7 chicken marinade recipes to keep dinner exciting! This is the post that went VIRAL! Showing you how to prepare and marinate your chicken for the best flavor, and how to assemble ahead and freeze for easy dinners.
One of the best ways to add flavor to boneless skinless chicken breasts is to marinate them, but sometimes marinades can be disappointing. Today I’m sharing 7 flavorful chicken marinade recipes that are going to bring a ton of pizzazz to your dinner table!
Not only are these marinades full of flavor, but they are perfect for meal prep!
Here’s my meal prep trick: take five minutes at the start of the week and make one of these chicken marinade recipes. Pop the chicken + marinade into the freezer together, and your chicken will absorb so much flavor when you thaw it to cook!
It’s also a great tip for when chicken breasts go on sale. Stock up and get a little chicken marinade assembly line going!
These chicken marinade recipes are
- made with simple pantry staples
- freezer-friendly
- each prepped in a matter of minutes
This post covers a LOT! Click on any of the links below to go directly to that section
- Tools & Ingredients
- How to Cook these Chicken Breast Marinade Recipes
- Chicken Breast Marinade FAQ
- 7 Chicken Marinade Recipes
- Jump Straight to the Recipe Card
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped these chicken marinades. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Tools & Ingredients
Here are some of my favorite tools that I used for these 7 chicken breast marinade recipes:
- quart sized freezer bags
- reusable silicone stasher bags
- reusable silicone bag (cheaper option)
- bag holder
- sharpie
- 5 x 5 inch baking dish (for single chicken breast)
- 8 x 8 inch baking dish (for 2+ chicken breasts)
- digital thermometer
How to cook these chicken breast marinade recipes
These chicken breast marinade recipes were all tested at 425°F. The cook time will depend on the size of your chicken breast, and the most accurate way to tell how long you’ll need to bake them is to weigh them.
Another easy way to tell if your chicken breast is cooked through is to use a digital thermometer to test the internal temperature. Chicken breasts are ready to come out of the oven when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- For small, 5 oz chicken breasts, 18-20 minutes at 425°F
- For 7 oz chicken breasts, 25 minutes at 425°F
- For 10.5 oz chicken breasts, 25-30 minutes at 425°F
Here’s how to bake these easy chicken marinade recipes:
- marinate chicken for 2-24 hours in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
- transfer chicken + marinade into a small baking dish (I use this one). You can also use a baking sheet for all marinades except the sweet chili and honey garlic marinades.
- bake for time indicated above.
- remove chicken from oven when it reaches 165°F.
- cover chicken with a baking dish and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- enjoy!
Baked chicken marinade FAQ
- Can I cook these baked chicken marinade recipes in the slow cooker? I don’t recommend it as slow cooker chicken breasts can dry out if they aren’t smothered in some sort of delicious sauce. Here are 7 Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes if you are looking for slow cooker recipes!
- Can I cook these baked chicken marinade recipes in the Instant Pot? No, unfortunately your Instant Pot requires 1 cup of liquid to come to pressure. Check out these 7 Instant Pot Chicken Recipes for IP ideas!
- Can I use these marinades without freezing them? Yes, absolutely. Pop them in the fridge for 2 hours all the way up to 24 hours. I don’t recommend marinating longer than that without freezing.
- How long can these be frozen? Up to 3 months. As everything freezes, the marinating process stops, and starts up again as the chicken thaws.
- What if my chicken is already frozen? Do not thaw your chicken if you are going to freeze again. Add the marinades to already frozen chicken, and you will still get a ton of flavor from marinating while it thaws.
- How to thaw the chicken? The safest bet is in the fridge overnight, but you can do a rapid-thaw process in cold water for a few hours. Just make sure your freezer bag is heavy duty so you don’t have any leakage!
- Can these easy chicken marinades be used on other types of meat? Probably but I’ve only tested with chicken. I would not freeze fish in these marinades but they may be good for a quick 30 minute marinade.
- Can I grill or pan-fry the chicken? I have only tested these recipes in the oven but they should be transferable to the grill and frying pan. You may wish to shake off excess marinade prior to grilling to prevent flare-ups and/or brush more marinade on while grilling for extra flavor.
- One more thing- don’t forget to let your chicken rest after you bake it. Resting 5-10 minutes at room temperature before slicing will help seal in the juices.
7 easy chicken marinade recipes you can freeze:
1. Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
Serve this Cilantro Lime Chicken with:
- this taco salad recipe (swap the chicken for the ground meat)
- this mexican rice
- this grilled cauliflower with jalapeno lime butter
2. Sweet Chili Chicken Marinade
Serve this Sweet Chili Chicken with:
- this Crunchy Asian Peanut Salad
- Coconut Rice or Coconut Cauliflower Rice
- the sesame snap peas from this post How to Cook Sugar Snap Peas
3. Jerk Chicken Marinade
Serve this Jerk Chicken with:
-
- this Cilantro Lime Rice or this Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
- the mango sauce from this post
- Summer Couscous Salad
4. Lemon Ginger Chicken Marinade
Serve this Lemon Ginger Chicken with:
5. Soy Honey Garlic Chicken Marinade
Serve this Soy Honey Garlic Chicken with:
- Sesame Ginger Cauliflower Rice or Turmeric Yellow Rice
- use it in this pasta salad
- grilled bok choy and/or Grilled Broccoli
6. Yogurt Curry Chicken
So…I was on the fence about whether I should post this recipe or not, because the fact is: yogurt is not freezer friendly. As the yogurt thaws, it breaks and becomes flaky.
HOWEVER. This chicken ended up so incredibly flavorful, and we weren’t bothered in the slightest by the appearance of the yogurt. The fact is, the yogurt gave so much flavor the the chicken that I had to include this recipe. If it bothers you, keep this one in your pocket as a great short-term (fridge-friendly) marinade.
Update- you can swap dairy yogurt for coconut yogurt!
Serve this Yogurt Curry Chicken with:
- roasted potatoes or Roasted Butternut Squash
- Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic
- grilled naan bread
7. Chipotle Lime Chicken Marinade
Last but not least…this chipotle lime chicken marinade is a great blend of sweet, spicy, smoky and savory. Add a chopped chipotle pepper for a real spicy kick! This chicken goes great with all things Mexican.
Serve this Chipotle Lime Chicken with
- a chopped salad drizzled in Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
- in tacos with fresh avocado slices (see how to cut an avocado)
Looking for more marinades?
- 7 MORE Chicken Marinades
- Freaking Amazing Pork Tenderloin Marinade
- Balsamic Salmon Marinade
- and learn how to cook the Perfect Baked Chicken Breast here!
7 Chicken Marinades Recipe Card
7 Chicken Marinade Recipes You Can Freeze
Ingredients
* marinade recipes are for 1 large chicken breast (7 oz); hover over the portion size to increase the recipe portions
Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Sweet Chili Chicken Marinade
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce (reduced sodium recommended)
- 2 tablespoons water
Jerk Chicken Marinade
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Lemon Ginger Chicken Marinade
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Chipotle Lime Chicken Marinade
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers)
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Honey Garlic Chicken Marinade
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (I prefer reduced sodium)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons water
Yogurt Curry Chicken Marinade
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons yogurt
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a heavy duty freezer bag or reusable silicone bag. Add chicken breasts and turn to coat in marinade.
Fridge
- Marinate the chicken in the fridge for 2-24 hours.
Freezer
- If freezing, place in the freezer immediately. Thaw in the fridge overnight, or by immersing the bag in a bowl of cold water for a couple of hours.
To Bake
- Heat oven to 425°F.
- Pour chicken from the bag (including all marinade juices) into a baking dish (5x5 for a single chicken breast and 8x8 for 2+).
- Bake for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for 10-20 more minutes, depending on the size of your chicken breast (see *). Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Remove chicken from the oven and cover with a baking dish. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- For small, 5 oz chicken breasts, 18-20 minutes at 425°F
- For 7 oz chicken breasts, 25 minutes at 425°F
- For 10.5 oz chicken breasts, 25-30 minutes at 425°F
