Best Chicken Marinade – an easy chicken marinade that works with grilled chicken (or any kind of chicken). Flavorful and simple ingredients!
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 great every time!
We love using grilled chicken in this Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad or this Chicken Honey Mustard Salad. And if you want to mix up your marinade try our Greek Yogurt Chicken Marinade!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy – this marinade only takes a few minutes to mix together and it will add so much flavor!
- Simple ingredients – it only takes 8 real ingredients to make this marinade and it can easily be made Paleo/Whole30.
- Family favorite – our whole family loves chicken making it a staple of our meal plans each week.
Chicken Marinade Ingredients
- Olive oil (or avocado oil) – giving a bit of flavor plus helps to pull flavor out of some of the other ingredients.
- Lemon juice & lemon zest – this provides a little acid that allows the oil and seasoning to flavor the meat.
- Soy sauce (or coconut aminos), worcestershire sauce, & garlic – these are all about the flavor!
- Kosher salt & pepper – a little extra seasoning!
- other optional seasonings – garlic powder, basil, fresh herbs, dijon mustard, brown sugar or honey for some added sweetness or red pepper flakes for a bit of a kick.
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 get the chicken in the marinade in the morning so by dinner time it is ready to go!
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 The 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.
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. 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 Way to Cook Chicken Breasts
Personally, we fell the best way to cook chicken breasts is on the grill! We take you through all the important tips of cooking 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 or a cast iron skillet on the stove top.
How To Make The Best Chicken Marinade
Gather your ingredients.
Whisk them to combine.
Pour marinade over the chicken in a shallow dish and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
Cook chicken your preferred way and use a meat thermometer to ensure that your raw meat is fully cooked.
Enjoy!
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Grilled Spatchcock Chicken
How To Grill A Perfect Steak
Pork Chop Marinade
Grilled Chicken Legs
Best Chicken Marinade
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 marinade 1x
- Category: Marinade
- Method: Counter-top/Refrigerator
- Cuisine: American
Description
Best Chicken Marinade – an easy chicken marinade that works with grilled chicken (or any kind of chicken). Flavorful and simple ingredients!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos)
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, minced
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a small bowl.
- Whisk to combine.
- Pour over chicken and let marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Cook chicken however you want (we love grilling them).
Notes
- Paleo/Whole30: to make paleo/Whole30 use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and omit the worsteshire 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!
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!