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
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!
David F
This is a permanent fixture for a go to marinade. Thank you for this.
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!
Rebekah
I come back to this marinade over and over again and it never fails! It takes your chicken to a whole new level.
Cherry
Hello Maam! Can I use turbo griller than the usual? Thank you
Hope
Yes that’s basically just an air fryer
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!
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.
Chandra
Added a little cilantro and onion to the marinade. Very delicious 😉
zack
Delicious indeed
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.
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.
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.
Elie
Amazing recipe!! Chicken was very tender and delicious!
Zena
Excellent marinade... highly recommended gonna use this weekend for my partner
Susan
This marinade was absolutely delicious and is now my go to marinade for chicken, and not bad on vegetables also. Thanks
Lindsey
Can you use this for grilled chicken kabobs?
Janice Price
Grilled chicken today and used marinade,. Very good.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 ♡ ♧
Maureen
I have marinated chicken breasts dozens of different ways for decades- this recipe is truly fantastic and a keeper! The chicken is so juicy on the inside with a nice crispy glaze on the outside.
I love the comment about reserving some marinade before pouring on chicken for sauce while BBQ-ing, will try it next time. (Great Tip)
Thanks for posting this amazing recipe!!
Jill
I'll never grill chicken again without this marinade!!! It's THE best chicken I've ever had. I used thinly sliced chicken and it was perfect!!! Thanks for sharing such a 10 star plus recipe.
Laurie
I have never done this before, but I had to come back to your site and say how much we love this recipe. It is so moist and flavorful. Great stuff!
Donna A Pollock
Hey Kiddo, I had all of the ingredients in my pantry so I started my marinade at 6 am this morning. When to boys came home this evening at 4 They started the BBQ up and we cooked these chicken breasts. Oh My Goodness are they ever good. The just got done and we are about to eat now. I made Pilaff and a salad to go with this dinner.
Can't wait to dig in. It looks and smells so good. And anything with lemon in or on it has to be good. Thank you so much for the recipe. I'm diving in now!!!!!!!!!
Elly
Made this tonight. Was soooo tasty. We marinated it over night. Thank you for this great keeper recipe ????
Elaine R Springer
This recipe is unbelievable! I am not usually very good at grilled chicken, it always comes out stringy and dry. This is the most incredible find! A "keeper," as other have said. The best grilled chicken I have ever tasted. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
Janet Swatski
Absolutely delicious! (I added about a Tbsp of sesame oil.) This is now our favorite marinade.
Ceren
This is my go to marinade - quite the crowd pleaser. I do have a question. Is I make a batch of marinade, will it keep okay for a few weeks in the fridge?
Finn
Delicious. Have used recipe many times with half the quantities of marinade for same amount of meat and there's still a lot left over. So think I'll just use ⅓ next time and hold back some , not in contact with raw meat for before serving
Jan Gifford
Delicious and easy recipe
Joanne Miller
We had all the ingredients on hand and we used it to BBQ. It was fantastic. Thank you! All the family loved it.
Debbie
This was delicious! Best grilled chicken I’ve ever made! I didn’t have a lemon, so substituted lime and it was fantastic.
Thank you!!
donna
We've made this twice now. The chicken comes out very juicy. Excellent! Thank you.
Erica
How long and what temp could I cook this in the oven? I live in nyc so no grill 🙁
Laura
Bake at 350° for close to an hour, until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°.
Tatum
I do not have soy sauce, any recommendations or omit it? Thanks in advance for your help!
Kyle
Coconut Aminos
Laura
Salt. Use to taste.
Jennifer
This marinade was really delicious, and simple to put together with items I always have in my pantry. I usually find it difficult to get chicken breadt to stay juicy and tender on the grill, but the breasts I cooked were far from being dry and the flavour was yummy! Will definitely make this again!
Donna
This is the best chicken marinade I’ve ever had. I added 1 teaspoon of honey to the marinade just to caramelize the chicken. Can’t wait to have it cold on a nice Italian salad. Thank you for the recipe. I’ve been looking for the perfect one for a long time.
Raquel Ogaz
This was so good! The chicken was tender and so tasty! Loved it! Will be making this again and again!
Helen
After googling “best chicken marinade“ I found your recipe and it doesn’t disappoint!
Cody
I did the same thing!! Really is the best marinade.
Michael W.
Excellent keeper recipe. All the flavors complimented the Chicken wonderfully. Was delicious grilled over Charcoal and Mesquite wood chips.
Caroline
Would this pair well with BBQ Sauce? Thinking about using this marinade and towards the end of cooking the chicken, basting the chicken with BBQ sauce...
Kelli
This has become my #1 chicken marinade. Hits all the flavor points, have cooked this over & over for guests & family. Highest praise modern honey for an excellent recipe.
Cheers from a total meat snob.
Victoria Inman
This is my go to grilled chicken marinade! So easy and comes out perfect every time. I have shared it with numerous friends who love it as well..
Michelle
This has been my go to chicken marinade for almost 2 years now. Sundays I marinade a bunch of chicken to use for the week. The only thing I do different is cut the breasts in half and use for various lunches. It is soooo good!!!!!! I dip in hummus, delicious! Thank you!!
Florentina
Delicious!
Rachel Hero
Do you think this would work for a pan seared cod?
Vicki
I wonder if searing with a sugared marinade would burn the sugar?
Florentina
I made this and since then, my whole family asks me to make this for them over and over again.
Nella
Yum! I was looking for a quick marinade for chicken breasts and found this recipe. I only had about an hour for it to sit in the fridge, but by the time my husband grilled the chicken it was perfect! Definitely a new family favorite.
Anita
Great recipe! My 2 picky eaters LOVED it, thanks!
Vicki
Love, love, love this marinade!
I love it so much that while the chicken is grilling I put the leftover marinade in a pan with 1/3 c of water and gently boil it for few to add a little extra on the plate!
Note that b/c of the sugar it might scorch so def add the water, gently boil & keep an eye on it.