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!
Toby Booker
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!
Tess
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!
Courtney McGrale
I love this marinade! It’s truly the best!
Scott Martin
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!
Brooke
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!
Daphne
Can I freeze this marinated chicken for a later date?
Margaret
Delicious!
Jackie
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!
Ruby
Hey
I don't have balsamic vinegar. What can i sub it with or can i leave it out?
Thanks
Debbie
I was going to use this marinade today & realized I don’t have balsamic vinegar. What did u end up using.
Jenny
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.
Fay
Can long can you marinate the chicken?
Bob
This has been my favorite chicken recipe. The sauce really soaked into the chicken and created a rich, savory texture. Loved it!!
Amy Bisterzo
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?
Stephanie
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.
Tracey
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!!
Rick Delaney
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.
Betty Spinks
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!
Kathy C.
I used this marinade and made the best chicken I've ever made. Everyone said yum when they took their first bite. Outstanding!
Phil
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+.
Brandon
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.
Vinod Kumar
Excellent recipe!!!!
My family really enjoyed it.
Thanks