This is the best chicken marinade ever. It combines pantry ingredients to make juicy and flavorful chicken in no time at all.
Let’s face it, chicken can sometimes be really boring. Sure, it’s economical to buy, and that’s why so many of us have it multiple times per week for dinner.
I came up with the best chicken marinade ever to make sure eating chicken for dinner doesn’t result in grumbles and complaints from my family. I bet yours will love it, too.
What Ingredients Are In The Best Chicken Marinade?
I like to use olive oil as a base for my marinades. I added balsamic vinegar and lemon juice for flavor and acidity. This helps break down the chicken so that it’s more tender and juicy.
Worcestershire and soy sauce add salt and depth. Honey adds a touch of sweetness, just enough for some flavor.
I like to smash garlic with the side of my knife and then roughly chop it. This releases the oil from the garlic, resulting in tastier chicken. Italian seasoning (or use some dried basil and oregano), salt, and pepper round out the flavor profile.
See, I bet you have all of that on hand already.
How To Marinate Chicken
Once you mix up the marinade, pour it over whatever chicken you’re using. The recipe below makes enough to marinate 2 pounds of chicken. I love this for chicken breasts, but if you’ve got chicken thighs, drumsticks, or really any cut of chicken this will work wonderfully as well.
Store the marinade covered chicken in a heavy duty zip-top bag or covered baking dish in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours. You don’t want to marinate it for too long, it has lemon juice in it which can really break the meat down.
How To Cook Marinated Chicken
Now what do you do with your marinated chicken? I think this makes the best grilled chicken! You can also roast it or even pan sear it. The options are really endless, and you’ll never eat dry, boring chicken again! Whatever your cooking method, be sure it’s fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F, you can check with an instant read thermometer.
Leave a comment below and let me know when you’ve given this chicken marinade recipe a try!
PrintBest Chicken Marinade
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Marinate: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: Enough for 2 lbs. of chicken 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Marinate
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
This is the best chicken marinade ever. It combines pantry ingredients to make juicy and flavorful chicken in no time at all.
This recipe marinates up to 2 lbs. of chicken, which can then be cooked with your preferred method.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 4–5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
- 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients into a jar with a lid or bowl. Whisk or shake together.
- Pour the marinade over chicken in a bowl with a lid or a zip top bag.
- Marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. This recipe marinates up to 2 lbs. of chicken.
This post originally appeared in October 2019 and was revised and republished in July 2022.