Delicious Chicken Thigh Marinades {5 Ways}

These Delicious Chicken Thigh Marinades are perfect for meal prep and super easy! Try Sesame, Chipotle, Greek, Balsamic and Honey Dijon.

Ingredients and substitutions

• Boneless skinless chicken thighs – you could also use bone-in, skin-on thighs or boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Garlic sesame marinade

• Sesame oil – the sesame oil will give you that amazing flavour but you can also use a neutral cooking oil like canola oil – just keep in mind the taste will be different.
• Low-sodium soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari would be the best substitutes here.
• Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but the jarred variety will work in a pinch.
• Ginger – if you don’t have any fresh ginger on hand, try using a bit of ground ginger instead.

Chipotle marinade

• Olive oil – or any other neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
• Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – chipotle powder or paprika would provide a similar flavour profile.
• Lime juice – I prefer freshly squeezed lime juice but bottled lime or even lemon juice can be used.
• Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but the jarred variety will work in a pinch.
• Salt & pepper – to taste.

Honey Dijon

• Honey – dates are a great substitute for honey in this recipe.
• Dijon mustard – try using stone-ground mustard instead.
• Olive oil – or any other neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
• Salt & pepper – to taste.

Balsamic marinade

• Olive oil – or any other neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
• Balsamic vinegar – you can try using a bit of red wine vinegar with maple syrup or honey although the taste will be different.
• Honey – use a bit of maple syrup, agave or even brown sugar to bring a bit of sweetness to this marinade.
• Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but the jarred variety will work in a pinch.
• Salt & pepper – to taste.

Greek marinade

• Olive oil – or any other neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
• Lemon juice – use freshly squeezed or bottled lime juice if you don’t have any lemon juice on hand.
• Oregano – try using thyme, basil or Italian seasoning instead.
• Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but the jarred variety will work in a pinch.
• Salt & pepper – to taste.

How to marinate chicken thighs

1. Whisk together the marinade ingredients.
2. Marinate the chicken for at least 15 minutes.
3. Bake or grill the chicken thighs.
4. Serve with your preferred sides and enjoy!

Making multiple marinades at once

If you're making this chicken for your weekly meal prep, you can easily whip up multiple marinades at once and bake them together using foil dividers (pictured above).

If you'd like to do multiple marinades at a time, make dividers using your tinfoil as shown. Add your marinated chicken thighs, ensuring the dividers are high enough to separate any excess liquid from each marinade. Bake for 12 minutes, then flip and bake for another 8 minutes. It's so easy!

Cooking chicken this way ensures you easily have some variety in your week and you can create multiple different types of meals.

I wouldn't recommend using more than 2-3 thighs per marinade and foil divider. You also don't have to cut the marinade ingredients in half if dividing up your thighs among different marinades. As long as you remove the chicken from the marinade and don't pour any excess liquid onto the foil dividers, you’ll still get the same flavour without it being overpowering.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing chicken thigh marinades

If you prepare your chicken marinade ahead of time, store it in the refrigerator or freezer.

You can refrigerate chicken thighs in marinades for up to 24 hours in the fridge. Chicken thighs are more tender than breasts so you're not using the marinades to tenderize the meat – you’re simply looking to add flavour.

Very important note: never reuse a marinade that is left over from marinating another meat. The bacteria from the other meat will contaminate the marinade. As a result, the marinade will contaminate the chicken thighs.

Can you freeze chicken in marinade?

Yes, you can freeze chicken in a marinade! After the marinade is prepared, put the chicken and marinade in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. Remove all the air, seal the bag and lay it flat to freeze. You can freeze chicken thighs in marinades up to 3 months.

When ready to use your chicken, transfer the package to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw out before cooking. Typically, I'll allow my chicken to defrost in the fridge for 24 hours and then bake it or grill it.

The Best Chicken Marinades

I rounded up five of the most delicious chicken marinades. Pick one of the following or use the foil divider method to make them all! All of these recipes are made using simple ingredients you should already have on hand at home, and require five ingredients or less.

Chipotle marinade

Greek marinade

Garlic sesame marinade

Honey dijon marinade

Balsamic marinade

More easy chicken recipes

• The Best Baked Chicken Breast
• Perfect Baked Chicken Thighs
• 20 Easy Chicken Breast Marinades

Meal prep tools for this recipe

• Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on using these chicken thigh marinades for meal prep lunches or dinners.
• 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 if you're marinating the chicken then freezing it.
• Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.