The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe makes chicken extra juicy and flavorful. This savory grilled chicken marinade makes the perfect mouthwatering grilled chicken! Everyone loves this 5-star-rated chicken marinade.
The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe
Do you want to make the most flavorful, mouthwatering, juicy grilled chicken? I have the recipe for you and all of the secrets to the best chicken marinade! This recipe has consistently received 5-star reviews for over 5 years and is the most popular chicken 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 will become a staple in your home too!
Chicken Marinade Ingredients:
Everything you need is most likely in your pantry and refrigerator. This is all about layers upon layers of flavor from fresh lemon juice to tangy balsamic vinegar. It makes the most flavorful grilled chicken!
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.
What do I love about this Grilled Chicken?
The extra virgin olive oil keeps the chicken extra moist and juicy.
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 harmony to make the perfect chicken marinade!
How long should I marinate chicken?
The key is to let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes. This allows the marinade ingredients to infuse flavors and moisture into the chicken for the juiciest, most flavorful chicken you will ever eat!
Pierce the chicken breasts with a fork all over to ensure the marinade can seep into the chicken to make it juicy. What is an ideal amount of time to marinate chicken? An ideal marinating time is 4 - 5 hours.
How to grill chicken and how long to cook grilled chicken?
To grill the chicken, set your grill at medium heat. Allow it to preheat before placing the chicken on the grill.
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. I suggest using a food thermometer for ensure the perfectly cooked and juiciest grilled chicken.
What type of chicken should I use?
Use whatever types of chicken you prefer -- chicken breasts, thinly sliced chicken breasts, chicken tenders, or chicken thighs.
Thinly sliced chicken breast will cook faster than traditional chicken breasts. Chicken tenders and thinly sliced chicken breast will cook much quicker than thick chicken breasts so watch carefully.
What should I serve with grilled chicken marinade?
Some of my favorite recipes to serve with grilled chicken are:
Loaded Potato Salad with Bacon
Another great marinade is my Tri-Tip Steak Marinade.
I can't wait to hear how much you love this grilled chicken recipe!
The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe
Equipment
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.
Notes
What type of chicken should I use?
Use whatever types of chicken you prefer -- chicken breasts, thinly sliced chicken breasts, chicken tenders, or chicken thighs.Nutrition
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Happy Cooking, my friends!
Melissa
I doubled the recipe and added two tablespoons of chopped dehydrated onions, one tablespoon of pickling spice, one teaspoon white pepper, half a teaspoon of ground ginger, and half a cup of my favorite gingerale. The original recipe was great, but this just elevated it to a whole new level of yumminess.
RK
I have made this marinade a few times now just to be sure it wasn't a fluke and I have to say it's one of the easiest and best tasting I've come across. I've let the chicken sit in it for as little as an hour and as long as overnight and it's just as good either way. Something about the ingredients gives the chicken just the right amount of sweet and savory all the while keeping it juicy. I've both grilled and baked the chicken and while baking it was still good, grilling really makes the flavors come to life.
Katie
So good! We followed the recipe and cooking instructions and it turned out great!! Moist and delicious! Lots of flavor. We also spooned marinade over the chicken as it was grilling. Will make again!!
Modern Honey
I love to hear it! I am so happy you enjoyed the chicken marinade. We love it too! Have a great day.
Laura
Excellent marinade! Used bone in chicken breasts then grilled to perfection! Moist and delicious!
Thanks for the recipe.
Natalie
Excellent! I followed the instructions but instead of grilling them, I tossed them in breadcrumbs and baked in the oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. They came out great!
Modern Honey
Love that idea, Natalie! Thank you for sharing!
Hayley
Delish! Used thighs, chargrilled them so they have a nice crust and used extra marinade for salad dressing.. Will be on regular rotation 🙂
Gina
This sounds amazing... any ideas on what to sub the brown sugar for? I don’t like to use sugar. Wondering if stevia, or honey are good alternatives.
Tasia
maple syrup worked really well & honey would be great too!
Jonathan Steinberg
Liked this recipe a lot. Left out the salt for health reasons. While chicken was grilling, heated remaining marinade and added ketchup and celery seed to turn it into barbecue sauce.
Jonathan
Wow, this was excellent! "The best" is not an exaggeration! This is definitely going into my recipe arsenal. I like it because it's generic, so it could be incorporated into any recipe that requires chicken. Thanks so much!
Modern Honey
Hi Jonathan! I love to hear that you love the chicken marinade! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to write a comment. Have a great day!
Lisa
I apologize if this question was already asked as I have not read through all the comments but would this marinade be good to freeze the chicken in? I am trying to get as much prep done ahead of time but was not sure if it would work because of the lemon.
Modern Honey
Hi Lisa! That's a great question. You can absolutely freeze the chicken with this marinade. Since it literally stops the process, the lemon juice is completely fine. That's a great idea to do it ahead of time and just freeze it. Hope it turns out amazing!
Hannah
Hi Melissa! I love the sounds of this recipe and I can't wait to try it- but, I have no brown sugar on hand, only honey. Is it possible to sub honey for brown sugar or will I be completely ruining it?
Emily
I used maple syrup as I had somehow run out of honey and didn't want to use sugar, and it was delicious! This was such a lovely recipe. I mixed the ingredients straight in the ziplock bag - no cleaning up, an such a tasty result! I am going to try adding crushed ginger next time, but loved it just as it was! This will be one to keep - thanks so much for sharing, Melissa!
Herbalchef
Maple syrup....brilliant!
Tasia
I substituted pure maple syrup & it was delicious, so I’m sure that honey would be great too!!!
Lisa
Follwed direction almost exactly i didnt have lemons and or lemon juice on hand so i did use lime juice instead and wow it wotked great nice flavoring. I marinaded the chicken breast for 2hrs before grilling, the recipe said 4 to 5hrs would be ideal but i couldnt i didnt have that much time to do it that way so thought a couple was better than 30 minutes. Family enjoyed it as well thank u 4 sharing.
Claire
Hi Melissa, what starch/vegetable/sides do you like to serve with this chicken?
Genie
This was amazing! Even better was that I made up some extra (without the salt and sugar with extra garlic of course) and put it on a salad to go with the chicken. This is going to be one of our goto dinners forever! Thank you!
Modern Honey
Awww thank you! I love hearing that! What a great idea to use it as a dressing as well. Brilliant! Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it!
Kelly
I'm using a whole chicken and I'm gonna cook it in the oven
Modern Honey
Awesome! This is such a versatile recipe and can be used in so many ways -- whole chicken, breasts, thighs, etc. I hope you loved it! Thanks for trying my recipe.
Cookie
Hello, L !
I baked this and it was scrumptious ! Afterward, broiled cheese on top... it was fabulous.
Modern Honey
What a fabulous idea! Cheese broiled on top makes everything better. I will try it next time. Thanks for sharing!
Darnell
My god, sorry to use his name in vein. I happen to look this recipe up and followed it although I used more chicken then it said I just added a bit more of each ingredient. And it came out GREAT "best chicken ever my daughters"said. So thank you
Modern Honey
Haha thank you, Darnell! I appreciate it so much and am so glad you and your daughters loved it. Thank you for taking the time to comment. Have a great one!
Craig
Wow, there are a lot of pages that say "Best Chicken Marinade", but they lie. This really is the best. It has a great blend of flavors, smells great while grilling, and gives chicken a nice dark color with grill marks. Very tender, don't overcook! Well done, chef.
Modern Honey
You made my day, Craig! Thank you so much! I am so happy you loved the marinade. Thanks for taking the time to comment and rate it. Have a great night!
Caroline S
I live in Arizona, so during the winter months we have a ton of lemons growing on our trees. I am always looking for recipes that use lemons, so this one caught my eye! It was so easy and so yummy...I have grilled it and have also cooked it in a skillet....both turned out fantastic! This recipe is a keeper!
Modern Honey
Hi Caroline! I am a fellow Arizona foodie and love when the lemons are growing on the trees! I am so glad you loved the marinade. Thanks for your kind message.
Mandy
Pop your chicken and marinade in a ziplock and freeze them. Take them out the day before you need them.
This way you can bulk prep, it gets lots of lovely time to marinade and it's an easy dinner.
I add a couple of tablespoons of water (so it doesn't burn) and bake in the oven. Add some roasted broccoli and rice. Perfect.
Oliva Koning
HI, this looks amazing! I'm a college student but don't have a grill 🙁 is there a way took in the oven or in a pan on the stove?
L
Not sure if oven would be better but I personally do pan on the stove, works fine
Modern Honey
Hi Olivia! Great question. Thanks for stopping by! I have a daughter leaving for college in a few months so I am trying to send her off with easy recipes to make at home. You can absolutely saute this chicken in a skillet or cook it in the oven. I would suggest cooking it on medium heat for about 5-6 minutes per side, or until no longer pink. I hope that helps!
Danielle
HI there, how long to cook in the oven and at what temp? I plan to make this tonight!
Tina
Hi Modern Honey, really dumb question but what's the green garnish you topped the grilled chicken with in the image? Id love to prepare this dish exactly as shown in the picture and wanted to know what it is (super intro cook here)
Haley
It's fresh parsley 🙂
Mellisa
I made this recipe in the oven at 375 degress for 45 minutes. Then I took it out of the juices (I doubled the recipe on every ingredient so as to have juice for the jasmine rice) & placed it on a foil lined pan to broil them for only 1-2 minutes. I then returned it to the original pan. Broiling It gave the outside skin a slightly burnt look but it made the marinade on the skin taste so yummy. Make sure you broil the chicken away from the juices because the juice can catch on fire. My husband thanked me multiple times for dinner & said it was one of his favorite meals now. & our guests loved it. Their 4 year old was licking the bowl! This was so freaking easy & perfect!
Deanna
Did you cook the rice in the remaining marinade juice?
Joe
Yes
Karliee
You could bake it at about 350 for ten mins but whatcha it and flip halfway through if temp isn't 165 cook additional 10 mins flipped halfway through until Temp reaches 165° F