The best Chicken Marinade ever! This marinade produces so much flavor and keeps the chicken incredibly moist and outrageously delicious! This easy chicken marinade recipe is sure to become a staple in your kitchen. Great for grilling and baking!
Grilling tonight? Make sure to try my steak marinade and grilled potatoes too!
Best Chicken Marinade Recipe
For many years now I have been perfecting my chicken marinade recipe and it’s finally exactly what I want. I love this easy recipe because it quickly transforms an ordinary chicken breast (or any other cut of chicken) into something extraordinarily delicious – just in time for dinner.
It really is the BEST chicken marinade I’ve ever had and I’m confident you’re going to love it as much as we do.
Easy Chicken Breast Marinade
I keep chicken breasts on hand at all times because there is just SOO much you can do with a chicken breast…(Make sure to check out my book for ONE HUNDRED chicken recipes!)
Having a good grilled chicken breast marinade on hand is essential if you live in a hot area like I do. It’s a quick, no-brainer dinner option that we rely on several times each month.
Let me be clear, this is not to say that this marinade won’t work on other cuts of chicken. It most certainly does and is insanely delicious so use what you have on hand.
One of our other favorite ways is to use this as a chicken thigh marinade or even drumsticks. It really will work for any piece of chicken. (I’ve had lots of reader write in saying it’s also delicious with veggies, pork and beef!)
What To Serve With Grilled Chicken
Since we grill multiple times a week, I’ve become quite an expert at quickly whipping up one or two side dishes that pair perfectly with grilled chicken. Here are some of our favorites:
- Fruit Salad
- Grape Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Twice Baked Potato Casserole
- The Best Coleslaw Recipe
- Grilled Potatoes
- Easy Baked Sweet Potato (How To Bake Sweet Potatoes)
Grilled Chicken Marinade
This is really my very favorite grilled chicken marinade. I love to make up a big batch of grilled chicken and this recipe is great for that. It makes enough marinade for about 6 large chicken breasts or 3 to 4 pounds of chicken pieces.
Chicken Marinade Ingredients
While the list looks long, most if not all of these ingredients will likely be in your pantry. What we’re doing here is just building layers of flavor in this easy marinade. Let’s take a quick look at what you’ll need:
- extra virgin olive oil – this is the base of the marinade and keeps the chicken so juicy and moist.
- balsamic vinegar – a balsamic chicken marinade is my very favorite. It is definitely one of the key ingredients in this recipe and adds loads of flavor.
- soy sauce – I like to use low sodium.
- Worcestershire sauce – so many flavor in this ingredient, it’s a must for this marinade.
- lemon juice – fresh is best for flavor but you can use bottled if you need to.
- brown sugar – I have lots of readers that reduce or even eliminate the brown sugar but I personally love it in this recipe.
- dried rosemary – a little herbaceous flavor is always nice to round out a marinade.
- Dijon mustard – or Spicy Brown mustard or even plain yellow mustard will work in a pinch.
- salt and ground black pepper – for seasoning.
- garlic powder – I prefer garlic powder instead of fresh garlic because the fresh garlic will burn on the grill.
How To Make Chicken Marinade
This easy marinade comes together in just minutes!
- Prepare marinade. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Cheater method: put them straight into a large ziploc bag that will also be used for marinating the chicken.
- Reserve. Remove a half a cup of marinade and reserve for basting the chicken later.
- Marinate Chicken. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag and pour marinade over the top. Close securely and gently massage marinade into breasts. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Cooking Methods
Marinated chicken can be cooked on the grill, in the oven or on the stovetop. Here are my tips for cooking it best:
- Grilling: Preheat grill to medium high heat and lightly oil the grates. Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Grill chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Chicken needs to reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Baste the chicken occasionally with the reserved marinade. Remove chicken from grill and tent with foil. Let chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
- Baking: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place marinated chicken on a shallow baking sheet or baking pan and cook for 18 to 22 minutes (or 450F for 15 to 18 minutes if you’re in a hurry) or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Let chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Baste as often as you can for best flavor.
- Stovetop: Preheat a skillet over medium high and lightly grease. Cook chicken for 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Let chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Use a stovetop grill pan for those pretty sear marks!
FAQs
Any kind of chicken you like. Breasts, thighs, drumsticks, tenders, skin on or off, bone in or out. Now, keep in mind that different cuts will take more or less time. Always check on the internal temperature to check doneness. Chicken needs to reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
A minimum of 30 minutes and as long as overnight. I find the chicken starts to get tough if I marinate it for more than 24 hours. If you have less time, consider poking holes in the chicken with a fork to allow the marinade to penetrate quickly.
Yes, absolutely. After adding the marinade to the chicken breast in a freezer safe resealable bag, freeze chicken for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
The chicken can be grilled, baked or cooked on the stovetop. See the previous section for more information or check out the recipe card below for instructions.
More Chicken Recipes
- Homemade Chicken Nuggets
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Chicken Piccata – Ready In 20 Minutes!
- The BEST Chicken Salad
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
- Greek Chicken – A Sheet Pan Dinner
How to Make the Best Chicken Marinade
The BEST Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar or other vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce I use low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ⅛ cup lemon juice
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard or Spicy Brown mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 chicken breasts or 3.5 lb chicken
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Remove a half a cup of marinade and reserve for basting the chicken later.
- Place chicken in a large resealable bag and pour marinade over the top. Gently massage chicken breasts and be sure to close bag securely. (If you have less time, consider poking holes in the chicken with a fork to allow the marinade to penetrate quickly.)
- Refrigerate chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. I find 4 to 6 hours to be perfect.
To grill
- Preheat grill to medium high heat and lightly oil the grates.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Grill chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
- Baste the chicken occasionally with the reserved marinade.
- Once the chicken has reached 165°F, remove chicken from grill and tent with foil. Let chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Optional.
- If you bring the reserved marinade up to a boil, let simmer until slightly reduced, it makes a wonderful sauce to go on top of the chicken.
Fenton says
For a whole butterflied chicken, I halved the olive oil, worcester and soy sauce from what the recipe called for. I left the spices the same. It seems like a lot of marinade that would go to waste. I also never reserved the half cup of marinade as I used the marinade left over when I took the chicken out of the ziploc bag I marinated it in. That came to about half a cup.
Hilary says
You are not kidding, this is the best marinade. My boyfriend would not shut up about it and his teenage son even gave a look of approval 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
SUCCESS!! That’s so awesome, thanks Hilary!
MRSparks says
Made this tonight. Only thing I did differently was using fresh rosemary instead of dried. Absolutely delicious. Will use this as a marinade for everything I throw on the grill from now on! Also, cooked down the remaining marinade and it was SO GOOD, my husband said “just pour me a cup of that!” Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Wonderful! I’m so glad to hear you guys enjoyed it so much! Looking forward to making lots of this as grilling season is definitely here 🙂
Albert Fisk says
I’ve made some modifications to this so I’ll share it here in case anyone’s interested =)
Turned out great, best chicken I’ve ever made and tasted!
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp liquid honey
3 lime leafs (1/8 cup lemon juice)
2 tsp chipotle paste
1 tbsp chili flakes
2-4 mashed garlic cloves
2 tsp dried rosemary
2 tbsp spicy mustard
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
Make sure to remove 1/2 cup of the marinade for glazing the chicken.
Put all the ingredients in a big bow and stir until everything is mixed well.
Add the chicken and mix it around. Cover with plastic wrapper and let it sit in the fridge for 24h.
Oven at 225 C, put the chicken in a oven pan and place it in the middle of the oven. Let it bake for 15min then take it out and glaze it with the marinade, if there’s a lot of liquid in the pan remove it. Put it back for another 15min then glaze again and let it sit for another 5-10min in the oven.
Take it out and let it rest on a separate plate for 5min before serving.
Serve with rice, oven roasted root vegetables and a cream fresh sauce with garlic, chili powder, salt and chives.
Elizabeth says
If I dont have balsamic vinegar can I use apple cider vinegar or what could I use in its place?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Sure! I think that would be really yummy! I’m partial to balsamic but any vinegar would work as long as you like that flavor.
cynthia winchester says
What do you think about freezing the chicken in the marinade for an easy prepared meal?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I think that’s a great idea Cynthia! It will be really flavorful!
Sandra says
Made this last night, it was absolutely awesome! Thanks for the recipe.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks so much Sandra!
Patty says
Chicken marinade was wonderful have made twice and came out perfect and everyone loved!!!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks so much Patty!
Kathleen Maher says
This looks so good! What do you think about cooking this recipe in the oven? At what temperature
and for how long? I look forward to your answer. Thank you!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Lots of commenters have done this and if you’re doing chicken breasts it looks like 400F for 20 minutes or so, depending on the size of course.
Gia says
Thought it was just another “best” recipe, but you are correct, it is the BEST grilled chicken that I have ever made. Thanks so much for this marinade. I followed it perfectly and it was incredibly tasty and moist!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Yay! Success! Thanks so much Gia!
cheryl says
Hi! I’m pretty sure I have an older post in amongst these comments, but I am leaving another one!
I love this marinade! I am especially glad it can be made into a sauce to pour over before serving!!! Chicken breast can be pretty hard to infuse flavor but this raises the bar quite a bit….end up with barely any leftovers for lunch!!! Keep them coming!!
Yvonne says
This marinade is FANTASTIC! My son asked me to make extra next time to bottle for him; always a favorite. Thank you!
Kris says
Hey thanks!! This was so DELISH!! Made it for company and everyone raved about it. I marinaded overnight and then boiled and simmered all of the left over marinade for about a half hour first. What a phenomenal sauce to have on the side…. yum! I did however have to take it off the BBQ a bit before done and finish it in a 425 oven to get it to temperature. The sugar got to hot and was starting to burn a little more than to my liking on the BBQ. Will certainly make this again! 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Yes! When the marinade is reduced down it is SO good! I’m so excited you give it a try and loved it as much as we do. Thanks for stopping by!
Judy S says
Can this be used for baked chicken? We don’t have a grill.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Yes it can! Lots of readers have commented on baking the chicken instead of grilling and loved it. Thanks Judy!
Paige says
I’ve been making this marinade for about a year now. I always reduce the leftover marinade for a dipping sauce. It never gets boring! We love it just as much now as we did the first time. Thanks for the recipe!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
This makes me so happy Paige! Thank you so much!