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!
Jodie Main
This chicken marinade is absolutely fabulous! Think it's the combination of balsamic vinegar along with the citrus of the lemons that really stands out on the tongue. We devoured a huge platter of chicken thighs that marinaded in this for three hours at last weekend's Mother's Day BBQ and I'm looking forward to grilling up some chicken breasts tonight. By far one of the best marinades for chicken that we've ever come across and there's a lot of 'em out there. Thank you so very much for sharing!
Jodie Main
Okay, attempting to update my original review of this wonderful marinade recipe. Wanted to add that we've made this over and over in the past month or so and can testify that Myers lemons work beautifully with this recipe. Grill up a batch of chicken thighs over the weekends using this recipe and then don't have to cook during the work week. Quick and oh so tasty!
Valentina Silva
What if I don't have balsamic vinegar, leave it out or sub with something else ?
Bridgette
This recipe was delicious!! I did chicken breast tenderloins in a grill pan on the stove. Didn't have any balsamic vinegar, used red wine vinegar instead. Marinated them about 45 min. Came out browned on the outside and super juicy on the inside, and fall apart tender!!! Loved this so much, can't wait to try other cuts of chicken and use balsamic instead!
Heather
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I look up recipes all the time to change up our food and to find recipes that are really tasty. I marinated the chicken for about 5 hours and it was cooked by my family while I was at work. When I reheated it, I was absolutely amazed how tasty and tender the chicken was. Thank you again!!
Beth
Can I marinade this overnight or will the lemon juice "cook" the chicken if I marinade it that long?
Anthony
I only was able to marinate for 30-45 minutes and my wife said it was the best chicken breast she has had in a long time, and must have said "wow! this is good" about 5 times. I also use a digital thermometer to make damn sure that it does not get overcooked which is part of it. Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
Maria Ade
Can the chicken marinate for more than 5 hours? say overnight? Want to try it but want to know if it's ok to marinate longer.
Madeleine Rose
I am also wondering the same thing...
Bee
This marinade is absolutely perfect! It truly makes the chicken delicious!
Jeff Nordeen
Very yummy and only marinated the chicken for 30 minutes. The sodium is way too high at 1200 mg per serving. Is that a real? Or just based off the ingredients? Will make again it didn't taste too salty
OllieG
Echo several of the 'best ever' comments, that was a truly great recipe. First time I've commented on a recipe. If I could give it 6 or 7 stars, I would!
James
Marinade was great and easy to make.
One question though, what is a "cup" defined as in grams or ml?
Jena
A "cup" is 8oz or ~240mL
Irene Younger
After the first time trying this and LOVING it, I bought a whole bunch of chicken breasts and tripled the recipe. I divided the ckn up into 4 freezer bags and divvied up the marinade into each bag. Put them in the freezer as dinner preps for my husband and myself. However, I pulled them all out for a visit with our sons and their families. Everyone LOVED them and asked for more. Next time I'll have to double the chicken purchase. THANK YOU so much for sharing such an easy and absolutely delicious recipe.
Lisa
I made this recipe and it was amazing. I was wondering if anyone ever tried this marinade on pork tenderloin.
Daniel
The title is not a lie. Literally the best chicken marinade I've used.
Meele
Would this be just as tasty setved cold with salad?
Nicole
Yes. My daughter had the leftover chicken on a salad for lunch. But good luck having leftovers! This is a wonderful marinade.
Angela
I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, marinated them for 4 hours, started them in a grill pan, and finished them in a 350 degree oven. Everyone in the family loved the finished product, which is almost miraculous! The flavor profile was very complex, and we thought it had notes of Mediterranean and Asian flavors without tasting too strongly of either cuisine.
Jordan
Damn
Melissa Rae Beedle
Lovvvvved this recipe so much I made it two days in a row. Even my picky picky child loves it!
Thank you so much!!
Also what do you usually serve it with? Looking fot ideas.
Carol
This marinade is fantastic!!! I was looking for a quick, simple chicken recipe that my picky grandsons, 16 & 13, would like. (My son has full custody & I'm helping him raise them.) Usually if one likes something, the other one doesn't. ???? They both LOVED this - we all did & not a bite left over!! I doubled it & added a little extra garlic (our personal preference) & baked the tenders because I didn't have time to let them marinate. I removed them from the marinade, finished them under the broiler & then thickened the remaining marinade with cornstarch. We had this on Thursday night & they had visitation with their mom this weekend. They've requested it for tonight (Sunday) when they get home! ???? Quick, easy & beyond delicious!
Carla Smith
Would this be okay without garlic? My friend is allergic.