These 7 chicken marinade recipes make your chicken tender, juicy and so flavorful! You can cook these up in the oven or on the grill. It's so easy to prepare a bunch at once and freeze for later.
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 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 assembly line going!
Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!
Why You'll Love These Marinades for Chicken
- they are simple and made with pantry staples
- they are fridge and freezer-friendly
- the chicken turns out tender, juicy, and so flavorful!
- you can cook them in the oven or on a grill
Recipe Video: Watch How to Make Chicken
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped these marinades. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Ingredients Needed for the Best Chicken Marinades
- olive oil- to disperse the seasonings onto the chicken; the oil also helps the chicken brown up when cooking in the oven, and prevents it from drying out.
- acid- citrus, yogurt or tomato-based ingredients help brighten the flavors and tenderize the meat slightly; on the flip side, if you leave the chicken in acidic ingredients for too long (over 24 hours), it can have a negative impact on the texture
- dry spices- activated by the oil and liquid ingredients, you will get so much delicious flavor from them
- umami-rich- soy sauce helps bring savory and umami flavors to the meat. Other ways to add umami? Worcestershire sauce, miso paste, fish sauce and tomato paste all pack a punch of extra flavor
- aromatics- garlic and ginger bring dimension and extra flavor to some marinades; sometimes the garlic can react with certain ingredients and turn blue, but it still tastes great
- fresh herbs- cilantro is used in the cilantro lime marinade, and adds a bright, fresh flavor. The leaves do get soft after baking.
How to marinate chicken
- Combine ingredients in a bag or shallow bowl. Mix well.
- Add chicken breasts, and turn to coat.
- Marinate for at least 2 hours.
Best Containers For Marinating Chicken
The best way to ensure complete coverage of the chicken breast is to marinate in a bag; a bowl or container just will not cover the chicken breast with the marinade evenly.
Over the years I have moved away from disposable freezer bags, and now prefer silicone Stasher bags.
- use the sandwich Stasher bags for 1 lb (2 chicken breasts)
- use the ½ gallon Stasher bags for 2 lbs (4 chicken breasts)
Marinate at least 2 hours
In the past, I’ve been disappointed with a lack of flavor from my chicken marinades, and it really comes down to a lack of time. These chicken marinade recipes require at least 2 hours to infuse flavor into the chicken breast.
On the other hand, you do not want to marinate the chicken for more than 24 hours, as the acidic ingredients can start to break down the muscle fibres of the chicken breast, leading to mealy chicken.
If you are not able to cook your chicken breast within 24 hours, I recommend popping it into the freezer! You can freeze for up to 3 months.
How to Freeze Chicken in a Marinade
Freezing chicken in a marinade is a great meal prep hack. As the chicken thaws, it absorbs so much flavor.
- Label bags with name, date and cooking instructions.
- Prepare chicken marinade as you normally would.
- Squeeze as much air out of the bag, then place in the freezer.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw completely before cooking as directed in the recipe card.
Other proteins you can use
This marinade works great for other proteins as well. The recipe as written works for a pound of chicken breasts, but you could swap for the following:
- boneless chicken thighs- 2-24 hours marinating time
- shrimp or fish- 30 minutes marinating time
- pork tenderloin- at least 24 hours to marinate
- tofu- press first, then marinate for 2-24 hours
How To Cook Chicken After Marinating
How to Bake Marinated Chicken
- Heat oven to 425°F.
- Arrange chicken with marinade liquid into a baking dish.
- Bake for 25 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Double check that your chicken has reached 165°F using an instant read thermometer.
- Rest for 5 minutes, then serve.
How to Grill Marinated Chicken
- Heat BBQ to medium-high heat (450°F).
- Make sure the grill is clean and well greased.
- Shake of excess marinade and place the chicken over direct heat.
- Grill with the lid down for roughly 8 minutes, flipping every 2 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 155°F *.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes (covered).
*carryover cooking will ensure your chicken reaches 165°F and prevents overcooking.
How to Use Air Fryer for Marinated Chicken
I recommend slicing the chicken breasts in half horizontally to create two thin slices; this prevents them from overcooking. Alternatively, you can pound the chicken to even thickness.
- Heat air fryer to 400°F.
- Shake off excess marinade, and arrange the chicken into the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 4 minutes, flip, then cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Check that it has reached 165°F internally, then remove from the air fryer.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
How to Cook Chicken with Insant Pot/Slow Cooker
These recipes do not have enough liquid to cook in either appliance. For tried and true recipes, check out:
Best Chicken Marinades FAQs
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.
Up to 3 months. As everything freezes, the marinating process stops, and starts up again as the chicken thaws.
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.
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!
Several readers have had success using these marinades on tofu.
7 Chicken Marinades for Freezer
All seven chicken marinade recipes are in the card below, but you can print the individual marinades by clicking through to each post:
More Recipes to try
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
7 Best Chicken Marinade Ideas
Video
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast roughly 2 large chicken breasts; see note 1
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1.5 tablespoons honey
- ½ cup cilantro leaves chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Sweet Chili Chicken Marinade
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast roughly 2 large chicken breasts
- 6 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (reduced sodium recommended)
- ¼ cup water
Jerk-Inspired Chicken Marinade
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast roughly 2 large chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Lemon Ginger Chicken Marinade
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast roughly 2 large chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Chipotle Lime Chicken Marinade
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast roughly 2 large chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers)
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Honey Garlic Chicken Marinade
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast roughly 2 large chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I prefer reduced sodium)
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup water
Yogurt Curry Chicken Marinade *note 3
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast roughly 2 large chicken breasts
- ¼ cup yogurt plain
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 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. Marinate the chicken in the fridge for 2-24 hours.
Cook
- Oven- Heat oven to 425°F.Arrange chicken with marinade liquid into an 8x8 inch baking dish.Bake for 25 minutes, flipping halfway. See note 2.Double check that your chicken has reached 165°F using an instant read thermometer.Rest for 5 minutes, then serve.
- Grill- Heat BBQ to medium-high heat (450°F).Make sure the grill is clean and well greased.Shake off excess marinade and place the chicken over direct heat.Grill with the lid down for roughly 8 minutes, flipping every 2 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 155°F *.Allow to rest for 5 minutes (covered).
- Air Fryer- Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally to create two thin slices.Heat air fryer to 400°F.Shake off excess marinade, and arrange the chicken into the air fryer basket.Cook for 4 minutes, flip, then cook for an additional 2 minutes.Check that it has reached 165°F internally, then remove from the air fryer.Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Tips:
- 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
- Thaw 24 hours in the fridge or
- Immerse the bag in a bowl of cold water (with a heavy item on top to submerge the bag). Let it sit for 2 hours.
Nutrition Information
© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Hi, I'm Annie. With a Bachelor of Science degree, a minor in nutrition and nearly 20 year of both classical training, and self-taught experience, I've spent my career proving that home cooking can be practical, delicious and inspiring. What started in 2013 as one food blog has grown into a full-time business. Today, my husband Clayton and I run five food websites that connect with millions of home cooks every month.
When I'm not in the kitchen or behind the camera, I'm using fueling my love of travel, or chasing down new ideas that keep food fun and fresh.
JFP says
Great recipes, my favorite one is the Chipotle-lime!
Side note, are you aware that your recipes and pictures are also on that website of a different author?
Denise Bustard says
Thank you so much for letting me know! Sometimes people steal my content to use on their own sites...it's super frustrating, but I really appreciate you letting me know <3
Rich Suschinsky says
Can you cook this using a grill pan instead of baking.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Rich! I haven't tried in a grill pan, however I have cooked several of these on the outdoor grill and they worked great! I would shake off excess marinade and cook as you normally would on a grill pan (sorry I don't have grill pan experience so I can't recommend temp/time)
Angie M says
I will try the savory ones. To be honest, I had to throw away some of the food I made using your recipes because they were too sweet. I guess my family and I are not into the sweet/savory combo. Either sweet or savory on its own works best for us. A lot of your recipes are a combo though, so I'll have to figure out how to tweak them....maybe leave out the honey. Also, are you concerned about the acidity of some of the ingredients leaching plastic from the freezer bags into your food? I would be worried about it. What are your thoughts? Thank you.
Angie M says
I'm not able to edit my previous comment. I just noticed you do use some silicone bags 🙂 Also, I love the simplicity of your style and your meal-prepping, which is why I wish you would incorporate more savory dishes that don't always have to include something sweet like honey, brown sugar, ginger, etc... I'm afraid that if I tweak the original recipe it will still come out wrong. Thanks for sharing so many recipes.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Angie! Thanks for your patience with my reply (holidays!). I guess it comes down to different tastebuds! I find that a bit of sweetness helps bring balance to recipes, but if you don't, you are definitely free to leave it out. And yes, I do use pretty much exclusively silicone bags and meal prep containers to freeze now, you can check out what I use here
Sarah says
Hi Denise! I wanted to ask, is it possible to substitute vegetable broth for the olive oil to make these oil-free for those with oil restrictions?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for your patience with my late reply (holidays!). I have never tried making these oil-free before and worry it could end up dry and lacking flavor. I hope someone else who has tried this can chime in!
Stephanie says
These marinades are GREAT! I put together and froze 4 of them last week, and every day after work I cook the one we want to eat + rice and veg and dinner is ready in like 20 minutes! This is by far (for me) the easiest dinner meal prep and I'm loving the flavors. Thank you, Denise! =)
Denise Bustard says
Hi Stephanie! Wow, I am so happy to hear these recipes are so helpful for you! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review, that is so helpful to me and other readers.
Christine says
Ughh. I just read some of your tips-ALOT more carefully...question answered! Stay safe!
Paula Lewis says
Can I make these with Chicken Tenders?
Denise says
Hi Paula! I bet they would work great! Unfortunately I do not know how long you'd need to cook them for.
Rachel says
Hi!
1. I am super excited to start!
2. We are cilantro fans, could we substitute flat leaf parsley or basil?
3. The ability to scale the recipes is BRILLIANT!
Thank you!
Rachel says
Whoops. Regarding my previous message...We are NOT cilantro fans.
Sean Mac says
It's totally fine to leave out the cilantro in this recipe. I also make extra, so I can slice up the leftovers in quick skillet fajitas for the following day's lunch.
Denise says
Hi Rachel! So glad you are excited and can scale the recipes 🙂
I have not tried the cilantro lime one without cilantro...it may work? If you try, would you let me know how it turns out?
Kahmun says
This is awesome! I tried the honey garlic recipe and I absolutely one it! I also added some oyster sauce to the recipe to enhance the flavour 😋. Also, can I substitute the meat with other plant-based options like tofu or soya chunks?
Denise says
Yum yum! Great idea. I have had readers use these marinades with tofu, but I myself have not tried. Thanks for coming back to leave a review, Kahmun!
Nurul says
Is it possible to baked and keep it in the freezer. and then re-heat it when want to eat ?
Denise says
Hi Nurul! Yes, you can definitely do that. I freeze cooked chicken in meal prep containers for up to 3 months. The key is to not overdo it when reheating as chicken breast can get tough and rubbery (blech) if you heat too high.
Jenn says
Have you tried baking these in an instant pot using the trivret and a cup of water? As a side point your instant pot recipies look great as well
Denise says
Hi Jenn! Unfortunately I worry that all the flavor would dissipate in 1 cup of water. But I do have tried and true Instant Pot chicken breast recipes that have the 1 cup of liquid required for the pot to come to pressure 🙂 https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/instant-pot-chicken-breast-recipes/
Jason P says
At first, I was jazzed that someone actually put links in to shortcut to the recipe. What a thoughtful idea!
But the links don’t work properly. They take me to some rice recipes. So I had to click back and scroll the entire article anyway. Showing all the ingredients first but hiding the amounts until the very end? 🤨.
Hopefully the recipes are great because the way they are presented is not well considered.
Denise says
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for letting me know, Jason! That should not be happening. Fixing asap.
Sarah K. says
hey Denise, you have some really nice recipes for chicken in the slow cooker. We love chicken in this house and I love anything which cuts down stress. I have been meal planning for a while. I do this with my son (13 yeras) and the act of deciding what we will eat when and with what sides means that everyone is "on board" and committed to eating that. So I don't cook things that get rejected (as much) and I know what to buy. I will be checking out more of your recpies over the xmas period. Thanks (and great photos of the food, btw).
Sarah
Denise says
Hi Sarah! So happy you've enjoyed the slow cooker chicken recipes, and I hope you enjoy these marinades as well! Thanks for following along <3
Patti says
What would be best option for silicone bag. I looked into the stasher bag, as it looked like a great bag - unfortunately found out it is made in China and I prefer not to purchase from there. Any good silicone bags you can recommend made in USA, or Canada?
Thanks Patti
Denise says
Hi Patti! Apologies for my late reply! Unfortunately it's going to be really tough to find a silicone bag that is not made in China. At the very least, Stasher bags are responsibly made (aka not in a sweat shop) and they are a certified B corp meaning "Stasher, our factory, and our suppliers must maintain good and responsible practices". In terms of all the companies I've looked at, they are very transparent and seem to have their heart in the right place.
Kendra says
Hi Denise, on the cheaper silicone bags....I notice you wrote on them. Can you not use reusable labels on them? Thanks for everything you share!
Denise says
Hi Kendra! The reusable labels I love don't stick very well to silicone bags unfortunately. I use regular sharpie on them and then rub it off with a wet towel. It does stain slightly but it's worked fine for me so far!
Kimberly Werner says
I tried the yogurt curry chicken marinade. I didn't have yogurt so I used sour cream instead (consulted online first) and I let the chicken marinate for 4 hours. The ingredients made a thick paste but after cooking it looked like someone poured 4 cups of water in my dish. It smelled good and tasted just ok. Why would this happen?
Denise says
Hi Kimberly, I'm sorry to hear that happened to you! I have never had that happen with regular yogurt, so I'm going to guess it has something to do with sour cream. Wish I could be of more help.
Christine says
Hello, I am new to your website and it looks wonderful! Before starting, I would just like a quick clarification...if we are planning on freezing the chicken with the marinade, do you still recommend that we keep in fridge for the 2-24 hours or just pop in the freezer directly? Thank you.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Christine! I would just freeze it right away. The chicken will absorb so much flavor as it thaws 🙂 Hope this helps!
Crystal says
Hi Denise! You mentioned that a couple of these can’t be cooked on sheet pans. What is the reasoning? I’ve heard the same of tomato based things but never heard a reason. Thank you! These look great!
Denise says
Hi Crystal! The 'saucy' marinades (sweet chili & honey garlic) don't work well on sheet pans as they burn. Hope you enjoy!
Trish says
I miss your old sides. I wanted to make the carrot parsnip salad and now can’t find it 🙁 Is there any way I can get that recipe?
Denise says
Shoot! I can't remember, was it a Jamie Oliver recipe? I can't seem to find the exact one 🙁 Here's a delicious looking slaw but I don't think it's the same one.
Barbara says
I tried the Cilantro Lime marinade tonight. It was delicious, and the chicken breast came out nice and moist. I can't wait to try some of the others.
Denise says
Hi Barbara, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking time out of your day to leave a review 🙂
CARRIE says
Is it possible to substitute greek yogurt in place of coconut or regular yogurt?
Denise says
Hi Carrie! Yes, that should work fine 🙂
Gail Smith says
For the record, rather than baking these, I've grilled them. They are delicious. Simply remove the chicken from the marinade and place on heated grill. I cook them until they reach 160 then remove them rest for at least 10 mins. They will continue to cook reaching the 165 mark. To make sure the remaining marinade is safe to eat, I boil it for a couple of minutes and use it as a sauce.
Denise says
Thanks Gail! That's pretty much what I do too. I pound them flat and remove when they reach 155F. Thanks for sharing!