This is the best chicken marinade recipe that’s so easy to make. Loaded with the perfect amount of flavor, it needs only 7 ingredients. Use it for grilling or roasting. It makes the tastiest chicken ever!
We eat chicken a lot in our house. I prefer chicken to red meat, even though I know my husband would disagree. I love how versatile and easy a chicken recipe is to prepare! Most often, we enjoy grilled chicken. And while I love to play around with all sorts of flavors and marinades, I always come back to my favorite. Allow me to introduce you to the BEST chicken marinade.
Your New Go-To Chicken Marinade Recipe
- Easy to make. With only 7 pantry-friendly ingredients (plus salt and pepper), this chicken marinade is simple to make but so tasty.
- Versatile. Use this marinade for grilled chicken, baked chicken, or for roasting or air frying.
- The best flavor. The flavors in the marinade enhance the chicken without overpowering it. You can marinate a little or a lot, depending on how much flavor you’re after.
3 Main Ingredients When Marinating
Every great marinade comes down to three main components: fat, acid, and flavor. Here’s a quick breakdown of the ingredients in this easy chicken marinade recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the printable recipe with the exact measurements for each ingredient.
- Fat – In this recipe, I use vegetable oil. I like vegetable oil because it’s light, doesn’t firm up in the fridge, and it has a high smoke point, which makes it suitable for grilling as well as roasting.
- Acid – The acidity of apple cider vinegar balances out the oil and also helps tenderize the meat. You could use another vinegar, like red or white wine vinegar, or another acid, like lemon juice.
- Flavor Enhancers – This is where you can get creative. This marinade uses a mix of soy sauce, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, dried thyme, plus salt and pepper. These spices build the flavors and are super adaptable. You can make it spicier with cayenne, chili flakes, or Cajun spice, or make a Tex-Mex version with cumin, chili powder, etc.
Bonus: Add a Sweetener
Optional, but I add honey to my marinade to round out the savory, tangy flavors. It also helps the chicken caramelize. Brown sugar, maple syrup, or even granulated sugar will work, too. If you’re avoiding sugar, however, you can leave it out.
How to Make This Chicken Marinade
Making your own marinade for chicken is easy. All you do is combine the ingredients, mix, and pour it over chicken. You can use a bowl and a whisk, or a jar with a tight-fitting lid, and give it a shake. Use your chicken marinade right away, or store it airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week.
How Long Should I Marinate Chicken?
The time you marinate chicken is flexible. For this chicken marinade, I usually recommend soaking the chicken for at least 4 hours, or overnight for the best flavor. Do not marinate for longer than 24 hours, however, as the acids can start to break down the chicken and make it mushy.
Tips for Adding More Flavor
If you don’t have at least a few hours to marinate the chicken, you can tweak this marinade recipe to pack a more concentrated punch. To boost the flavor of the chicken even more, try this chicken dipping sauce when serving!
- Use a more robust vinegar. Try Balsamic vinegar as the acid.
- More umami. Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce in addition to the soy sauce.
- Herbs and spices. Add a stronger herb, like rosemary or basil. Fresh will have a more intense flavor.
- Spicy. Mix in 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste.
Ways to Use This Chicken Marinade
This best chicken marinade is pretty much guaranteed to boost the flavors in your favorite chicken dinners.
- Baked chicken. Use this marinade with boneless or bone-in chicken, like these oven-baked chicken legs.
- Grilled chicken. Try this marinade on grilled chicken breasts, thighs, or grilled chicken tenders. I like to reserve some of the marinade that hasn’t touched the chicken to use for basting.
- Shredded chicken. Use it to marinate the chicken before you make shredded chicken for extra flavor.
- Air fryer chicken. Try this marinade on these crispy air fryer chicken thighs.
How to Store
- Refrigerate. Store any leftover marinade that has NOT come into contact with raw chicken. Keep it in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freeze. You can also freeze the unused chicken marinade for up to 3 months. Make sure to store it in a freezer-safe container with enough space left at the top to account for expansion.
More Chicken Recipes
Best Chicken Marinade
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 6
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Dinner
Description
This is the best chicken marinade recipe! It’s easy to make, versatile, and so tasty. Make it with simple ingredients and use it for grilling or baking. It stores well in the fridge.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2–3 pounds trimmed chicken breasts
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients.
- Add chicken to a large zip-top bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken.
- Press out the extra air in the zip-top bag and seal. Squeeze the chicken in the bag to make sure all the chicken is covered in the marinade.
- Place the bag in the refrigerator and allow it to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to grill chicken, remove the chicken from the refrigerator 15 minutes prior to cooking.
- Preheat the grill to high heat. Place chicken on the grill, discarding extra marinade. Lower grill temperature to medium and cook on each side 5-6 minutes, depending on the thickness, or until internal temperature is 165°F.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If you would like to bake the chicken: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place chicken in a large baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes, or until juices run clear and internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece chicken
- Calories: 296
- Sugar: 7.5 g
- Sodium: 1749.2 mg
- Fat: 10.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Protein: 37 g
- Cholesterol: 116.5 mg
This marinade is delicious!! Used it on boneless chicken breasts, they were juicy and flavorful. Will definitely make again and again.
We LOVE this recipe. I make it just about every week. The flavors go perfectly with pretty much any type of cuisine we’re having. The marinade also works beautifully on tofu!
Thank you so much for the review!! So glad you like it!
So good!
Hi Shelly.
So I made the marinade using the maple syrup,and marinated the chicken for 2 days. So, so good!!!! Used an indoor grill to cook the chicken and served it w/ your honey mustard sauce, accompanied by mixed greens using your vinaigrette w/oregano.
Everything was fun and easy to make, and my boyfriend & I enjoyed it all.
Thank you
The only thing I’ll do differently next time is to use the honey -it’s in the shopping list
Thank you so much for the review! I have some chicken marinating right now!
Hi Shelly!
I’m “new” to your online website,and I’m really inspired
Thank you for that! I made your blueberry Bundt cake yesterday, it made me an instant rockstar w/my cowboy boyfriend , and his cowboy buddies!
But back to my question: I’m about to make your marinade for chicken,and I’m out if honey. Can I substitute pure maple syrup?
Thanks!
Lisa
sure!!
Absolutely delicious! My family and I love this recipe, even the leftovers on top of a salad the following day for lunch is to die for! Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome!! So glad you enjoyed!
Made this today & it is definitely going to become a frequently-used recipe! I did omit the additional salt since I find soy sauce salty enough on its own, and I had to use regular vinegar, but the chicken turned out moist and tender – hard to manage with chicken breasts today being so oversized & usually tough!
So glad you liked it!! We use it all the time!
This was awesome. I substituted regular vinegar, yellow mustard and Worcestershire sauce as I didn’t have the other ingredients on hand. It turned out amazing and the chicken was very juicy when reheating it. Will definitely make it again.
So glad you enjoyed!!
Thank you for the nice marinate . Can I use french mustard? Though it has little salt in it, should I use less salt if using french mustard?
Yes you can, and you won’t need to adjust the salt 🙂
Its so…. easy to cook this delicious recipe. Can cook any time to friends feast.