Get new recipes delivered by email and receive my 12 Most Loved Recipes eBook - for FREE! Sign up now!

Lovely Little Kitchen

Delicious Made Simple

Navigation
  • Home
  • About
    • Meet Julie
    • FAQ
    • Contact
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
      • Dips
    • Bread
      • Quick Breads
      • Rolls
      • Sourdough
    • Breakfast
      • Donuts
      • Pancakes / Waffles
    • Dessert
      • Bars
      • Brownies
      • Cakes
      • Cheesecakes
      • Chocolate
      • Cookies
      • Cupcakes
      • Ice Cream
      • Pies
    • Drinks
      • Floats
      • Smoothies
    • Healthy
    • Holidays
      • Christmas
      • Easter
      • Fourth of July
      • Halloween
    • Main Dish
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Fish
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Pork
      • Sandwiches
      • Tacos
    • Salads
    • Sauces
    • Sides
      • Potatoes
    • Slow Cooker
    • Snacks
    • Soup
  • Bits & Pieces
  • Press

Best Ever Chicken Marinade

April 3, 2019

Save
Overhead shot of Best Ever Chicken Marinade on a wooden platter with green beans and lemon.

My brother and sister in law made this unbelievably good chicken at our last family get together, and I couldn’t wait to make it again and share it here. I’m naming it Best Ever Chicken Marinade because it really is the best I’ve ever had!

Overhead shot of Best Ever Chicken Marinade on a wooden platter with green beans and lemon.

I adapted this marinade recipe just a bit, and I also used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. It works really well for chicken breasts also, and I can’t wait to try it on steak or salmon. I only had about four hours to let it marinate, but our chicken turned out wonderfully juicy and flavorful.

Close up shot of a slice of Best Ever Chicken Marinade with a fork and green beans in the background.

You can let your chicken marinate overnight if you have time. I love how straight forward the ingredients are and I always have them on hand. Next time I’ll make sure I do a double batch so I can have extra grilled chicken prepped and ready to add to salads throughout the week.

Overhead shot of Best Ever Chicken Marinade on a wooden platter.

Grilling season is definitely here in Arizona, and I know the rest of the country is thawing out too and getting ready to get outside and grill too. Keep this recipe in mind for the next time you are grilling out. I know you’ll love it!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Best Ever Chicken Marinade

★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews
  • Author: Julie
  • Prep Time: 4 hours
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Grill
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

This is truly the Best Ever Chicken Marinade! I used chicken thighs, and they turned out wonderfully juicy and flavorful.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley (plus more for garnish)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, mix the apple cider vinegar, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, brown sugar, dried minced onion, dried parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Whisk together briskly to emulsify.  Place chicken into the bowl and turn to coat.  Cover and refrigerate.  Allow to marinate for at least four hours, or overnight.
  2. Preheat grill to 400 degrees.  Place the chicken on the grill, and then turn heat down to medium.  Grill 8-10 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the chicken) or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
  3. Transfer the chicken from the grill to a serving platter, and top with butter, turning to coat.  Sprinkle additional dried parsley as a garnish if desired.  Cover and let the chicken rest for five minutes and then serve.

Notes

I adapted this recipe from All Recipe’s Unbelievable Chicken.

Keywords: best ever chicken marinade, chicken marinade, chicken, chicken thighs, marinade

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Save

Filed Under: Chicken, Main Dish

« Roasted Garlic and Caramelized Onion Dip
Puff Pastry Asparagus Bundles »

Comments

  1. Sarah says

    April 10, 2019 at 3:59 pm

    This looks delicious – any suggestions for how to cook the chicken without using a grill?

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      April 7, 2020 at 9:06 am

      Bake @420 for 20 mins (or until juice runs clear)
      Put on top shelf and broil for a few mins to crisp up the skin.

      Reply
      • Julie says

        April 9, 2020 at 8:00 am

        Great tip!

        Reply
    • MFreeman says

      April 18, 2021 at 5:23 am

      You can pan dry it in butter, I’m sure…

      Reply
  2. Myna says

    May 5, 2019 at 12:53 am

    WOW. I like chicken. I will save the recipe to learn how to make this dish. Thanks for sharing

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Mica says

    January 13, 2020 at 11:44 am

    Could you sub white vinegar if you don’t have apple cider vinegar?

    Reply
    • Julie says

      January 13, 2020 at 12:13 pm

      Yes, I think that would be just fine. Enjoy!

      Reply
  4. Juanita says

    March 16, 2020 at 11:51 am

    Fantastic chicken. I also tried it cooked in a nuwave oven, cooked on a grill pan and with a whole chicken on the rotisserie. They were all delicious. For the rotisserie chicken I doubled the recipe, poured the marinade in and over the whole chicken and sealed it in a large zip bag (to get the air out of the bag and keep the marinade tight on the chicken, I filled large stew pot with water and placed the bag in just far enough to be able to close the bag without air inside the bag) and let sit in the refrigerator overnight. Thank you for sharing ❤️.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Belinda says

      July 17, 2020 at 6:36 pm

      I made this tonight for company! It was delightful! The couple raved over how good it was. I have placed this recipe as my favorite grilled chicken marinade. My other go to fav is an Emeril recipe but with a little too much kick for just everybody. This was fabulous. Can you use it for other than chicken. Too good to exclude.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  5. Effie says

    September 12, 2020 at 11:05 am

    Wow what a delicious marinade!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. C. Hall says

    April 20, 2021 at 11:31 am

    This is a great recipe. The only change I did was that we don’t use dijon so I subbed Lusty Monk mustard instead thinking that since it’s superior in every way it would work. 😂 And it did. Making this for the second time in 2 weeks tomorrow.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Tim says

    November 16, 2021 at 6:16 pm

    I’m cooking this chicken now, but I already know the ingredients are a great combo!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Welcome!

Hi I'm Julie, and I spend a lot of time in my lovely little kitchen. I love gathering my family around simple delicious food. This is how I do it. Learn more →

Stay Connected

Don't Miss a Recipe

Get new recipes delivered by email and receive my 12 Most Loved Recipes eBook - for FREE!

Sign Up Now!

Copyright © 2023 · Lovely Little Kitchen · Privacy Policy