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Home » Dinner » The Best Chicken Marinade

Published: April 22, 2020 Last Modified: April 22, 2020 By Sara 63 Comments

The Best Chicken Marinade

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The best chicken marinade produces tender and juicy results every time!

This chicken marinade is a blend of garlic, herbs, olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar and Dijon mustard. It produces perfect marinated chicken every time, and you can use your chicken marinade for baked, broiled, grilled or sauteed chicken.

Every cook needs a chicken marinade in their recipe box, and this is the best one I’ve ever had! Serve your chicken with rice pilaf and parmesan zucchini for a complete meal that the whole family will love.

The best chicken marinade produces tender and juicy results every time! The best chicken marinade produces tender and juicy results every time!

The best chicken marinade covering grilled chicken breasts, garnished with lemon.

In the summer I am all about grilling, and I make this amazingly delicious chicken marinade at least once a week. It takes just minutes to put together and uses ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. This marinade produces tender, juicy and flavorful chicken that will earn you rave reviews!

How do you make chicken marinade?

This marinade is a combination of savory and sweet flavors and includes ingredients you probably already have in the house. The base of the marinade is olive oil, which is flavored with lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Add chicken, let it soak in all the flavor, then cook the chicken to your liking and serve.

Chicken marinade being poured over skinless chicken breasts.

HOW LONG DO YOU MARINATE CHICKEN?

Chicken should be marinated for a minimum of one hour for boneless, skinless cuts. If you use a bone-in, skin-on cut, you’ll want to marinate for at least 4 hours. I typically marinate my chicken for about 8 hours to get the best flavor.

TIPS FOR CHICKEN MARINADE

  • This marinade can be made up to 3 days before you plan to use it. Simply store the marinade in the fridge until you’re ready to add your chicken. The olive oil in the marinade may solidify if stored in the fridge for an extended period of time. Simply let the marinade sit at room temperature for 20 minutes and the olive oil will thaw back into a liquid consistency.
  • You can really use any cut of chicken for this marinade such as boneless skinless breasts or thighs, chicken tenders, or even chicken drumsticks. This recipe also works great with chicken wings.
  • This marinade contains sugar which adds great flavor, but can easily burn on the grill. Make sure your grill is not overly hot before you add your chicken! You’ll want to grill your chicken over medium heat, and if you’re using bone-in cuts that take longer to cook, place them over indirect heat.

Chicken breasts in a savory marinade.

CHICKEN MARINADE VARIATIONS

While this recipe is delicious as-is, you can add other ingredients to customize it to your tastes.

  • Spicy: Add crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
  • Herb Lovers: Add 1/4 cup fresh chopped herbs such as thyme, green onions, rosemary or parsley. Scrape off the large pieces of herbs before you cook your chicken.
  • Asian: Use a blend of olive oil, toasted sesame oil, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and garlic.
  • Mexican: Use the marinade recipe listed here.

Marinated chicken cooked on a grill pan.

HOW DO YOU COOK MARINATED CHICKEN?

My favorite way to cook marinated chicken is on the grill. If the weather isn’t nice enough for outdoor grilling, I use an indoor grill pan on the stove. If you prefer, you can bake or saute your chicken. I recommend baking your chicken if you’re using bone-in cuts such as drumsticks or chicken thighs.

Grilled chicken flavored with chicken marinade served with couscous and green beans.

WHAT TEMPERATURE SHOULD CHICKEN BE COOKED TO?

All cuts of chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. The easiest way to gauge if your chicken is done is to insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken – be sure that the thermometer is not touching the bone. Once you’ve reached the correct temperature, remove the chicken from the heat and let it rest for 3 minutes before you slice it.

Once you try this chicken marinade recipe, you’ll find yourself using it constantly! I make marinated chicken almost every week and my family happily devours it. Even the kids love this one!

More great chicken recipes

  • Jalapeno Popper Chicken
  • Cashew Chicken
  • Sweet Chili Chicken
  • Mushroom Chicken
  • Salsa Chicken

Chicken Marinade Video

The best chicken marinade covering grilled chicken breasts, garnished with lemon.
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5 from 32 votes

Chicken Marinade

This chicken marinade is a blend of garlic, herbs, olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar and Dijon mustard. It produces perfect marinated chicken every time, and you can use your chicken marinade for baked, broiled, grilled or sauteed chicken.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Marinating Time 1 hour
Total Time 6 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 128kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Place all the ingredients in a large bowl or resealable gallon sized bag.
  • If using a bowl, whisk to combine the ingredients. If using a bag, seal the bag and shake to combine the ingredients.
  • Add 2-3 pounds of chicken, then marinate for at least 1 hour, or up to 12 hours.
  • Proceed with cooking method of your choice.

Nutrition

Calories: 128kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 696mg | Potassium: 119mg | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 4.4mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @DinnerAtTheZoo or tag #dinneratthezoo!

This post was originally published on April 10, 2019 and was updated on April 22, 2020 with new content.

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Filed Under: Dinner, Grilling

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    Comments

    1. Amanda says

      November 22, 2019 at 1:14 am

      Can you baked in the marinade sauce

      Reply
      • Sara says

        November 22, 2019 at 3:33 pm

        Yes that would work!

        Reply
    2. Robin Shapiro says

      October 15, 2019 at 5:51 pm

      I don’t have balsamic vinegar, but DO have Apple Cider Vinegar, Red Wine Vinegar and White Vinegar. Can I use any of them in place of the balsamic vinegar?

      Reply
      • Lori says

        November 5, 2019 at 5:31 am

        I have substituted apple cider vinegar and white balsamic vinegar in the marinade and it was still outstanding!

        Reply
    3. Debbie says

      August 28, 2019 at 5:27 pm

      5 stars
      It works well on boneless or bone in chicken! Really good flavor!

      Reply
    4. Donna says

      August 28, 2019 at 4:57 am

      Can the marinade be made a day before you actually marinade?

      Reply
    5. Donna says

      August 27, 2019 at 7:05 am

      Can this be marinated for more than 12 hours? Or can I mix the marinade ahead so all I have to do is put chicken in?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        August 27, 2019 at 10:34 pm

        It’s fine to marinate for more than 12 hours!

        Reply
    6. Pam says

      July 27, 2019 at 6:35 pm

      Can you freeze chicken in the marinade to cook later?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        July 28, 2019 at 7:20 am

        Yes that works just fine!

        Reply
    7. Ann says

      July 24, 2019 at 9:00 pm

      5 stars
      The best chicken marinade I’ve ever tried. Even my fussy husband loved it. I used fresh lime juice instead of lemon.

      Reply
    8. Nate says

      July 20, 2019 at 6:53 pm

      I added some red pepper flakes to mine. I like things a little spicy. Very good!

      Reply
    9. Mei says

      June 12, 2019 at 10:07 am

      5 stars
      What a great recipe. Thanks for sharing. I made it. It smells so good. Best regards and blessings

      Reply
    10. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

      April 14, 2019 at 4:39 pm

      5 stars
      This looks incredibly delicious! I gotta make this! Looks great!

      Reply
    11. Season says

      April 12, 2019 at 3:32 pm

      Have you ever tried adding Braggs Amino’s to your marinade? It adds such a great flavor!! Its one of my secret ingredients!

      Reply
      • Sara says

        April 12, 2019 at 6:53 pm

        I’ll try it next time, thanks for the tip!

        Reply
    12. Paula says

      April 12, 2019 at 10:55 am

      Such a great recipe to have in your repertoire.

      Reply
    13. Taylor says

      April 12, 2019 at 8:05 am

      5 stars
      Love the flavors in this marinade! So, so yummy!

      Reply
    14. Catalina says

      April 12, 2019 at 3:16 am

      5 stars
      I want to try this chicken marinade asap. It looks so good!

      Reply
    15. Katerina @ diethood .com says

      April 12, 2019 at 1:51 am

      5 stars
      This marinade sounds faaantastic!! YUM!

      Reply
    16. Bee says

      April 12, 2019 at 1:26 am

      5 stars
      That chicken looks delicious! I love a great marinade and can’t wait to try this one!

      Reply
    17. Chrissie Baker says

      April 12, 2019 at 1:25 am

      5 stars
      I LOVE the sound of this one!!! What a great recipe that for sure I won’t get bored of! I’ve always got chicken on hand so I cannot wait to give this one a try!

      Reply
    18. Anna says

      April 11, 2019 at 8:50 pm

      5 stars
      This marinade is absolutely perfect! It truly makes the chicken delicious!

      Reply
    19. Joan says

      April 11, 2019 at 5:48 pm

      Very cool the way it recalculated the recipe. Did t realize it did that!

      Reply
    20. Marion says

      April 11, 2019 at 3:12 pm

      As there is only self and my hubby can I do smaller quantity or maybe freeze some.

      Reply
      • Sara says

        April 11, 2019 at 3:37 pm

        You can change the number of servings in the recipe card, just type in the number in the little square and the recipe will re calculate for you!

        Reply
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