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Home » Recipes » Dressings, Sauces & Spice Mixes » Best Chicken Marinades – 20+ Ways!

Best Chicken Marinades – 20+ Ways!

4/11/22

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These chicken marinade recipes include everything from teriyaki to honey mustard and fajita flavoured. Most have 5 ingredients or less!  

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

How to make an easy chicken marinade

Making an easy chicken marinade is as simple as whisking together a few simple ingredients for the chicken to sit in for a few hours. Marinating chicken allows the meat to tenderize and soak up the flavours of the marinade.

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A basic 4-ingredient chicken marinade usually includes:

  • Oil
  • Vinegar
  • Soy sauce, Dijon mustard or some other emulsifier
  • Sweetener

You can use that simple marinade template alone, or add additional herbs and spices to create more depth of flavour. Let your creativity shine and your taste buds lead the way.

Chicken marinade

Marinade safety and avoiding contamination

Any time you use chicken marinades (or any other type of meat marinade), you should be extra cautious, especially when your hands and kitchen surfaces will come in direct contact with raw meat.

This precaution is necessary because dangerous bacteria thrive inside of raw chicken that can make you very sick. If you aren’t careful, that bacteria will cross-contaminate onto your hands, countertops, and other surfaces and body parts.

To avoid any possible contamination, use these methods:

  • Wash your hands. Both before and after handling raw chicken, immediately wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds, using hot and soapy water. After you remove the raw chicken from the chicken marinades, wash your hands again.
  • Never reuse chicken marinades! Regardless of how clean the marinade may appear, bacteria are thriving inside. Cooking will not kill off all types of bacteria, so discard the chicken marinade immediately after use.
Delicious Chicken Thigh Marinades - 5 Ways. Image 1: raw thighs on a foil lined baking sheet. Image 2: cooked thighs on the foil lined sheet.

Making multiple marinades at once

You can make multiple chicken marinades at once to get all kinds of flavours for your weekly meal prep! Create foil dividers as shown above, then bake your chicken for the times suggested below in the recipe card. Easy peasy!

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should you marinate chicken?

There's no exact rule of thumb here but anywhere from 20 minutes to 24 hours is a safe bet for marinating chicken. If you're using a marinade that has a particularly acidic profile (think marinades heavy on lemon juice, vinegars, etc.) then you will want to marinate only 20-60 minutes and not overnight. With milder marinades such as honey mustard, pesto, BBQ and wine-based marinades, you can let them sit overnight in the fridge.

Can you freeze chicken in marinade?

You can freeze the raw chicken in the marinade right in the bag then freeze up to 90 days. When ready to serve, defrost the chicken in the fridge for 24 hours, then bake or BBQ as you normally would.

Why should you marinate chicken?

Chicken marinades are a great way to infuse a lot of flavour into the meat and they also help keep the chicken juicy and delicious. This is especially true when you make certain slow cooker chicken recipes or other cooking methods that have a long cook time. The longer a chicken breast cooks, the more likely it is to become dry and over-cooked. Chicken marinades will help to prevent that from happening!

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Best chicken marinades to get you started

Below you'll find pictures of my go-to super easy chicken breast marinades! Most of these marinades have 5 ingredients or less and they are pantry staples so there's no running to the store for any crazy spices.

These are my fave marinades and ones I always rotate through when it comes to my weekly meal prep.

Lemon rosemary marinade

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Balsamic marinade

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Pesto marinade

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Teriyaki marinade

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Garlic herb marinade

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Fajita marinade

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

BBQ marinade

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Honey mustard marinade

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

BONUS chicken marinade recipes

Here are some more chicken marinade recipes from some of my fave food bloggers if you're looking for more recipe inspiration. Click the links below the pictures to take you to these other delicious recipes!

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe, via Mom on Timeout // Favorite Everyday Chicken Marinade, via A Beautiful Plate

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

The Best Greek Chicken Marinade, via Foodie Crush // Honey Mustard Chicken Marinade, via Rachel Cooks

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Isabel's Island Chicken Marinade, via Healthy Seasonal Recipes // Spicy Beer Chicken Marinade, via Family Food on the Table

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Korean Chicken Marinade, via Skinnytaste // Asian Ginger Chicken Marinade, via Oh Sweet Basil

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Savory Low Carb Chicken Marinade, via Kalyn's Kitchen // Roasted Miso Chicken, via Real Housemoms

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Japanese Ponzu Sauce, via A Family Feast // Chicken Shawarma Meal Prep Bowls, via The Girl on Bloor

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Baked Cuban Mojo Chicken, via Spend with Pennies // Curry Yogurt Chicken Marinade, via Sweet Peas and Saffron

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Spanish Chicken in Pepitoria Sauce, via A Family Feast // Baked Hasselback Greek Chicken with lemon-oregano marinade, via The Girl on Bloor

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Instant Pot Chipotle Lime Chicken Breasts, via Sweet Peas and Saffron // Coconut Mango Chicken Meal Prep Bowls, via The Girl on Bloor

Best Chicken Marinade Recipes

Spanish Chicken Marbella, via She Wears Many Hats // Salsa Chicken via The Girl on Bloor

More healthy recipe ideas

  • 52 Healthy, Easy Dinner Ideas for Busy Weeknights
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Meal prep tools for these recipes

  • Grab some glass meal prep bowls to store leftover chicken.
  • I get all my free range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
  • Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
  • Use these Ziploc bag holders for mess-free marinating.
8 different Chicken breasts in a variety of Marinades, pictured in ziploc bags.

Best Chicken Marinades – 20+ Ways!

These chicken marinade recipes include everything from teriyaki to honey mustard and fajita flavoured. Most have 5 ingredients or less! 
4.6 from 27 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Marinating time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 169kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson

Ingredients

Teriyaki marinade

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp minced gingerroot

Honey mustard marinade

  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup mustard

Balsamic marinade

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper

Fajita marinade

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1 tbsp homemade fajita seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper

BBQ marinade

  • 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Pesto

  • 1/2 cup jarred pesto

Garlic herb marinade

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine or lemon juice
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper

Lemon rosemary marinade

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp fresh or dried rosemary
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper

Chicken

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix together chicken marinade of choice in a small bowl and pour over chicken in a Ziploc bag or small bowl. Marinate for 15-20 minutes.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil. If you'd like to do multiple marinades at a time, make dividers using your tin foil as shown in the video below.
  • For 6 oz breasts: bake 18-20 minutes. For 8 oz breasts: bake 20-22 minutes. For 10oz breasts: bake 25-28 minutes. Check that chicken is cooked through by slicing one of the breasts down the middle and meat thermometre reads 165 F.
  • Let chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing or chopping. Store in glass containers for later or serve immediately with a side dish. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Make multiple chicken marinades at once using foil dividers.
Freeze your chicken in the marinade for up to 3 months.
Be extra careful while dealing with raw chicken to avoid contamination.
Use an oil, vinegar, emulsifier and sweetener for a basic four-ingredient marinade.

Nutrition

Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 942mg | Potassium: 450mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.8mg
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These chicken marinade recipes include everything from teriyaki to honey mustard and fajita. Most have 5 ingredients or less! #chickenmarinades #mealprepchicken These chicken marinade recipes include everything from teriyaki to honey mustard and fajita. Most have 5 ingredients or less! #chickenmarinades #mealprepchicken

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About Taylor Stinson

Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!

Comments

  1. Mahri says

    May 12, 2022 at 12:41

    I’ve seen this picture on the Pin and I was like where can I find this exact website and OMG! I have to say I am in love with your website, so many great ideas and what’s funny I had all the groceries and I was like, what did not I even think about making something like this? Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Molly John says

    December 27, 2021 at 21:39

    5 stars
    I was looking for such recipes. So glad I came across them. Quite helpful. I’m from India and run a small business of frozen foods. My daughter wanted me to add marinades too.
    Thank you. Will try them at home first.

    Reply
  3. Honeybmassage says

    February 4, 2021 at 12:16

    5 stars
    Love how these marinades are so few ingredients and super easy to put together. You go girl!

    Reply
  4. Keke says

    October 13, 2020 at 03:28

    5 stars
    Hello, some of the 8 marinades list a single sauce. I’m wondering if those particular marinades do not require any spices?

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      October 13, 2020 at 08:27

      Hi Keke – no they do not require additional spices.

      Reply
  5. Dan says

    December 8, 2019 at 16:23

    Thanks for the recipes. Please use reusable bags/tupperware so you don’t waste a ton of plastic every time you marinade

    Reply
  6. I.G. says

    October 22, 2019 at 12:14

    What if I am only making like 3 chicken breasts? How long do i cook that for? trying to avoid overcooking

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      October 22, 2019 at 12:41

      Cooking time is the same! 3-4 breasts is about 1lb of chicken.

      Reply
      • Diana says

        November 1, 2019 at 20:24

        There is a link posted to Ziploc bag holders, but they do Not ship to Canada.

        Reply
        • Taylor Stinson says

          November 2, 2019 at 10:59

          Hey Diana – most of my web traffic is from the US so I’ve included a link that ships to US addresses. Here’s a similar option that will ship to Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Hands-Free-Rack-Storage-Holder-Striper/dp/B074SFGS2D/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ziploc+bag+holders&qid=1572706711&sr=8-1

          Reply
  7. Janae says

    October 10, 2019 at 16:16

    Once marinated can the chicken breasts be frozen and used later? And if so, do I freeze them in the marinade?

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      October 11, 2019 at 09:10

      Hey Janae! You can freeze the raw chicken in the marinade right in the bag then freeze up to 90 days. When ready to serve, defrost the chicken in the fridge for 24 hours, then bake or BBQ as you normally would.

      Reply
  8. Mary Henderson says

    September 22, 2019 at 16:46

    Which marinades can I freeze on the chicken? You mentioned some “can be frozen.

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      September 23, 2019 at 07:44

      Hi Mary! All of the recipes in the recipe card at the bottom and that you see pictured at the top of the post can be frozen.

      Reply
  9. Marni says

    July 8, 2019 at 16:10

    This says chicken 20 ways and has only 8 listed ?

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      July 8, 2019 at 16:22

      The title of the post is 20+ marinades (20 plus). There are 8 primary recipes listed in the recipe card, then links to additional recipes on other websites making a total of over 20 recipes.

      Reply
      • Annoyed says

        June 4, 2020 at 15:06

        I wish you could see my eyes roll. Pretty misleading title. If I wanted to visit 15 pages for ideas, I would. Instead I thought your page would have 20 ideas, like you claimed.

        Reply
        • Taylor Stinson says

          June 5, 2020 at 09:14

          There are 8 recipes listed on this page in the recipe card at the bottom. The jump to recipe button takes you there. In addition to these 8 recipes, there are 20 more ideas that I have linked to. I suppose we have differing opinions on what misleading means and I’m sorry you did not find the 8 published recipes in this post (plus 20 more ideas) to be enough.

          Reply
      • Omer Shah says

        November 8, 2021 at 09:29

        Is the writer high?!? Didn’t give an recipes wth?!?

        Reply
        • Taylor Stinson says

          November 8, 2021 at 09:31

          Is the reader high? The recipes are at the bottom of the page, which you clearly scrolled past to leave this comment 🙂

          Reply
          • Lis says

            March 5, 2022 at 11:04

            Some people are so rude! Your recipes are fantastic!

          • Taylor Stinson says

            March 7, 2022 at 08:39

            Thank you so much🥺❤️

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I'm Taylor Stinson, a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto. Looking to switch up your weekly meal prep routine? I've got you covered with healthy recipes and meal planning resources. Join 1.5 million other monthly readers and dive in! MORE ABOUT ME..

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