This Easy Chicken Marinade makes flavorful and juicy chicken every time. It’s perfect for boneless skinless breasts, bone-in chicken breasts and pieces, chicken thighs, kabobs, and more. 

This marinade is the perfect compliment to my Grilled Chicken recipe (coming soon). Marinades make all the difference when grilling various meats. Try out this Easy Steak Marinade for another great grilling option. 

You can make this marinade for $2.96. It makes four servings, which is about $0.74 per serving. 

Two chicken breasts sitting in a dish of marinade.

If you need a simple marinade that will take your chicken up a notch this grilling season, then you have come to the right spot! This Chicken Marinade is simply the BEST! It is easy to make and full of juicy flavor. 

Taking a bite out of a piece of dry chicken is the worst! Use this marinade, and you will never have dry chicken again. And the super good news is just how easy this marinade recipe is to make!

Take your plain chicken to the next level by leaving the chicken in the marinade for 1-4 hours. After cooking it on the grill, you’ll have juicy, moist, flavorful chicken breasts.

Ingredients and Cost

Per Serving Cost: $0.74

Recipe Cost: $2.96

  • ½ cup fresh lemon juice – $0.46
  • 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce – $1.20
  • ¼ cup olive oil – $0.48
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh oregano – $0.10
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley – $0.20
  • ¼ cup fresh basil – $0.28
  • 3 large garlic cloves – $0.15
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar – $0.04
  • ½ teaspoon paprika – $0.02
  • ½ teaspoon salt – $0.01
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper – $0.02

NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The recipe cost is calculated by the amounts needed for the recipe. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have. I updated the pricing for this recipe in November 2023.

All of the ingredients needed to make this easy chicken marinade recipe.

Instructions

  1. First, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Next, add the chicken to a large resealable bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag.
  3. Place the bag in the fridge to chill for 1-4 hours.
  4. Finally, remove the marinated chicken from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for twenty minutes before cooking or grilling. 

A picture collage of how to make Chicken Marinade.

Recipe Variations

  • Instead of fresh oregano you can use 2 teaspoons of dried oregano.
  • You can use 4 teaspoons of dried parsley and dried basil instead of using fresh parsley and fresh basil.
  • Instead of brown sugar you can use 1 Tablespoon of honey or agave nectar.

Storage Tips

STORE: You can make the marinade up to 3 days ahead of time; make sure you give it a good whisk. Store the chicken marinade in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

FREEZE: While you can freeze this marinade, I don’t feel like you need to since it’s quick and easy to make.

Cook’s Tools

  • Whisk
  • Mixing bowl 
  • Liquid measuring cup
  • Measuring cups and spoons

Recipe FAQ’s

How long should you marinate chicken?

For a more tender and juicy piece of chicken, marinate it for at least one hour but no longer than four hours.

Can you marinate chicken too long?

If you leave your chicken in the marinade for too long it will become a bit tough.

Should you poke holes in chicken breast to marinate?

Do not poke holes in your chicken breasts to marinate them. This can cause issues when grilling as the juices may drain out through the holes.

The finished Chicken Marinade in a glass canning jar.

More Grilling Recipes

A close up picture of chicken sitting in marinade.
5 from 6 votes

Easy Chicken Marinade

Recipe Cost $ $2.96
Serving Cost $ $0.74
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
4 servings
This easy Chicken Marinade makes flavorful and juicy chicken every time. It’s perfect for boneless skinless breasts, bone-in chicken breasts and pieces, chicken thighs, kabobs, and more.

Equipment

  • whisk
  • mixing bowl
  • liquid measuring cup
  • measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients
 
 

MARINADE:

  • ½ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh oregano minced or 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley minced and lightly packed or 4 teaspoons dried parsley
  • ¼ cup fresh basil minced and lightly packed or 4 teaspoons dried basil
  • 3 large cloves garlic minced
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

CHICKEN:

  • 4 (8 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Instructions

  • Add all marinade ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until combined.
  • Add chicken to a large resealable bag or container.
  • Pour marinade over chicken and seal.
  • Place the bag in the refrigerator to chill for 1-4 hours.
  • Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and set it at room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking or grilling.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.75cup | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 420mg | Potassium: 212mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 574IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 2mg

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7 Comments

  1. My husband has been making a lot of chicken lately and I know he’s going to be excited to switch it up with this marinade!

  2. This marinade is so delicious and very flavorful! The family loved this recipe. I’ll be making this one again as soon as possible!

  3. Beth Sachs says:

    I love herby marinades like this. Delicious with chicken or lamb.

  4. Such an easy marinade to put together and it delivered so much flavour into the chicken!

  5. I cooked chicken legs on my smoker and used this chicken marinade, and I’m so glad I did! The chicken was delicious and tender! The lemon flavor really elevated the chicken to another level! Thanks for the recipe!

    1. Hi Jeri, I’m so glad you enjoyed the marinade! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

  6. Excellent recipe! The flavors were beautiful. I will use this again!