The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe makes chicken extra juicy and flavorful. This savory marinade makes grilled chicken mouthwatering!
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.
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 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.
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.
- 2 lbs. Chicken Breasts Tenders, or Thighs
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil depending on preference
- 3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced or 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
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- Garnish:
- Fresh Parsley
- 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.
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Happy Cooking, my friends!
This is a permanent fixture for a go to marinade. Thank you for this.
Excellent marinade!! Savory, sweet, and tangy. Flavorful and moist chicken which I served with vegetable rice pilaf.
I used this marinade on chicken tenders, then grilled them on the stove top in a cast-iron griddle pan.
I come back to this marinade over and over again and it never fails! It takes your chicken to a whole new level.
Hello Maam! Can I use turbo griller than the usual? Thank you
Can you do this without the sugar?
I forgot to add the sugar last time I made it, and it was still delicious!
This is a fabulous marinade. Very simple to prepare, and gives the chicken a very deep flavor. This will be a go to for a long time.
Added a little cilantro and onion to the marinade. Very delicious 😉
Delicious indeed
Can you bake these in the oven instead? If so, what temperature and for how long?
I marinated some large breasts for about 24 hours. Seared on each side in a pan and then finished in the oven, checking the internal temperature didn’t rise above 68c. I served these in flour tortillas with roasted mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. My son originally just used the chicken- cold, and his favorite salad bits. But all of the roasted veg and meat used the cooking juices. My son said, ‘I wish I had waited for the roasted version’. This would be a perfect pick for summer kebabs in toasted pitta bread with a fabulous minted yoghurt sauce.
This recipe is a keeper for me. The chicken breasts were very tender and the marinade was excellent. Thank you for posting this recipe.
Amazing recipe!! Chicken was very tender and delicious!