Chicken Marinade

These 5 chicken marinade recipes add intense flavor from spicy to Greek and lemon herb, there’s a little something for everyone!

Why we love these

It only makes sense to compile all of our favorite chicken marinade recipes into one post. Below you’ll find our cilantro lime, Greek, spicy lime, lemon herb, and garlic marinades all of which pack tons of flavor leaving you with incredibly juicy chicken.

Marinating your chicken prevents it from drying out when cooked, tenderizes, and also provides maximum flavor – even more so than you would get with a dry rub. So if you’re looking for juicy, tender, flavorful chicken then a marinade is the way to go. Plus, marinating chicken is perfect for prepping in advance.

Ingredients you will need

Garlic Chicken Marinade

For our garlic marinade you will need:

24 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Lemon Herb Chicken Marinade

For our lemon herb marinade you will need:

1 pound of chicken breasts
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 fresh parsley sprigs
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 clove of mashed garlic

Spicy Lime Chicken Marinade

For our chile lime marinade you will need:

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 dried red chiles, seeded or 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
4 limes
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 each Jalapeno, seeded and coarsely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely diced
1/2 teaspoon salt

Greek Chicken Marinade

For our Greek marinade you will need:

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 cloves garlic, minced, or 1 Tbsp garlic paste
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 Tbsp lemon juice the juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade

For our cilantro lime marinade you will need:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice from one lime
1 teaspoon lime zest from one lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

CHICKEN – You can use chicken breasts, thighs, or drumsticks with these marinades. Be sure to pat dry chicken before cooking, otherwise, the marinade can burn the outside of the meat or cause the meat to steam instead of your desired method.

How to Make Chicken Marinade

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. For each marinade, simply combine the ingredients in a glass baking dish or gallon-sized zipper plastic bag. Add chicken and turn to coat. Seal bag or cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
2. Bring chicken to room temperature before cooking.
3. Cook as desired. Can be grilled, baked, air-fried, or cooked in a skillet!

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Serving Suggestions

Whether you grill, air fry, bake, or sear up your chicken in a skillet – these chicken marinade recipes are perfect to have on hand. Chicken pairs well with loads of different side dishes like rice, asparagus, mashed potatoes, and carrots but the list goes on and on.

More Chicken Recipes

• Spicy Wings
• Chicken Marsala
• Chicken Cacciatore
• Greek Chicken Kabobs
• Crockpot Sticky Chicken
• Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
• Stuffed Chicken Breast

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5 Delicious Chicken Marinades

Five delicious chicken marinades for tender, juicy chicken every time. Perfect for grilling, sauteing, baking, air frying, or pan frying.

5 from 3 votes

IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

Garlic Marinade

• ▢ 24 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts about 4 breasts
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 6 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves chopped
• ▢ 1 tsp Kosher salt
• ▢ ½ tsp Freshly ground black pepper

Lemon Herb Marinade

• ▢ 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 3 fresh parsley sprigs
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 1 clove of mashed garlic

Chile Lime Marinade

• ▢ 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ 4 dried red chiles seeded or 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 4 limes
• ▢ 3 tablespoons lime juice
• ▢ 1 Jalapeno pepper seeded and coarsely chopped
• ▢ 3 cloves of garlic crushed or finely diced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt

Greek Marinade

• ▢ 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced, or 1 Tbsp garlic paste
• ▢ 1 tsp fresh thyme
• ▢ 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• ▢ 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• ▢ 4 Tbsp lemon juice the juice of 1 lemon
• ▢ ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ sea salt and black pepper to taste

Cilantro Lime Marinade

• ▢ 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• ▢ ¼ cup olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lime juice from one lime
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lime zest from one lime
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic finely minced
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Garlic Marinade Instructions:

• Combine the ingredients in a glass baking dish or gallon sized zipper plastic bag. Add chicken and turn to coat. Seal bag or cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
• Bring chicken to room temperature before cooking.
• Cook as desired. Can be grilled, baked, air-fried, or cooked in a skillet!

Lemon Herb Marinade Instructions:

• Combine the ingredients in a glass baking dish or gallon sized zipper plastic bag. Add chicken and turn to coat. Seal bag or cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
• Bring chicken to room temperature before cooking.
• Cook as desired. Can be grilled, baked, air-fried, or cooked in a skillet!

Chile Lime Marinade Instructions:

• If using dried chiles, soak them in hot water to rehydrate. Once rehydrated, seed them and toss in blender or mini food processor with the garlic, lime juice and the seeded jalapeno. Puree.
• Slice the 4 limes into 1/4 inch slices and and fold the slices into the chile mixture with salt (again, zest these first).
• Combine the ingredients in a glass baking dish or gallon sized zipper plastic bag. Add chicken and turn to coat. Seal bag or cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
• Bring chicken to room temperature before cooking.
• Cook as desired. Can be grilled, baked, air-fried, or cooked in a skillet!

Greek Marinade Instructions:

• Combine the ingredients in a glass baking dish or gallon sized zipper plastic bag. Add chicken and turn to coat. Seal bag or cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
• Bring chicken to room temperature before cooking.
• Cook as desired. Can be grilled, baked, air-fried, or cooked in a skillet!

Cilantro Lime Marinade Instructions:

• Combine the ingredients in a glass baking dish or gallon sized zipper plastic bag. Add chicken and turn to coat. Seal bag or cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
• Bring chicken to room temperature before cooking.
• Cook as desired. Can be grilled, baked, air-fried, or cooked in a skillet!

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