The best tasting, easy chicken marinade that will make any chicken incredibly flavorful and juicy. It’s so easy to put together in a few minutes with basic ingredients you probably already have. Let chicken marinate for 4-6 hours and then cook it on the grill, on stove-top, or bake it.
CHICKEN MARINADE RECIPE
I’m sure you have a ton of chicken in the freezer like I do. It’s a good thing to have a couple extra packs in the freezer for busy days or when I don’t feel like deciding on what to make. Easy chicken dinner, doesn’t have to be bland or or blah and with this marinade, it will something your family begs for.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used this chicken marinade in a pinch and it never disappoints. Whether we need a quick dinner and I’m feeling lazy, or I need to impress in-laws and guests with delicious chicken. No matter the occasion, this chicken always comes out juicy, moist, and bursting with flavor. It’s all thanks to the marinade because it combines all the flavor aspects like sweet, sour, salty, and tangy. It’s a perfect a balance of flavors for the chicken.
Added bonus if you grill the chicken on the charcoal grill because then it will have an extra layer of smokey flavor. This chicken is amazing off the grill.
WHAT CHICKEN CAN I USE?
Absolutely any chicken cuts will be perfect here. Chicken breast will be completely transformed soaked in the marinade. It will always be flavorful moist and juicy. Really the only thing that can go wrong is if the chicken is completely overcooked (but you would have to try hard for that.)
Use chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks, leg quarters, or bone-in chicken breast. You can even break down a whole chicken and marinate it.
My personal favorite is the wings! You have not tried amazing chicken wings until you tasted them off the grill marinated in this chicken marinade.
HOW SHOULD I COOK THE CHICKEN?
To Grill It:
Clean and set up the grill for two temperature zones. Preheat the grill first for about 10 minutes over medium to medium-high heat. Take the chicken out of the marinade and spray it with some cooking spray on all sides. (Don’t spray or oil hot grill, it can cause flare-ups.)
Place chicken over direct heat. Let it cook for a few minutes on both sides and then move it over to the cooler side to finish cooking if needed. Bone-in chicken will need more time and will most likely need to be moved to the cooler side, while chicken breast is fine to cook over direct heat.
Use a digital read thermometer to check if chicken is done. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165°. (Check the temperature in the center of the thickest part of the chicken.)
To Bake It:
Preheat the oven to 450° if cooking chicken breast or 425° if cooking bone-in chicken. Cover a heavy rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease it.
Take chicken out of the marinade and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Make sure to leave some space between each piece of chicken.
Bake chicken breasts at 450°for 14-18 minutes, depending on the thickness of chicken.
For bone-in chicken, bake at 425° for 25 minutes, flip each piece over, and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Use a digital read thermometer to check if the chicken is at 165°.
To Cook On Stove-top:
Preheat a cooking pan over medium heat until hot and add a couple of tablespoons of oil. Take chicken out of the marinade and add it to the hot pan.
Cook chicken breasts on one side for about 5-7 minutes, depending on the size. Don’t move or touch the chicken until ready to flip. Flip chicken and cook on the other side for another 5-7 minutes. Use a digital read thermometer to check if the chicken is at 165°.
For bone-in chicken like drumsticks or thighs, preheat the pan to medium and add some oil. Place chicken thighs in the pan skin side down first and cook for 15-20 minutes. Turn them over and cook another 10-15 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165°.
To cook chicken drumsticks in the pan, cook them over medium heat and turn them a quarter of the way every 10 minutes or so. Again, internal temperature of the chicken when done should be 165°.
HOW LONG DO I NEED TO MARINATE THE CHICKEN?
Ideally, you would marinate chicken for 4-6 hours but you can just as well marinate it overnight.
If you’re in a pinch for time, you can keep it in a marinade as little as 30 minutes but I noticed that flavor is not strong.
CAN I USE THE MARINADE AS SAUCE?
Yes, absolutely, but you have to cook it first. Pour the marinade into a sauce pot and simmer it over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Make sure to stir from time to time.
TRY MY OTHER CHICKEN MARINADES:
Jerk Chicken Marinade is sweet, spicy, and aromatic but you can easily adjust the spice level. Grill this chicken for the perfect Jerk Chicken experiences.
My family’s second favorite is the Greek Chicken Marinade. This marinade infuses chicken with amazing combination of lemon, garlic, and herb flavors.
For some spicy southwest flavors, try my Southwest Baked Chicken. This is the best southwest chicken marinade I’ve ever made and it goes great with any kind of chicken.
When it comes to side dishes, our go-to is mashed potatoes and green beans. But you can also go with other comforting sides like home fries, macaroni salad, or cauliflower mac and cheese. When you want some more vegetables, try roasted asparagus, balsamic carrots, or cucumber tomato salad.
If you made any of my recipes and shared them on Instagram, make sure to tag me @willcookforsmiles and #willcookforsmiles so I can see all the things you tried!
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Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 lime - juice only
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 3-4 lbs chicken
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients for the sauce in a mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Place chicken inside a durable zip-top bag and pour the marinade into the bag with chicken. Get air out of the bag and zip it closed.
- Lay the bag on its side inside a rimmed baking dish or another container and place it in the refrigerator. Let it marinate for 4-6 hours or overnight.
Cooking chicken on the grill:
- Clean and set up the grill for two temperature zones. Preheat the grill first for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Take the chicken out of the marinade and spray it with some cooking spray on all sides. (Don’t spray or oil hot grill, it can cause flare-ups.)
- Place chicken over direct heat. Let it cook for a few minutes on both sides and then move it over to the cooler side to finish cooking if needed. Bone-in chicken will need more time and will most likely need to be moved to the cooler side, while chicken breast is fine to cook over direct heat.
- Use a digital read thermometer to check if chicken is done. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165°. (Check the temperature in the center of the thickest part of the chicken.)
Baking chicken in the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 450° if cooking chicken breast or 425° if cooking bone in chicken. Cover a heavy rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease it.
- Take chicken out of the marinade and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Make sure to leave some space between each piece of chicken.
- Breast - Bake chicken breasts at 450°for 14-18 minutes, depending on the thickness of chicken.
- Bone-In chicken - For bone-in chicken, bake at 425° for 25 minutes, flip each piece over, and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Use a digital read thermometer to check if the chicken is at 165°.
Cooking chicken in a pan:
- Preheat a cooking pan over medium heat until hot and add a couple of tablespoons of oil. Take chicken out of the marinade and add it to the hot pan.
- Breast - Cook chicken breasts on one side for about 5-7 minutes, depending on the size. Don’t move or touch the chicken until ready to flip. Flip chicken and cook on the other side for another 5-7 minutes. Use a digital read thermometer to check if the chicken is at 165°.
- Bone-In chicken thighs - preheat the pan to medium and add some oil. Place chicken thighs in the pan skin side down first and cook for 15-20 minutes. Turn them over and cook another 10-15 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165°.
- Chicken drumsticks - To cook chicken drumsticks in the pan, cook them over medium heat and turn them a quarter of the way every 10 minutes or so. Again, internal temperature of the chicken when done is 165°.
To make sauce out of leftover marinade:
- Pour the marinade into a sauce pot and simmer it over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Make sure to stir from time to time.
- You can use the sauce to brush the chicken while it's grilling or to top off cooked chicken.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Y the Wait says
I love roasted chicken I love this recipe.
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked it! 🙂
Caroline says
Made boneless chicken breasts with this marinade today. Marinated for 3 hours and then put on the grill. Cooked the marinade as you stated and used it on top of chicken. We enjoyed it very much. The only change I would make would be to use a little less balsamic vinegar. Thank you for the recipe.
LyubaB says
Thanks, Caroline! I am so glad you liked it!