Best Chicken Marinades

These Best Chicken Marinades come in 10 different flavors and are perfect year-round for quick and easy dinners! All 10 recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free, and made with minimal ingredients for maximum flavor and ease. These marinades are perfect for meal prepping for simple meals pre-made for your freezer.

So, with some encouragement from you all, I set to work to have some marinade recipes we could all enjoy (without needing an instant pot). These marinades are made specifically for the grill or the oven, so they’re perfect for year-round dinners.

Nothing is easier than marinated chicken and veggies thrown on the grill. Or the same thing on parchment paper and baked in 1 pan. Either way, these marinades are here to make your dinnertime life much easier!

Watch how to make the Best Chicken Marinades

Let’s get started by talking about the 10 different flavors for the Best Chicken Marinades

• Balsamic Italian – balsamic vinegar combined with Italian seasoning and savory garlic makes this one and all-around pleaser we make often.
• Honey Sriracha – sriracha and honey combine into an amazing marinade made even better with a touch of zesty lime and savory coconut aminos.
• Jamaican Jerk – a slightly easier version of the classic, this marinade gets all its flavors from a jerk spice mix rather than having to measure out a bunch of individual spices.
• Chipotle – the smoky chipotle chili flavor goes further with some smoked paprika. That way, you have lots of smokey chili flavor without too much heat.
• Greek Lemon – garlic, lemon, and oregano come together in this super flavorful and family-friendly marinade. We make this one and the balsamic Italian whenever we want a crowd-pleaser for all tastes!
• Cilantro Lime – is one of our favorite combos, and it makes terrific taco bowls and taco salads. The marinade is made like a pesto with everything blended together, so it’s nice and easy.
• Garlic Ginger – like your favorite teriyaki but healthier. These flavors simply never get old, and it’s nice and simple to make too.
• Smokey BBQ – this one is your classic BBQ chicken, but with a bit of extra flavor added with some garlic and smoked paprika.
• Honey Mustard – this one might be the most family-friendly of all because no one can resist the sweet-savory combo of honey and mustard together.
• Orange 5-Spice – this is one of our favorite combinations ever. There’s something about orange and 5-spice together that’s incredible, very different, and I know you’ll love this one too.

Tip: If you’re looking for instant pot instructions, head over to my 5 Easy Whole30 Instant Pot Marinades or my 5 More Whole30 Instant Pot Marinades. Quite a few of these recipes today are based off those instant pot versions.

Let’s make a chicken marinade step by step

Step 1: Start by prepping the ingredients called for in whichever marinade you choose. We’re making the Greek Lemon in these photos, so there’s minced garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

Step 1: Next place all the prepped marinade ingredients into a quart sized bag of your choice and mix together. Or you can mix the marinade in a glass bowl and add the chicken before marinating it overnight. (No need to use a bag if you’re going to use it right away.)

Step 3: Then add the chicken breasts or thighs to the bag.

Turn to coat them in the marinade.

Step 4: Seal the bag, get as much air out as possible, and label before freezing.

Step 5: Choose whether you’ll bake or grill your marinated chicken.

Cook until done, (a thermometer will register 165ºF).

Bake at 450ºF for 15-20 minutes for chicken breasts or 10-15 for chicken thighs.

Grill over medium heat 350º-400ºF for 10-12 minutes per side for chicken breasts and 6-8 minutes per side for chicken thighs.

Ideas for how to make these chicken marinades a full meal

• Balsamic Italian – is great grilled paired with grilled zucchini, peppers, and sliced red onions. I’ve also grilled it and baked it, and then served it diced over a bed of greens with cherry tomatoes and my 2-Ingredients Balsamic Vinaigrette and crumbled feta cheese.
• Honey Sriracha – grilled or oven-roasted, I paired this one with steamed sticky rice and my Asian Cucumber Salad. But it’s also great with grilled veggies, and we had it one night with grilled asparagus.
• Jamaican Jerk – oven-roasted or grilled and sliced over a bed of greens with my Mango Salsa. You can also serve it like these Jerk Chicken Bowls that have coconut rice and a peach avocado salsa.
• Chipotle – is perfect served with grilled veggies all summer long. We also love piling it over a bed of green with Pico de Gallo and sliced avocado. I also did a sheet pan dinner with this and what I had from our vegetable CSA share. I laid out the 2 chicken breasts on one side. Then, in the middle, I had quartered small turnips and on the end, asparagus spears. I drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled it with sea salt. Then I roasted it at 425ºF for about 25 minutes and paired it with a chive aioli. You can check out my recipe for Basil Aioli, and use chives instead.
• Greek Lemon – I also serve this one grilled with any veggies I have on the grill. Usually, it’s either asparagus or a mix of zucchini, peppers, and onions. You can serve any of these marinades with this combo; it will be yummy! But I also served it as pictured below over my Greek Salad, which was incredibly good. You can also use my Greek Inspired Grill Platter recipe for inspiration and replace the halloumi cheese with this Greek Lemon chicken.

• Cilantro Lime – I grilled this one as well and served it diced up over my Taco Salad instead of the usual ground beef.
• Honey Garlic – I baked this one and served it with steamed sticky rice and Asian Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad. The second time I cut it up to stir fry with bok choy from farmer’s market.
• Smokey BBQ – I baked one batch of this and some cubed-up sweet potatoes and market veggies. For the second batch, I grilled and diced it. Then I served it over greens with cherry tomatoes, plantain chips, crumbled feta, and some lime juice squeezed over the top.
• Honey Mustard – I grilled this one and diced it up to serve over a dinner salad with greens and sliced radishes we had on hand from the farmer’s market.
• Orange 5-Spice – I served this one as pictured above oven roasted with my Oven Roasted Broccoli and steamed jasmine rice.

I really hope you enjoy these Best Chicken Marinadesrecipe! And if you get a chance to make one or more of them, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. I always love hearing from you here! Also, for lots more chicken recipes, head over to the recipe index.

Best Chicken Marinades

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5 from 2 votes

Author: Kari Peters

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Yield: 4 servings

Course: Dinner

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INGREDIENTS  

1x2x3x

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs - for each marinade

Balsamic Italian:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar - see notes
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning - no salt or sugar added
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1//2 tsp black pepper

Honey Sriracha:

• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos - or gluten free soy sauce
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice - or rice vinegar

Jamaican Jerk:

• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 habenero - seeds and stem removed, see notes
• 1 tbsp jerk seasoning mix
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos

Chipotle:

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp onion granules
• 1/2 tsp garlic granules
• 1 1/2 tsp ground chipotle powder
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos

Greek Lemon:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Cilantro Lime:

• 2 cups roughly chopped cilantro - 1 bunch
• 2 tbsp olive oil - or avocado oil
• 1 tbsp lime zest
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice - from 2
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sea salt

Ginger Garlic:

• 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos - or gluten free soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Smoky BBQ:

• 1/2 cup bbq sauce of choice
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 clove garlic - minced

Honey Mustard:

• 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 clove garlic - minced, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
• 1 tsp onion granules
• 1/2 tsp each sea salt and pepper

Orange 5-Spice:

• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1/2 cup orange juice - from 1 orange
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos - or gluten free soy sauce
• 1 tsp Chinese 5-spice
• 1 clove garlic - minced
• 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger

INSTRUCTIONS 

• For the Jamaican Jerk and Cilantro Lime, place all the ingredients into a small food processor or blender and blend until mostly smooth with small bits.
• For all the other marinades, mix the ingredients called for in each recipe. Then place them into your container of choice. I use glass Pyrex containers to marinate overnight and quart freezer bags to freeze these.
• Add your choice of 1-pound chicken breasts or chicken thighs and coat them thoroughly in the marinade you've chosen to make.
• Marinate overnight, or freeze the chicken for a later date.
• To bake these marinades, preheat the oven to 450ºF. Bake in an 8" square baking dish for 15-20 minutes for chicken breasts or 10-15 for chicken thighs.
• To grill these marinades, preheat the grill over medium heat 350º-400ºF. Grill for 10-15 minutes per side for chicken breasts and 6-8 minutes per side for chicken thighs. 
• The chicken is done when it's no longer pink, and an instant-read thermometer reaches 165ºF. Serve with your choice of side dishes.

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NOTES

If you can find reduced or aged balsamic, it’s extra delicious here.

Habenero is traditional in a jerk marinade, but they’re incredibly hot and you want to handle with care, (gloves are recommended). You can also leave it out if you don’t enjoy spice/don’t want the hassle.

The nutrition facts were calculated for the Greek Lemon Chicken Marinade with chicken breasts.

Blackstone griddle: preheat your griddle over the lowest heat for a temperature around 350ºF-400ºF. Lightly grease the surface of your griddle with avocado oil/cooking oil and add the chicken. Cook covered with a lid or dome for about 8 minutes per side for chicken breasts and around 6 minutes per side for chicken thighs.

Category: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keywords: Best Chicken Marinades, Chicken Marinade, Chicken Marinades, Easy Chicken Marinade, Marinades for Chicken, Marinating Chicken, Quick Chicken Marinade, Simple Chicken Marinade

nutrition facts

Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 714mg | Potassium: 454mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.5g | Vitamin A: 46IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg

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This recipe was originally published in 2021 and updated in 2024 with new information and Blackstone chicken cooking instructions.