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This sweet and salty chicken marinade is made with Dijon, soy sauce, and lemon juice that tenderizes the chicken while adding fresh and savory flavors.
Holly’s Chicken Marinade Highlights
- Flavor: Sweet, tangy, and customizable – switch up the ingredients to match the menu!
- Difficulty: Quick and easy chicken marinade is made with ingredients likely already on hand!
- Prep Note: This recipe marinates up to 2 lbs of chicken. Discard the extra marinade once used.
- Serving Suggestions: Work marinade magic on oven-baked, sautéed, or grilled chicken.
Ingredients
- Oil: Choose neutral-flavored oils like vegetable or avocado oil.
- Acid: Red wine vinegar and lemon juice are necessary for tenderizing the meat. You can also use apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, or balsamic, and swap out lime juice for the lemon juice.
- Sweet & Salty: Brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce provide a sweet and umami flavor to homemade chicken marinade. Use maple syrup or honey instead of brown sugar and coconut aminos for the soy sauce if desired.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning and garlic powder work on their own, but you can also add a dash of red pepper flakes for a little kick of heat. Zest the lemon and add to the marinade along with the juice for a brighter flavor.
- Variations: Add a tablespoon or two of BBQ sauce, chili sauce, or teriyaki sauce to the marinade to make more of a glaze.
Storing Leftovers
Store unused marinade in a jar with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to one week, or freeze into ice cubes and pop one or two out to marinate meat before they hit the grill.
Freeze marinated chicken pieces in zippered bags for up to one month. Then, simply thaw and grill, bake, or pan-fry with rice and veggies.
More Marinade Recipes We Love…
Did you enjoy this easy Chicken Marinade? Leave us a comment and rating below!
The Best Chicken Marinade
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Marinade
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Combine vegetable oil, Worcestershire, vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, Italian seasoning, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl or a freezer bag.
- Add chicken and marinate at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours.
- Grill, bake, or broil as desired.
To Grill Boneless Chicken Breasts
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat and cook chicken 7-8 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Rest 3-5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Keep fresh marinade in a jar with a tight-fitting lid for one week.
- This is enough marinade for up to 2lbs of chicken, the recipe can be doubled.
- You can use this on bone-in or boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
- Marinate in a bowl, freezer bag, or baking dish. Do not marinate in a metal bowl or container.
- If you have extra (unused marinade!), add a little to veggies before grilling or your other favorite side dishes for a punch of flavor.
- Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 tablespoon of the marinade as most of the marinade will be discarded.
- Nutrition information does not include chicken as this can be used on bone in or boneless chicken with or without skin.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dressing, Sauce
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Can I put This is a crock pot,marinade and meat
Hi Nancy, you can add chicken and the marinade to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Be sure the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165°F with a meat thermometer. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Tasted Amazing!
going to try tonight what can I substitute for lemon juice. Can I use yellow mustard
The acid in the lemon juice helps tenderize the meat. You can leave it out and it will slightly change the flavor, but should still be tender with the red wine vinegar.
Simply fabulous. Thank you!
Absolutely fabulous. Thank you!
will white wine vinager be used instead of red
Yes you can use white wine vinegar instead of red. Enjoy John!
Great recipe, thanks
This was so delicious. I also had all the ingredients already in the house which is nice. I didn’t have a grill, so I used a skillet on the stovetop, but the delicious flavor is delicious flavor. Highly recommend.
It is the best marinade. I allowed the chicken breast to marinade over night and baked it. My guest is still raving over the tenderness and the favor. I think the best is the breast was so moist!
This marinade was wonderful! I’m on a low fat/no sugar diet so I left out the brown sugar and it was still fabulous! Thank you, Holly for all of your delicious recipes!
I made the best chicken marinade recipe and marinated the chicken about two hours. My so grilled them, and was very careful not to overcook them. They were DELICIOUS!! We will definitely make them again!!
I’ve used other recipes you have posted, and had very good results. Now I look for your posts when I google recipes, because you are consistently very good! Thank you!
Love your recipes.
If I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe, how long do I bake them?
Thank you Denise! Details on baking chicken thighs can be found here, including boneless, skinless.
Can this be done with shrimp?
I haven’t tried this marinade on shrimp but it sounds like a delicious idea, Brittany! I wouldn’t marinate the shrimp for more than 30 minutes though as the acidity can start to break down the delicate shrimp meat.
Out of all the marinades, this one is the best!!! I cook up a few extra for lunches and they are perfect. Moist and tender! Family of 7 and everyone agrees this is the ONE. PS because of carbohydrate issues. I leave out the Brown sugar….still perfect!
This is an excellent and easy marinade for chicken. I made it last night and it was delicious. I’ve made many marinades in the past and this is among the best. Thank you, you have great recipes!
Thank you Cara-Lee! So glad you enjoyed it.
I am so glad that I found this recipe! I had planned to make Caesar Salad for dinner, since we are going through a heatwave here in BC, Canada, but I wanted to get creative with the chicken breast. All I have to say is WOW – this was absolutely delicious. My husband grilled it on the BBQ and after his first bite, he said this marinade recipe is a keeper!
Made this tonight! Delicious chicken! And so juicy. Thank you
You’re welcome Gaylene!
Loved it!!!!!
Wow! I just took the chicken out of the oven and tried a little piece and that marinade is delicious! Definitely using it again when I grill on the bbq!
I had to try it, but it was not that good. It had somewhat of a bitter taste and the flavor was not good. My wife and I both felt the same way. We have a different recipe that we use and love, but I thought I’d try something different for a change. It may have been the Dijon mustard. I don’t know, but this recipe needs an overhaul!
By the way, I grilled it, not oven cooked.
Sorry to hear that Mike, this recipe is usually a reader favorite! If you try it without the dijon mustard let us know what you think :)