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!
As a test, I tried this marinade for 4 drumsticks. Marinated overnight followed recipe exactly. I intended to put on the grill but it rained unexpectedly so I used an air fryer for 15min, flipped chicken, then additional 5min before packing it up for a lunch for work. This recipe was amazing. This is the first time I ever commented on any recipe and I use alot of great recipes bookmarked to my device! I’m so glad i found this. The title couldn’t be more befitting. Best chicken marinade by far. Thank you!
I have a notebook called Dad’s Recipes. A recipe has to be outstanding to make it into the collection. This one is definitely a keeper in the notebook! Yum!
After marinating the chicken i took it out to grill and the marinade is thick and looks separated. Any ideas what happened?
I wouldnt worry! Oil separates itself from almost everything unless an emulsifier is present. The brown sugar is likely what’s causing the mixture to be thick. Recommend shaking the bag or container the marinade is in to reincorporate 🙂
This marinade recipe is fantastic. I marinated chicken breasts in this for almost 5 hours, and it was awesome. Not too sweet, really nice balance of acidity, saltiness, and a tiny bit of sweet.
excellent recipe, love it!!
Used boneless breasts, marinated for 5 hours, may have bumped up garlic and pepper a touch but otherwise as written. Guests loved, husband loved, wants it repeated asap. Really really good!!
Delicious!! Thank you so much!! I love the method of using the fork, it made the chicken really tender.
This truly is the best marinade! Chicken breasts came out juicy not dry at all!
Thank you!
This was an excellent marinade, and it’s going into the binder. Thank you for publishing it. I poked my chicken breasts with my chef’s knife, since I used it to slice each thick breast into 2 thinner pieces. That way, I made slight cuts instead of holes. It seems to have worked just as well.
Can you bake it; h what temp – how long?
I am also curious about how to bake this – the weather turned out to be too windy to grill outside.
I had chicken thighs bake at 180 deg C for one hour and came out really nice and crispy, like they’d been grilled!
Thank you for this, I was looking for a tried and tested way to do this in the oven!
I always bake my chicken using this recipe! Either at 450 for 15-18 min (don’t be afraid of the high cooking temp; it will still turn out delicious and juicy!) or 400 for 25-28 min. I pull it out of the oven around 155 degrees and let it rest for 10 minutes or until the temperature reaches 165 degrees. Resting also allows the heat to distribute evenly.
Delicious! Perfect blend of flavors after 4 hours. Served with baked sweet potato’s and garden salad. Thanks for sharing. This is a keeper.
Best chicken marinade EVER!!!! my family and I are a total fan, simply specular. Thank you!
I accidentally forgot to add the brown sugar but guess what? It still tasted delicious! Can’t wait to try it with the brown sugar next time 🙂
Ok … so I made this, but I swapped out … just kidding … I’m not that guy! This was AWESOME! Just like others, I don’t often comment, but this was on point! My chicken grilled up just like the pictures – juicy and delicious. Definitely a keeper!
Hahaha Jeff! That made me laugh out loud. Thank you for the comment and for trying my recipe. I appreciate it!
LOL Jeff. Those guys irritate me. Some of ‘those guys’ change half the recipe before it’s all said and done.
Fantastic chicken recipe. I’ve made this recipe many times. Marinaded for 8 hours and it obviously had the most flavor. Ive also only marinated for about 1 hour and it was still delicious! Highly recommend!
I just wanted to comment to say how amazing this recipe is. I followed the directions almost exactly & let the chicken marinate for 4 hours and it was perfect! I grilled it outside with some corn and my husband said it’s some of the best grilled chicken I’ve ever made. Thank you for the recipe!
Amazingly delicious! Definitely poke the chicken and marinate at least 3 hours for the flavors to soak in. Kids and daddy loved this. We’ve made it twice and doing another batch today. Kids even ate it for breakfast the next day lol. Thank you for this recipe!
I only had lime juice. No lemon. Fingers crossed that isn’t a weird swap. 🙂
So how did it turn out? I’m needing to do the same thing.
Sounds so good. Should you put it in the refrigerator to let marinade??
Yes, definitely put it in the refrigerator to marinade.
While I am no professional, I would definitely recommend putting your marinating bag in the refrigerator since it’s still raw chicken.
This was awesome!! My family really enjoyed it!! Thanks for sharing!!
Has anyone tried baking the chicken with this marinade instead of grilling?
The best chicken marinade I’ve tried. Thank you for sharing. I used my food saver to marinate and save time. The chicken was delicious!!!
I forgot to give 5 stars!
We made the recipe exactly as stated, except we didn’t have Worcestershire sauce, so skipped that. Marinated 3 boneless, skinless breasts (about 1.6#) for 2 hours. Simple and delicious – a definite keeper!
Excellent recipe!!!!
My family really enjoyed it.
Thanks
I have been using this marinade as the base for all variations of grilled chicken (plain, BBQ, bruschetta, Hawaiian, etc.). I use a Big Green Egg and this is the go-to marinade that always comes through for moist tender juicy chicken, every time in any variation. A+.
Amazing. Absolutely delicious.
The recipe calls for 2 chicken breasts, but I made 4 and it was plenty. Probably could have stretched it to 6 even.
I used this marinade and made the best chicken I’ve ever made. Everyone said yum when they took their first bite. Outstanding!
Didn’t have chicken so I used a steak. Substituted garlic for the lemon. Grill is broken so I used a microwave. Seriously tho, I made recipe as directed and surprise, it was delicious!
I like to explore and experiment with different recipes but when it comes to chicken I always come back to this marinade. It is so good. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve used it. Thanks for posting it.
This recipe Couldn’t have arrived at a better time. I took chicken breasts out yesterday, and was wondering what to do with them. I cannot wait to make this. I’m going to make the marinade in about 5 minutes.
I suppose I should post after I make the chicken, but I know it will be good, just like ALL of your recipes are!!
Thank you!!
This was delicious! I have been cooking chicken recently via sous vide. I marinated the chicken for 4 hours and then put the breasts in a bag with some of the marinade and cooked at 151 F for 90 minutes. I then grilled the breasts for just a minute on each side to get a nice sear. Will definitely be doing this frequently.
I love this recipe! I have cooked it many times and each time the chicken comes out amazing!! Quick question, can I make a batch of marinade and if so how long will it keep for?
This has been my favorite chicken recipe. The sauce really soaked into the chicken and created a rich, savory texture. Loved it!!
Can long can you marinate the chicken?
Has anyone tried freezing the chicken in the marinate sauce? I’m curious if this can be pre-made and frozen and then thawed out and grilled.
Hey
I don’t have balsamic vinegar. What can i sub it with or can i leave it out?
Thanks
I was going to use this marinade today & realized I don’t have balsamic vinegar. What did u end up using.
LOVED this recipe!! One of the best parts is that the ingredients are ones you may already have on hand. I’ve made this twice in the last week, and the second time my mom had an awesome idea to reduce the leftover marinade into a glaze. Once you take your chicken out of the bag and onto the grill, pour the remaining marinade into a pot over medium-high heat. Stir frequently until the sauce has thickened up and can coat a spoon (anywhere from 5-10 minutes, keep checking) and turn off the heat and pour the sauce into a bowl. Remove as much oil as you can that will sit on top once it is in the bowl. Drizzle over your grilled chicken! So yummy. Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Delicious!
Can I freeze this marinated chicken for a later date?
If i could give this a million stars, I would. We were looking for a good grill recipe and this was one of the first to pop up. The “science” behind why each ingredient was used peaked my interest. My mom and dad are usually pretty basic on the ingredient list, as far as when to use them, so when I looked and seen we had all the ingredients…I suggested this recipe!! The only tweak I did was adding the same amount of onion powder to what the garlic powder was, also 1 tsp smoked paprika and also 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce. I will never use a different recipe. I think this is the first time in 29 years I’ve had a juicy AND home grilled chicken breast. They always seem so dry. Thank you so much, from my family to yours!
Only had 20 minutes to marinate on the Traeger grill. I think poking holes with the fork was key. Easy to put together marinate. Smoked it on the Traeger for 30 minutes then turned the Traeger up to 400 degrees and probed the chicken breasts until they reached an internal temp of 165 degrees. Perfect! This marinate is definitely going into the rotation!
I love this marinade! It’s truly the best!
Best marinade ever! It’s tangy and delicious! I cooked the left over marinade snd turned it into a sauce that could be spooned over the chicken. Will definitely make again!
Amazing marinade! I like to leave the chicken in the refrigerator overnight. So incredibly good. Cook it on the grill for that great flavor. It’s really a terrific recipe and so easy to make!
Definitely the best I have tried. Good for a repeat make.
Amazing, wouldn’t change a thing. I used boneless, skinless, thighs. Moist and delicious. This is a keeper.
Fantastic recipe! Chicken breast are tender and juicy. I tried it once and made it abt 3 times after that. My family love it and it is super easy to make. Thanks!!
I have huge chicken breasts, i wanted to try this in a crock pot? Any recommendations?
I always have problems with chicken on the grill drying up or getting really burnt because of the marinade and this recipe turned out perfect!
Made with turkey breast. Marinated for 4 hours then put on rosemary branches to grill brochette style! It was divine! Definately keeping this recette!!! Thank You!
This makes a delicious marinade for chicken. I followed the recipe and used chicken thighs. They grilled up quick and tasty. We had company over and I was very pleased with how they turned out. I’ll use this recipe a lot. Thank you
I never write reviews but I have to say that I’ve been using this marinade for the past two months and it’s INCREDIBLE. It seems so basic but I think it’s the brown sugar that steps it up past any other chicken marinade. I’m about to make a huge batch for my son’s family birthday party tomorrow. Try it – it’s sooo good! Only marinade you’ll need. I used it for grilled shrimp tonight and it was just as good. Thank you!
Amazing marinade!! The chicken breats was tasty and juicy!!!
The end result is amazing!! My family enjoyed every single bite !!!
This was very good! I had all of the ingredients in my fridge/pantry. I used nine bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, poked a bunch of holes in them with a sharp knife and marinated overnight. We got home from a long day of adventures and I put them in the oven as I was tired and it was easier than grilling. Excellent! I think next time I might add a little crushed red pepper or chipotle powder to it, give it a little kick.