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.
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.
Nutrition
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Happy Cooking, my friends!
Sarah
This has a great flavor! I substituted a little honey for the brown sugar, since I didn't have any brown sugar. I will definitely use this recipe over and over!
Esther
Wow, Wow, Wow!!! This is truly the best chicken marinade I have ever tasted! I worried certain ingredients would over power the taste but everything blended so well together. And TENDER… omg, so tender! My husband, who doesn’t usually like grilled chicken, requested me to make more haha. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe ❤️❤️❤️
Robin
Could in use this marinade to freeze chicken breasts in (in a ziploc bag)?
Kate
My go to marinade. It’s the best! Thank you for this gem!
KAMS
Oh my stars!!!! If this isn’t the #1 marinade for chicken of all time then o don’t know what is! I’ve shared it with my entire family and they all say it is too! I can’t believe I got so lucky and stumbled upon it.. have tried many but finally found a keeper and will NEVER use another! Ty Ty Ty!! You are the chicken marinade GODDESS ! I truly appreciate you sharing this! Is this one you found and shared or is this YOURS? If it is YOURS then you are gracious to share!! ❤️❤️
Melissa Stadler
Thank you so much for this glowing and sweet comment, Kams! I am so glad that you love this recipe so much. Thank you for using it and for taking the time to comment!
Ben
Hi,
I have been making this chicken for a few years now. I can't be the only person to notice that this recipe used to include mayonaisse, but suddenly it doesn't! Is there a way to access the old version of the recipe?
Thank you!
Melissa Stadler
Hi Ben! I am wondering if you may be confused with another recipe? This chicken marinade recipe has never included mayonnaise. 🙂
Sadie
such flavorful chicken!
Diana
This was so good! Thank you!
Christina
Reading this whilst on holiday in Spain! I am definitely going to make the sweet and sour chicken with the pineapple 🤗
I’m also going to do the marinated chicken breasts as, as we have found chicken a little boring for some time now. Reading all of your recipes I’m going to try everything you’ve written!
Many thanks,
Melissa Stadler
Christina I am so happy to hear that you are liking so many of my recipes! I hope that they help to mix things up and add new variety to your meals. Let me know how it goes! And good luck!
Sarah
Delicious! A family favourite and so easy.
Jana
I marinated chicken tenders in this tonight and cooked them under the broiler for a few minute. ABSOLUTELY delicious! I’ll use this all the time now!
Chelsie
I don't know why it's taken this long for me to write a review on this recipe. We've been eating it weekly, for years now! This marinade is our absolute favorite for chicken Caesar wraps! My 10 year old nephew said his dad made wraps and he couldn't eat them because it wasn't my chicken! Haha! We will never stop using this recipe!
I do substitute 2tbsp apple cider vinegar +2 tsp white sugar for the balsamic. Only because we never have balsamic here. 10/10 love it!
Melissa Stadler
This made my whole day! One of my favorite things is when one of my recipe becomes a staple and a family favorite. It’s the biggest compliment. Also chicken Cesar wraps sound INCREDIBLE! I don’t blame your nephew for only wanting those! Thanks for using my recipe and for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it!
Angelica
Can you marinade overnight?
Sam
Yes you can marinade overnight. In fact, I'm doing it now.
K
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 😃
Jason
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?
Sam
Yes you can marinade overnight. In fact, I'm doing it now.
Melissa Stadler
Hi Jason! Thanks for asking!
So if you want to cook chicken in the oven do so at 425 degrees for 17-20 minutes. The chicken needs to reach at least 165 degrees in the center.
And yes, it can marinade overnight! The lemon juice can break the chicken down but will also make it tender.
Hope this helps!
Stephanie Anderson
Would this be a good marinade for salmon. I loved it with chicken
Steph S.
What would be baking instructions be? Thanks
Melissa Stadler
Hi Steph! So if you were to bake this in the oven bake it at 425 degrees for 17-20 minutes. You want the chickens internal temperature to reach 165 degrees. Hope you love it!
MARY
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!
Melissa Stadler
Yes, Mary! You can definitely marinade this overnight. The lemon juice might break down the chicken a little bit, but it will just lead to it being more tender. I hope you like it!
Megan
Favorite marinade ever. Been using it for 3 years now and it always gets rave reviews. So easy and quick!
Cynthia
Excellent. Enough said.
Modern Honey
Awww thank you so much, Cynthia! So happy you loved the chicken marinade recipe!
Lori
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!
Sabrina
Can this be cooked in the oven?!! Pled tell me the temperature if so 🥹🥹
Melissa Stadler
Hi Sabrina, yes this can be cooked in the oven! Cook it at 425 degrees for 17-20 minutes. It’s delicious and super easy! I hope you enjoy it!