The BEST Chicken Marinade Recipe
Chicken is one of our absolute favorite meats to cook each week and there is nothing better than a tender, juicy, and flavorful piece of chicken! This marinade is perfect for any type of chicken breasts, chicken thighs, drumsticks, etc. No matter how you cook it (we love the grill), your chicken will turn out so juicy, every time! We love using grilled chicken in this Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad or this Chicken Honey Mustard Salad.
Looking To Cook Chicken Even Faster?
Then you definitely need to try using this chicken marinade to make Grilled Chicken Cutlets! Same delicious, juicy chicken but in a fraction of the cook time!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
- olive oil – easily swap it out for avocado oil, if you prefer!
- soy sauce – option to use regular soy sauce, reduced sodium soy sauce, or coconut aminos (plus omit the worcestershire sauce) to make it gluten-free.
- lemon juice + lemon zest – our secret ingredients for that touch of acidity that really enhances all the best flavors. If you don’t have one of them, feel free to add a little more of the other.
How To Make The Best Chicken Marinade
Pro Tip
Option to reserve a small amount of the marinade, before pouring it over the chicken, to use as a baste during the cooking process.
How Do I Make My Chicken Juicy & Tender?
Don’t Over-Cook: Overcooked chicken = dry chicken! And remember that the chicken will continue to cook as it rests. I recommend taking the chicken off when it is about 5 degrees lower than where you ultimately want it to be (use a meat thermometer). By the time you cut into it – it will be perfect!
Let Rest: Letting your chicken rest for at least 5 minutes is crucial. It allows the juices to redistribute after cooking so when you do cut into it, the entire piece will be juicy and delicious.
Best Ways to Cook Chicken Breasts
Personally, we feel the best way to cook chicken breasts is on the grill! We take you through all the important tips of cooking the most juicy chicken breasts on the grill in How To Grill Chicken Breasts – check it out! There are also a variety of other ways to cook marinated chicken, like baking in the oven, cooking it on the stove top in a cast iron skillet, or making smoked chicken breasts.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- How long should you marinate chicken? We recommend marinating chicken in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but a few hours is ideal! Just don’t let it go past a maximum of 24 hours in the marinade. We usually try to marinate chicken in the morning, so by dinner time it is ready to go!
- Can I freeze chicken in the marinade? Yes, you could also freeze the marinating chicken by storing it in the freezer for about 6-8 weeks and then thaw when you are ready to cook it.
- Should you poke holes in chicken before marinating? It is recommended to prick the surface of the meat with a fork or score it so that the marinade penetrates the meat as deeply as possible, resulting in a more moist meat, but you don’t have to. You can still marinate your chicken, even if you don’t poke holes in it and it will still turn out delicious.
- Can you marinate chicken too long? Yes! You generally don’t want to marinate any meat for longer than 24 hours.
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Best Chicken Marinade Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 marinade 1x
- Category: Marinade
- Method: Counter Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
The Best Chicken Marinade recipe that works with grilled chicken (or any kind of chicken). Flavorful and simple ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Pour over chicken and let marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Cook chicken any way you want – we love grilled chicken breasts!
Notes
- Paleo/Whole30: use coconut aminos, instead of soy sauce and omit the worcestershire sauce.
- Other ways to cook: smoked chicken breasts are also delicious!
- Make Ahead: this is an easy recipe to make ahead of time to cut down on meal prep!
Other Recipes You Might Like
Grilled Spatchcock Chicken
How To Grill A Perfect Steak
Pork Chop Marinade
Grilled Chicken Legs
Jenny says
This is a weekly go to….suggested from the kids! (Big kids and tweens)! We use this marinade anytime we grill chicken for any recipe. I’m always stocked with these ingredients for this recipe. Thank you! Any idea how long the max is to marinate?Thanks again!
Robin Giese says
Best chicken marinade ever! This is now my go-to! Are use reduce sodium Worcestershire and soy sauce. You won’t miss the extra salt. Thank you for sharing!
Erin says
Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review, Robin! And so glad you found no taste difference using reduced sodium products – yay!!
Norma says
Great recipe. Easy to do. The chicken was moist and with great flavor. I did this again.
Question: I would like to cut down on the sodium in the marinade sauce. What can I replace ?
Erin says
Hi Norma! You could definitely use a reduced-sodium soy sauce if you want. Or replace the soy sauce with a coconut aminos?
KH says
This is such an excellent marinade! I used it for chicken in Caesar salad and it was absolutely delicious! I didn’t have zest so I used 2 tsp lemon juice and it worked very well. Thank you! Will be sharing and singing the praises!
Erin says
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Taylor B. says
This marinade was AMAZING! Tried it tonight and my husband said it was the best chicken I’ve ever made!! So quick and easy to throw together and let marinade in the fridge all afternoon. The chicken turned out so flavorful and juicy!! I will definitely make this again!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Taylor!! And thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review + feedback – I really appreciate it!