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!
Emerald
Have been making this for a year now and can def say its excellent! Ive even been occasionally omitting certain different ingredients except for oil and vinegar and still always awesome! Thank you so much for this recipe ♡ ♧
Sandra
In Canada, this is the first long weekend of the summer calling for BBQ!
It is delicious and going in my recipe book.
I reduced sugar to 2 Tbsp
Tip
I kept some marinade reserved before mixing the raw chicken to drizzle on my cooked chicken! I was practically drinking it because it is so yummy!
Sarah
Hi, Can you use this marinade for regular sautee chicken?
Laura
Of course. You can use this marinade and cook the chicken many different ways.
Jessica
I use this marinade all the time, and thought it was about time I left a review. It's perfect, I have followed it exactly and it is great.
My favourite variation is to sub the brown sugar for maple syrup (I do a bit less than 1/4 cup, as maple syrup is sweeter). We always have a lot more maple syrup on hand than we do brown sugar, so it just makes sense.
My BF has also done a version where he dusted with flour and grilled in a cast iron to develop a slight crust and it was great.
Pattie W.
Hi, is the correct amount of salt, 1 1/2 tsps.? Thanks.
Jessica
Yes, I follow the recipe exactly and it is the right amount of salt for me. Keep in mind that soy sauce is quite salty.
Janice Price
Grilled chicken today and used marinade,. Very good.
Lindsey
Can you use this for grilled chicken kabobs?
Susan
This marinade was absolutely delicious and is now my go to marinade for chicken, and not bad on vegetables also. Thanks
Zena
Excellent marinade... highly recommended gonna use this weekend for my partner
Elie
Amazing recipe!! Chicken was very tender and delicious!
Ellen Herrmann
This recipe is a keeper for me. The chicken breasts were very tender and the marinade was excellent. Thank you for posting this recipe.
Tracey Lees
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.
Nina
Can you bake these in the oven instead? If so, what temperature and for how long?
Michelle
I bake them in a casserole dish with the marinade and it is a huge hit! Even my super picky 10 year old begs me to make this dish.
Chandra
Added a little cilantro and onion to the marinade. Very delicious 😉
zack
Delicious indeed
Gene
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.
Purvi
Can you do this without the sugar?
Elizabeth
I forgot to add the sugar last time I made it, and it was still delicious!
Cherry
Hello Maam! Can I use turbo griller than the usual? Thank you
Hope
Yes that’s basically just an air fryer
Rebekah
I come back to this marinade over and over again and it never fails! It takes your chicken to a whole new level.
Valerie
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.
Terri B
My favorite chicken marinade! Awesome!
David F
This is a permanent fixture for a go to marinade. Thank you for this.