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
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- 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
- Whisk together the marinade ingredients.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 15 minutes.
- Bake or grill the chicken thighs.
- 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
You’ll want to let your chicken marinate for at least 15-20 minutes. You can leave them in longer and marinate them overnight or in the fridge during the day, but 15 to 20 minutes is the minimum to make sure they’re infused with all those yummy flavours.
For these chicken thigh marinades, there are four main ingredients: an acid that tenderizes the meat, a fat such as oil that saturates the meat and makes sure the flavour is fully infused, a salt that intensifies the flavour and bonus flavour for extra deliciousness!
It’s really a matter of preference. Boneless thighs cook a little quicker, but bone-in thighs are slightly cheaper because there is no extra work required by the butcher. However, if you are used to cooking with boneless skinless chicken breast, boneless thighs are a great swap. The e thighs of the chicken have a rich taste and tender texture. Either type of chicken thigh will work with these marinades so go by personal preference.
The best way to know that your thighs are fully cooked is to use a meat thermometer. It should read at least 165° Fahrenheit in the thickest portion of the meat. Also keep in mind that thigh meat will look pinkish-brown, even after cooking. Breast meat will be white when fully cooked.
The skin of the chicken is what gets crispy. So, if you are cooking skinless chicken thighs or breasts, they are not likely to become crispy. Make sure to use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs if you are looking for crispy skin. To produce crispy chicken in the oven, cook it at 450° Fahrenheit on the top third of the oven, which is the hottest part of the oven. It also helps to occasionally baste the thighs with marinade.
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
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.
Delicious Chicken Thigh Marinades {5 Ways}
Ingredients
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Garlic sesame marinade
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
Chipotle marinade
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Honey dijon marinade
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Balsamic marinade
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Greek marinade
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 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. Add chicken thighs with bottom area facing down. Bake for 12 minutes, then flip and bake 8 more minutes.
- Check that chicken is cooked through by slicing one of the thighs down the middle and if meat thermometer 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!
Melissa says
Hello! I’m so excited to give these marinades a try.
Do have suggestions for cooking them in an electric pressure cooker? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated and thanks so much!
Taylor Stinson says
I have a post on that here! https://thegirlonbloor.com/garlic-sesame-instant-pot-chicken-thighs/
Melissa says
Perfect and thank you so much!! I work 7/7 and prep 21 meals (plus snacks) every other week. I’ve recently discovered and love sesame oil and always have garlic on hand. And I really appreciate that you provide ingredient substitutions. It’s officially on the menu for next week! (Next marinade will probably be the Chipotle one. I’m thinking, maybe, shredded for tacos…?)
PS: I will now follow your blog!
Charlotte says
How long once cooked can the chicken be stored in the fridge please?
Taylor Stinson says
3-4 days
Laurie-Anne says
Can I use this marinade for grilling instead of baking?
Taylor Stinson says
Yes of course!
Judy says
Can I freeze the chicken before cooking and then defrost and cook.
Taylor Stinson says
Yes you can!
Judy says
Can I use bone in chicken thighs?
Taylor Stinson says
Yes you can!
Stephanie Dunbar says
Is this 8 boneless chicken thighs for each marinade?
Taylor Stinson says
Yes it is.
Kelly says
Hello! Could you freeze the chicken after cooked? if so, for how long?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Kelly – yes you can! You can freeze it for up to 3 months and defrost in the fridge overnight once ready to enjoy again.
Nick says
“1/4 cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce”
What exactly does this mean? Do I use the whole peppers + sauce, just the sauce or a puree? I genuinely don’t know. I’ve got a can of this stuff sitting around but I’ve never used it before.
Taylor Stinson says
You take 1/4 cup from the can filled with a combination of peppers and sauce, mincing up the peppers so they can be integrated into the sauce better. Hope that helps!