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!
Mario
Amazing flavor! I made the chicken for a stir fry and saved and reduced the marinade for the rice and vegetables. Definitely will make again.
Amy B
I tried this recipe and it is amazing! It will be my go-to marinade from now on. I tenderized my chicken breasts, used my mallet to make them the same thickness, and marinated overnight before grilling them. It was so good I’m going to sneak some leftover chicken for breakfast today! Thanks again for sharing the recipe.
Nico
Really simple and my friends all loved it!
Sean
Just delicious! Marinated the chicken breast, grilled, sliced and left for my husband and kids to eat for meals during the week (salads, sandwiches ... whatever!) They said it was the best chicken they have ever tasted! So tender, juicy and flavorful. It is now my go to chicken marinade! Thanks!
Jessica
I only made this once, a year ago, because I didn’t cook regularly until I just recently moved but I’m revisiting the recipe to make this. It is the best chicken I’ve ever made. I think I marinated it for 24 hours. The chicken was so juicy and every bite was flavorful. It’s about to be a staple in my home
Allie
Any suggestions for what to substitute if you don’t have Worcestershire sauce? Thank you!
Jenn
I absolutely love this recipe,made it many times now. Can I freeze this recipe with the chicken in a ziplock
Bag??
BJ
Great recipe. I eliminated all brown sugar. It was wonderful grilled on the grill. I would eliminate all salt next time. Marinated five hours in zip lock bag.
Cassandra
How was it without the brown sugar? Trying to watch carbs 🙂
Jorgia
Hi,
Can I cook this an oven instead of grill? Will it change much of the flavor?
Will
The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe makes chicken extra juicy and flavorful.
John L
This recipe has my wife convinced I'm a genius chef on our new Weber gas grill! If you haven't tried this, it's definitely a keeper! Next time I'm going to render down the remaining marinade for dipping sauce.
Mina Phillips
My family loved this! Delicious
MK
Best marinade I've ever tried for chicken, also super easy to make
Jaden
Best grilled chicken I think I’ve ever had. I even forgot to make them the same thickness and just timed it right. Awesome
Donna Kern
Making this for the 2nd time because it was so delicious! I have run out of brown sugar however and wonder if honey or granulated sugar would work well instead?
John Lusk
try maple syrup
Danny
My favorite chicken marinade ever! I love this recipe. I recommend grilling chicken.
Amanda
This is one of the best (if not best) chicken marinade recipes I have ever had. Absolutely delicious. I’ve made it 3 time already and would bathe in this stuff if I could! I always reserve several tablespoons to drizzle over the cooked chicken once served. Amazing! And I am never one to comment on these but hands down this deserves it!
TrumptastiQ
What sides go well with this?
Roxanne
I make fried rice.
Ryan
So I made this last night, put everything in a bag but only had frozen chicken, so I thought, why not defrost the chicken in the marinade over night. Came back to it today and it was all congealed. Warming it up now, but think it's safe to still grill up?
Tricia
It’s fine. The olive oil just thickened when cold
Elizabeth
SO good!!!! I will tell you though to omit the salt. Not needed. Plenty of flavor as is and soy and worsteshire has plenty as is.