing the breasts is a great way to absorb the flavors and make the chicken more tender!

      Reply
      • Vicki Wolfe

        October 20, 2022 at 9:21 am

        Have you tried with pork tenderloin? Chicken was really good

        Reply
        • Lynda Mcclintic

          November 26, 2022 at 10:35 am

          I used this recipe on shrimp. Yum Yum!!!!!!!

          Reply
      • Ash

        January 11, 2023 at 1:59 pm

        This recipe is awesome… even though I missed one ingredient and also added additional two ingredients in this it came out sooo goood. So i missed Worcestershire Sauce and added some chilli powder as i love spicy and a little bit of garam masala and chicken masala. With some coconut powder( made by my mom) and its sooo goood

        Reply
    2. Karin

      October 05, 2022 at 3:23 pm

      5 stars
      I air fried these thighs after marinating them for about 7 minutes at 380 degrees F. They were so juicy, and the flavor was excellent. They were definitely a huge hit and we'll make them again. Thank you for this!

      Reply
      • Sarah

        December 10, 2022 at 5:30 am

        7 minutes each side or total?

        Reply
    3. Debbie Ja

      October 09, 2022 at 2:43 pm

      Could I use this marinate for chicken legs and thighs or is it better to use chicken breast?

      Reply
      • Priscilla

        November 01, 2022 at 11:25 am

        5 stars
        Debbie Ja - You can absolutely use this marinade on chicken legs and thighs! It is so delicious.

        Reply
    4. Carley

      October 09, 2022 at 7:33 pm

      5 stars
      So I used this, it was delicious. I don’t normally measure things out, so I kinda eyeballed everything. I also forgot the brown sugar, added onion powder, and then when the chicken was on the grill I sprinkled on some crushed red pepper. Big fan. Definitely a good marinade!

      Reply
    5. Jessica Magyar

      October 11, 2022 at 6:05 am

      5 stars
      Best ever

      Reply
    6. Lori

      October 17, 2022 at 3:02 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve made this chicken several times. It truly is the best marinade ever! The chicken is always so moist and flavourful! Typically, I serve tzatziki with chicken however, this is so moist, I skip the tzatziki. It’s just a delicious left over! Thanks for this amazing recipe!

      Reply
      • Sabrina

        November 11, 2022 at 12:38 pm

        Can this be cooked in the oven?!! Pled tell me the temperature if so 🥹🥹

        Reply
    7. Cynthia

      November 22, 2022 at 5:29 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent. Enough said.

      Reply
      • Modern Honey

        November 22, 2022 at 6:28 pm

        Awww thank you so much, Cynthia! So happy you loved the chicken marinade recipe!

        Reply
    8. Megan

      December 02, 2022 at 7:52 am

      5 stars
      Favorite marinade ever. Been using it for 3 years now and it always gets rave reviews. So easy and quick!

      Reply
    9. MARY

      December 15, 2022 at 6:17 am

      2 stars
      CAN YOU MARINADE CHICKEN OVER NIGHT?
      IS IT BEST TO ONLY MARINADE CHICKEN FOR 4 TO 5 HOURS?
      I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO TRYING THIS MARINADE OUT THIS WEEKEND,
      THANK YOU!

      Reply
    10. Steph S.

      December 18, 2022 at 10:47 am

      What would be baking instructions be? Thanks

      Reply
    11. Stephanie Anderson

      January 13, 2023 at 2:25 pm

      4 stars
      Would this be a good marinade for salmon. I loved it with chicken

      Reply
    12. Jason

      January 21, 2023 at 11:07 am

      I'd like to reiterate the earlier questions I see here:

      Can those of us without a grill bake in the oven instead?
      Is there any harm in marinating overnight, or even longer?

      Reply
    13. K

      January 31, 2023 at 1:31 am

      I see this marinade identical to mine lol accept I’ve been adding Oyster Sauce as well so tasty

      I will try baking in the with tin foil to see how much difference their is and give their fryer a break one less step in clean up 😃

      Reply
    14. Angelica

      January 31, 2023 at 3:49 pm

      Can you marinade overnight?

      Reply
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    Melissa Stadler Modern Honey

    Hi, I'm Melissa Stadler! I am an Award-Winning Recipe Creator. Cover of Food Network Magazine. Two-Time Pillsbury Bake-Off Finalist. I am passionate about sharing the best recipes so you have success in the kitchen!

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