Get inspired with 5 Chicken Marinades that are healthy and big on flavor! Marinating the chicken is the best way to get the juiciest, tender chicken. These marinades are amazing with chicken breasts, drumsticks, thighs or kabobs! Let's fire up the grill 🔥
These Healthy Chicken Marinades are on repeat in my house year round. I use them for grilling, sautéing chicken in the pan, or baking in the oven. You simply can't go wrong however you cook them, because they all create such great flavors.
There's nothing worse than boring chicken, and these marinades are so quick and easy to make. Plus, guilt free!
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Tips to Marinating Chicken:
- When marinating chicken, you want something acidic to help tenderize the chicken. Examples are citrus (lemon, lime, or oranges), vinegar, yogurt, soy sauce, etc. We're using many different variations in these recipes.
- Because we're using acidic ingredients, these marinades aren't intended to sit for extended periods of time, or they can make the chicken mushy. I only let the greek marinade sit for about 30 minutes and the rest of them for up to 1 hour.
- If you like thinner chicken cutlets like me, you can slice the chicken breast into 2 thinner pieces before marinating.
- I like to add my marinade into a large gallon sized bag, so I can toss it after marinating. You can also use a glass or plastic bowl, but avoid metal bowls because the acids can react to it and change the flavors (food grade stainless steel is ok to use).
Greek Chicken Marinade:
This is my repeat recipe and even my kids are obsessed with it. It uses red wine vinegar in combination with lemon and it creates the best lemony chicken with lots of greek flavors.
Marinating Time: 30 minutes *do not let sit longer than 40 minutes or it will start to break down in a bad way.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- juice from ½ a lemon
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
How to Make the Greek Chicken Marinade:
Mince the garlic and add into a gallon sized bag or plastic or glass bowl. Pour in remaining marinade ingredients, then add chicken and completely coat in marinade. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then grill, sauté or bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Use this Marinated Greek Chicken for Greek Chicken Tzatziki Bowls, Greek Chicken Wraps, or serve beside this Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad. YUM!
Green Goddess Chicken Marinade:
If you love fresh herbs, you'll love this marinade. The mint flavor is the most prominent and tastes amazing!
Marinating Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt *I used 2%, but any percent is fine.
- ¼ cup olive oil
- juice from 1 lemon
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- ¼ cup fresh mint
- 2 tablespoon chives or green onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- 1 tablespoon water if needed for blending
How to Make the Green Goddess Marinade:
Chop up the garlic and add it into a blender or food processor with the rest of the ingredients. Puree until smooth. Add a tablespoon of water if it's not processing well. Pour into a gallon sized bag or glass or plastic bowl. Add in the chicken and coat completely in marinade. Place in the fridge for 1 hour before cooking. Then grill, sauté or bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Green Goddess Chicken tastes amazing next to this Pesto Ricotta Pasta, Mushroom Couscous, or Mediterranean Chopped Salad.
BBQ Lime Chicken Marinade:
If you're craving bbq chicken, make this marinade and brush the chicken with more bbq sauce when cooking.
Marinating Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup bbq sauce
- juice from 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
How to Make the BBQ Lime Chicken Marinade:
Add all the ingredients into a gallon sized bag or plastic or glass bowl. Stir to combine or use your hands to grab the outside of the bag and squeeze to toss. Then, add chicken and completely coat in marinade. Allow to sit in fridge for 1 hour, then grill, sauté or bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Pair this BBQ Lime Chicken with my Cowboy Baked Beans, Dill Pickle Potato Salad or Quick Coleslaw Recipe.
Mexican Chicken Marinade:
If you're looking for a little spice in your life, try my Mexican Chicken Marinade with Enchilada Sauce.
Marinating Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- ½ cup enchilada sauce *mild, medium or hot (don't use the whole can because it needs to balance out with the olive oil and lime juice, so it doesn't get sticky and burn)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- juice from ½ a lime
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
How to Make the Mexican Chicken Marinade:
Add all the ingredients into a gallon sized bag or plastic or glass bowl. Stir to combine or use your hands to grab the outside of the bag and squeeze to toss. Then, add chicken and completely coat in marinade. Allow to sit in fridge for 1 hour, then grill, sauté or bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Pair this Mexican Marinated Chicken with Street Corn Pasta Salad or Mexican Rice in the Rice Cooker!
Soy Garlic Marinade:
For an Asian Marinade with lots of umami flavors, try this Soy Garlic and Honey Marinade. Pair it with my Asian Avocado Salad, Teriyaki Broccoli, or Spring Roll Salad.
Marinating Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon grated garlic
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon chives
How to Make the Soy Garlic Marinade:
Mince the garlic and peel and grate the ginger. Add all of the ingredients into a gallon sized bag or plastic or glass bowl. Stir to combine or use your hands to grab the outside of the bag and squeeze to toss. Then, add chicken and completely coat in marinade. Allow to sit in fridge for 1 hour, then grill, sauté or bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
More Chicken Recipes You'll Want to Try:
If you tried any of these Best Chicken Marinade Recipes or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
5 Best Chicken Marinades
- Total Time: 10 minutes
Description
Get inspired with 5 Chicken Marinades that are healthy and big on flavor! Marinating the chicken is the best way to get the juiciest, tender chicken. These marinades are amazing with chicken breasts, drumsticks, thighs or kabobs! Let's fire up the grill 🔥
Ingredients
Greek Chicken Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- juice from ½ a lemon
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Green Goddess Marinade:
- 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt *I used 2%, but any percent is fine.
- ¼ cup olive oil
- juice from 1 lemon
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- ¼ cup fresh mint
- 2 tablespoon chives or green onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- 1 tablespoon water if needed for blending
BBQ Lime Chicken Marinade:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup bbq sauce
- juice from 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
Mexican Chicken Marinade:
- ½ cup enchilada sauce *mild, medium or hot (don't use the whole can because it needs to balance out with the olive oil and lime juice, so it doesn't get sticky and burn)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- juice from ½ a lime
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
Soy Ginger Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon grated garlic
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon chives
Instructions
Greek Chicken Marinade:
Mince the garlic and add into a gallon sized bag or plastic or glass bowl. Pour in remaining marinade ingredients, then add chicken and completely coat in marinade. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then grill, sauté or bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Green Goddess Marinade:
Chop up the garlic and add it into a blender or food processor with the rest of the ingredients. Puree until smooth. Add a tablespoon of water if it's not processing well. Pour into a gallon sized bag or glass or plastic bowl. Add in the chicken and coat completely in marinade. Place in the fridge for 1 hour before cooking. Then grill, sauté or bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
BBQ Lime Chicken Marinade:
Add all the ingredients into a gallon sized bag or plastic or glass bowl. Stir to combine or use your hands to grab the outside of the bag and squeeze to toss. Then, add chicken and completely coat in marinade. Allow to sit in fridge for 1 hour, then grill, sauté or bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Mexican Chicken Marinade:
Add all the ingredients into a gallon sized bag or plastic or glass bowl. Stir to combine or use your hands to grab the outside of the bag and squeeze to toss. Then, add chicken and completely coat in marinade. Allow to sit in fridge for 1 hour, then grill, sauté or bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Soy Ginger Marinade:
Mince the garlic and peel and grate the ginger. Add all of the ingredients into a gallon sized bag or plastic or glass bowl. Stir to combine or use your hands to grab the outside of the bag and squeeze to toss. Then, add chicken and completely coat in marinade. Allow to sit in fridge for 1 hour, then grill, sauté or bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Notes
- Marinate the greek chicken for 30 minutes and the other versions for 1 hour.
- Always cook chicken until 165 degrees internally before eating.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking, Grilling, Sautéing
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