Best Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe

Name: Favorite Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 4 h 5 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 cup soy sauce; 1/4 cup lemon juice; 2 tbsp Worcestershire; 2 tbsp dijon mustard; 2 tbsp minced garlic sauce

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The best grilled chicken marinade recipe you've ever tasted is coming your way. It's easy to make, super flavorful, and keeps your chicken from drying out on the grill! Serve this grilled chicken with a summer berry salad, roasted bell peppers, or pesto potato salad for a fresh, delicious lunch or dinner.

When I was younger I was never a big fan of grilled chicken. It seemed to always turn out dry and bland. That is, until I found this chicken marinade! I promise you, once you try it, you'll be a convert as well!

My Cilantro Lime Chicken is also a winner for the grill, and our oven baked chicken breast, baked chicken tenderloins, and 20 Minute Szechuan Chicken are also reader favorites!

Ingredients

This chicken marinade uses just a few kitchen basics:

Olive Oil keeps the chicken moist and helps bring all of the flavors together. You can substitute vegetable oil if needed.
Lemon juice provides the acid in the marinade and helps break down and tenderize the chicken breast.
Soy Sauce adds not just flavor and salt, but also helps to tenderize the meat.
Worcestershire Sauce adds the perfect savory taste to the chicken.
Mustard and garlic round out the flavor and bring out the natural tastiness of the chicken.

How to marinate chicken

Marinating is super easy, simply mix the ingredients and soak the chicken in it!

I like to marinate mine in a gallon bag that I can flip in the fridge to ensure the marinade hits the entire chicken breast.

Tips for Best Results

Before marinating, pound the chicken to an even ¾ inch thickness so it cooks evenly.
Poke the chicken with a knife or fork numerous times before adding the marinade to help the marinade soak deeper into the meat.
As I mentioned above, flip or stir the chicken during the marinating process to make sure the marinade soaks all parts of the meat.
Keep the chicken refrigerated while marinating for food safety. Bacteria can spread quickly on chicken left at room temperature.
Grease the grill generously by pouring vegetable or canola oil on a paper towel and running it along the grate. This prevents sticking of the meat.
If you like you can double the marinade recipe and keep half set aside for basting the chicken as it cooks (do NOT baste with the marinade the chicken sat in.)
Do not skip letting the chicken rest after grilling to allow the juices to redistribute in the meat.

FAQs

How long should you marinate chicken?

At a very minimum you should marinate the meat 30 minutes but I highly recommend 4-6 hours for the absolute best taste. Do not marinate over 6 hours as the acid in the lemon juice will start to cook the meat.

Can I cook the chicken in the marinade?

Once you marinate the raw chicken, you cannot reuse it as it will contain bacteria. If you would like to baste the chicken breast while cooking, double the recipe and set half aside for that use.

Can I use this marinate if I am not grilling the chicken?

Yes! Here are two alternate ways to cook chicken after using this marinade:

Baking: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken in a pan lightly sprayed with nonstick spray and bake for 15 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the chicken rest 5 minutes before serving or cutting.

Stovetop: Pound the chicken closer to ½ inch for this method. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breast (do not allow extra marinade in the pan or it will burn) and cook 5 minutes per side or until juices run clear and the temperature reads 165. Let the chicken rest 5 minutes before serving or cutting.

Serving suggestions

My favorite way to serve this grilled chicken is with a homemade Caesar salad, roasted vegetables, or deviled egg potato salad, but it can go with any of your favorite side dishes.

If you try this recipe, please rate it below and leave me a comment, I love hearing from you!

Favorite Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe

★★★★ 4 from 1 review

Author: Melissa Riker
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Yield: marinade for 4 chicken breasts 1x
Category: Entree
Method: none
Cuisine: American

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Description

The best grilled chicken marinade recipe you've ever tasted is coming your way. It's easy to make, super flavorful, and keeps your chicken from drying out on the grill!

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 tbsp olive oil
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tbsp Worcestershire
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp minced garlic sauce

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Instructions

Trim chicken breast and pound to ¾" thickness.
Add chicken and all marinade ingredients to a large plastic bag and seal well.
Shake to mix and marinate in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours.
Grease grille grates. Preheat grill to medium high heat.
Grill until interior temperature reaches 165 degrees. Allow chicken to rest 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

nutritional information for the batch of the marinade as a whole, not including chicken
Before marinating, pound the chicken to an even ¾ inch thickness so it cooks evenly.
Poke the chicken with a knife or fork numerous times before adding the marinade to help the marinade soak deeper into the meat.
As I mentioned above, flip or stir the chicken during the marinating process to make sure the marinade soaks all parts of the meat.
Keep the chicken refrigerated while marinating for food safety. Bacteria can spread quickly on chicken left at room temperature.
Grease the grill generously by pouring vegetable or canola oil on a paper towel and running it along the grate. This prevents sticking of the meat.
If you like you can double the marinade recipe and keep half set aside for basting the chicken as it cooks (do NOT baste with the marinade the chicken sat in.)
Do not skip letting the chicken rest after grilling to allow the juices to redistribute in the meat.