• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Modern Honey
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Top 20
  • Subscribe
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Top 20
    • Subscribe
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe

    Published: Mar 5, 2018 · Modified: Aug 9, 2018 by Melissa Stadler · This post may contain affiliate links · 499 Comments

    80696 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    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.
    4.97 from 408 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 40 minutes mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6
    Calories 224 kcal

    Equipment

    • mixing bowl set

    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!

    More Dinner

    • This Caprese Tortellini is made with cheese Tortellini tossed with sauteed garlic and tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella and spices. This fresh tortellini caprese pasta is perfect for summer!
      Caprese Tortellini
    • Creamy Homemade Chicken Salad made with tender chicken, crunchy celery, green onion, sweet grapes, and crunchy almonds in a mayonnaise dressing. This is a classic chicken salad recipe that everyone loves and is perfect for a quick lunch or potluck.
      Chicken Salad
    • This is the easiest baked chicken recipe that is so flavorful and juicy. This homemade spice rub is perfect for oven baked chicken and makes it perfectly spiced. I am sharing my tips for making the best baked chicken.
      Juicy Baked Chicken
    • This Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe is the most tender, flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth beef roast recipe and is made with only five ingredients. This is the best beef pot roast recipe ever and is slow cooked in a crockpot.
      Mississippi Pot Roast (Best Pot Roast Recipe)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Alan Moore

      June 05, 2023 at 3:39 pm

      5 stars
      Had this on the bbq and it was fantastic, very tasty and the lemon gives it a nice clean taste. I whizzed mine with a bamix blended it. Nicely

      Reply
    2. Elizabeth

      June 01, 2023 at 4:54 pm

      5 stars
      Welcome to Flavor Town! I doubled the recipe using a cup of olive oil. My kids can't have soy sauce so I substituted coconut aminos, and I substituted Swerve "brown sugar" instead of the real brown sugar. I also used garlic powder and salt to taste (we probably used more than the recommended amount of the garlic powder). Do yourself a favor and marinate overnight. I did 24 hours because I was going to marinate for only and hour before dinner, but decided to wait until the next evening's dinner to get max flavor. So glad I did.

      Reply
    3. Claire

      May 27, 2023 at 2:59 pm

      5 stars
      Fantastic! So simple and the best flavor. We marinated overnight.

      Reply
      • Jenny

        June 01, 2023 at 9:00 am

        I have a bunch of limes that need to be used. Would that be just as tasty as lemon?

        Reply
    4. Alicia oakes

      May 24, 2023 at 1:28 pm

      Have you tried like instead of lemon? We tend to prefer the lime zing versus lemon in our household?

      Reply
      • Alicia oakes

        May 24, 2023 at 1:29 pm

        *lime instead of lemon 🤦‍♀️

        Reply
        • Rachel Severson

          May 26, 2023 at 4:03 am

          5 stars
          I’ve used lime instead of lemon and we like lime better in this recipe. It’s my go to chicken marinade. We just eliminate garlic because of sensitivities.

          Reply
    5. BJT

      May 15, 2023 at 8:50 am

      This is now my go to grilled chicken marinade. Turns out delicious every time and always get rave reviews from friends.

      Reply
    6. Travis

      May 13, 2023 at 9:16 pm

      5 stars
      This marinade is hands down the go to in our family. My daughter, and her husband adopted it as well, and now it’s a favorite of theirs! Thank you very much for this mouth watering marinade!
      One question, do you think it’s ok to not pierce the chicken if marinating overnight?

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    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!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Chinese Orange Chicken that is better than take-out. How to make ORANGE CHICKEN at home with a sweet orange sauce. www.modernhoney.com
      Chinese Orange Chicken
    • 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
    • Levain Bakery Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies. The BEST Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie Recipe. The perfect chocolate chip walnut cookies. #levainbakery #chocolatechipwalnutcookies #chocolatechipcookies
      Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Crush Cookies
    • The Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe. Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies. The popular cinnamon-sugar soft and chewy sugar cookie recipe. A recipe that has been in the family for over 30 years! #snickerdoodle #snickerdoodles #snickerdoodlecookies #snickerdoodlecookie #cookie #cookies #christmascookies #christmascookies www.modernhoney.com
      The Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

    Recent Recipes

    • Soft, chewy sugar cookies filled with sprinkles and white chocolate. This festive funfetti cookie recipe has the perfect chewy center with buttery crisp edges filled with rainbow sprinkles.
      Confetti Sprinkle Cookies
    • How to make the best pasta salad with Italian meats, cheese, pasta, and vegetables, all tossed with a homemade creamy red wine vinaigrette. This is such an easy, popular pasta salad recipe.
      Italian Pasta Salad
    • These are the Best Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies that are perfectly soft and chewy with crisp edges and ooey gooey centers filled with chocolate and toffee chunks.
      Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Soft, chewy thick Levain Bakery Caramel Coconut Cookies made with rich caramel, sweet coconut flakes, and semisweet chocolate chips. This seasonal Levain Bakery cookie recipe is the perfect coconut caramel cookie.
      Levain Bakery Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Info

    About

    Recipe Index

    Travel

    Privacy Policy

    Contact

    melissa@modernhoney.com

    Subscribe to my Recipes

    Follow

    Instagram

    Facebook

    Pinterest

    TikTok

    Copyright © 2023 Modern Honey