Ginger and Lemon Chicken Marinade (5 ingredients)

With just five simple ingredients, the ginger and lemon chicken marinade infuses chicken with citrussy lemon flavor and a bit of a bite from the ginger. Assemble ahead and freeze your chicken right in the marinade for maximum flavor!

With seven chicken marinade recipes you can freeze on the blog, it's pretty obvious that marinades are a staple in our dinner routine! From cilantro lime to Jamaican jerk, there are so many options to jazz up your chicken.

This gingery lemon chicken marinade is light and citrussy, with a zing from the ginger. It pairs well with a batch of coconut rice and Instant Pot broccoli for a simple, easy dinner.

Ingredient notes

This marinade has the perfect blend of marinade ingredients: oil to disperse flavors, lemon to tenderize the chicken and brighten flavors, red pepper flakes for a touch of spice, fresh ginger for sharp and warm flavor, and salt to bring all the ingredients together.

Prepping the ginger

The ginger brings such a nice 'bite' of flavor to this marinade. You have a few options to prep it:

• fine chop- use a knife to chop the ginger as finely as you can. It's pretty hard to avoid chunks using a knife.
• box grater- you can use the fine side of the box grater to grate the ginger, though you will lose some of the juice and it can become stringy.
• microplane- this is my favorite method, but does take a little elbow grease. The microplane gets razor-thin pieces of ginger that are less noticeable in this marinade.

How to marinate 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. This ginger and lemon chicken marinade requires 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 lemon juice 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.

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

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How to cook the chicken

After marinating the chicken, pick your favorite method to cook it up. Our go-to is in the oven, but you can cook it on the grill, in a frying pan, or even in the air fryer!

• oven– our go to method. Cook at 425°F for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through
• grill– I recommend pounding the chicken flat before marinating to ensure it cooks through evenly. See my perfect grilled chicken breast recipe for full details
• frying pan– here’s a good tutorial
• air fryer– again I do recommend pounding the chicken before marinating. We cook 4 minutes + 2 minutes (flipping half way). Full details here.

Whichever method you use, make sure your chicken breast reaches an internal temperature of 165°F using a digital thermometer, and allow it to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing into it.

More chicken marinade recipes

• 7 Chicken Breast Marinades
• Chipotle Chicken Marinade
• Honey Garlic Chicken Marinade
• Curry Yogurt Chicken Marinade
• Lemon Garlic Greek Chicken Marinade
• Sweet Chili Chicken Marinade

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Ginger and lemon chicken marinade

5 from 4 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

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With just five simple ingredients, the ginger and lemon chicken marinade infuses chicken with citrussy lemon flavor and a bit of a bite from the ginger. Assemble ahead and freeze your chicken right in the marinade for maximum flavor!

4

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ginger minced
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
• ▢ 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts roughly 2 large breasts

Instructions 

• Combine olive oil lemon juice, ginger, salt and red pepper flakes in a plastic or reusable silicone freezer bag. Add chicken breasts and turn to coat in marinade.
• Marinate the chicken in the fridge for 2-24 hours.
• Heat oven to 425°F. Bake chicken in a shallow baking dish for 10 minutes, flip over, then bake for another 12-17 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
• Allow chicken to rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Tips:

Storage

 

Marinade may be mixed up 7 days before adding chicken.

 

Cooked chicken may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

 

Alternative cooking methods:

 

• grill- I recommend pounding the chicken flat before marinating to ensure it cooks through evenly. Cook over high heat 2 minutes per side until it reaches an internal temp of 155°F
• frying pan- cook in olive oil over medium heat in a nonstick skillet for 5-7 minutes per side
• air fryer- I recommend pounding the chicken before marinating. Cook at 390°F/ 200°C for 4 minutes + 2 minutes (flipping half way).

Marinating time for other proteins:

• 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

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/2 chicken breast (3.5 oz), Calories: 176kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 47mg, Sugar: 2g

Author: Annie Holmes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

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