How to Marinate Chicken: 4 Recipes and a Step-By-Step Guide

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Co-authored by Jessica Gibson Reviewed by Ollie George Cigliano

Last Updated: June 3, 2024 Approved

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If you love tender, juicy chicken that's packed with flavor, you need a good marinade! It's easy to whip up your own marinade using seasoning, oil, vinegar, or another acidic ingredient, but if you want some inspiration, we've got a few delicious recipes to get you started. Then, we'll walk you through the process of marinating the chicken so it absorbs the maximum amount of flavor before you cook it.

Things You Should Know

Include bold ingredients in your marinade for maximum flavor—think lemon juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, or chipotle chiles in adobo.
Coat chicken pieces or a whole bird in the marinade and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours so it absorbs the flavor of your marinade.
Cook your marinated chicken using high heat to get great caramelized flavor. Toss the chicken on the grill, sauté it, or broil the chicken under high heat.

Ingredients

Lemon-Dijon Marinade^{[1]
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¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) of lemon juice
2 tablespoons (30 ml) of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon (5 g) of salt
A few grinds of freshly cracked pepper
1 cup (240 ml) of olive oil

Makes enough marinade for 1 pound (450 g) of chicken

Italian Marinade^{[2]
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¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of olive oil
¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of red wine or balsamic vinegar
¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) of sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) of salt
1/2 teaspoon (0.5 g) of dried thyme or oregano
1/2 teaspoon (0.5 g) of ground pepper or garlic powder

Makes enough marinade for 1 pound (450 g) of chicken

Asian Marinade^{[3]
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1/4 cup (50 g) of packed brown sugar or molasses
¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) of soy sauce
¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) of water
1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of olive oil, canola oil, or toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon (0.5 g) of ground ginger or 3 tablespoons (18 g) of minced ginger
1 tablespoon (8.5 g) of minced garlic
1 teaspoon (2 g) of ground black pepper

Makes enough marinade for 1 pound (450 g) of chicken

Spicy Chipotle Marinade^{[4]
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1/4 cup (60 g) of canned chipotle chiles in adobo, pureed
3 tablespoons (44 ml) of olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 of an onion, minced
1 tablespoon (7 g) of paprika
1 teaspoon (2 g) of ground cumin
1 teaspoon (2 g) of chili powder
1 teaspoon (5 g) of salt

Makes enough marinade for 3 pounds (1,400 g) of chicken

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making the Marinade

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1
Blend all of your marinade ingredients to get a thick liquid. It's hard for the flavor of chunky ingredients to penetrate meat, so it's important to blend them into a liquid marinade. If you don't have a blender, put all of the ingredients for your marinade into a food processor and combine them until they're smooth.^{[5]
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- If your marinade recipe only calls for liquid ingredients and dry seasonings, feel free to skip the blender. Put all of the ingredients into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake until the marinade is combined.
2
Customize your marinade if you want to adjust the flavors. The beauty of marinades is that you can substitute many ingredients as long as they serve the same purpose. For instance, if you don't want to use lemon juice, choose another acidic ingredient like vinegar or lime juice. Here are some categories of marinade ingredients that are easy to swap for one another:^{[6]
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- Acidic ingredients: citrus juice of any kind (lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange), vinegar (white wine, red wine, apple cider, balsamic)
- Oils: olive oil, grapeseed oil, toasted sesame oil, avocado oil
- Sweeteners: brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, honey, jam, ketchup, soda
- Seasonings: herb mixes, miso paste, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, ginger, shallots
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3
Use the marinade immediately or store it in the fridge for up to 1 week. If you want to get a little prep work out of the way but you're not ready to marinate the chicken, you can make the marinade up to 1 week in advance.^{[7]
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- If you want to baste the meat with marinade as it cooks, set aside a small bowl to use during cooking.
- For long-term storage, put the marinade into a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to 3 months. Don't forget to label it or you may not remember what you're looking at!

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Marinating the Chicken

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1
Poke the chicken with a fork so it absorbs the marinade. To help the marinade penetrate deeper into the meat, take a fork and poke the surface of the meat. The same marinades taste great with chicken breasts, thighs, legs, wings, or an entire bird. If your chicken still has the skin, there's no need to peel it.^{[8]
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- If you're using chicken pieces, decide if you want to use bone-in pieces or boneless pieces—keep in mind that boneless pieces cook faster than bone-in or whole chicken.
2
Place the raw chicken and marinade in a sealable bag. You can also use a food storage container that's large enough to hold all of your chicken. Put the chicken and marinade into your bag or container and turn the chicken until it's coated in the marinade. Then, seal the bag or cover the container.^{[9]
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- Don't marinate chicken in a metal container or the metal will react with the acidic ingredients and create unpleasant flavors. Instead, stick with a ceramic or glass container.
3
Marinate the chicken in the fridge for up to 24 hours. The longer the chicken marinates, the more flavor it will absorb. However, if you marinate the meat for more than 1 day, the acidic ingredients will break down the meat proteins which can make the chicken texture too soft or mushy.^{[10]
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- If you're short on time, don't worry! Even 1 hour of marinating will give the chicken flavor.
- If you have a lot of acidic ingredients in the marinade or you're marinating boneless-skinless or thin pieces of chicken, go with a shorter marinating time.
- Always marinate chicken in the refrigerator instead of setting it out on the counter where bacteria can grow.^{[11]
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4
Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry before you cook it. Prepare your heat source—turn on the oven or broiler, or heat a grill for instance. Then, take the chicken out of the marinade and set it on a platter. Use paper towels to pat the chicken dry. This also prevents excess marinade from burning.^{[12]
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- If you want to use the leftover marinade in your bag, pour it into a saucepan and bring it to a boil.^{[13]
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  Go to source} Boil the marinade for a full minute to kill bacteria. Then, you can serve the sauce with the cooked chicken.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Cooking Marinated Chicken

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1
Bake the chicken in the oven for a hands-off meal. If you thought making the marinade was simple, you'll be impressed at how easy it is to cook the marinated chicken. Preheat the oven to 400 °F (204 °C), put the whole chicken into a baking dish, and roast it until it reaches 165 °F (74 °C) with an instant-read meat thermometer—this takes around 1 hour for a whole chicken.^{[14]
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- If you're baking chicken parts, plan on cooking them for about 40 minutes per 1 pound (450 g).
- For extra flavor, pour the marinade over the chicken in the dish before you bake it.
2
Cook it on the grill to give the chicken a smoky flavor. Preheat a gas grill or light a charcoal grill to create a 2-zone fire. Then, place the marinated chicken pieces on the cooler side of the grill. Cover the grill and cook the chicken, turning the pieces occasionally, and taking them off once they reach 165 °F (74 °C) with an instant-read meat thermometer.^{[15]
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- If you'd like to baste the meat during the last few minutes, use reserved marinade that you didn't marinate the chicken. Don't baste the meat with marinade that raw chicken came into contact with.
- If you're cooking boneless chicken pieces, they'll cook faster, so start checking them after 8 to 12 minutes. Bone-in pieces of chicken take around 30 minutes to cook.
3
Broil chicken pieces to get lots of caramelized flavor. Position the oven rack so it's 6 inches (15 cm) below the broiler element and arrange your marinated chicken pieces on a baking sheet. Broil the chicken pieces for 10 to 15 minutes before you turn them and finish cooking them—the meat should reach 165 °F (74 °C) with an instant-read meat thermometer.^{[16]
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- Boneless chicken pieces take about 15 to 20 minutes total to broil, while bone-in pieces need longer—around 25 to 35 minutes total.
4
Sauté boneless chicken pieces on the stovetop. For a weeknight dinner that comes together in flash, heat a few spoonfuls of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the boneless chicken breasts in the skillet and cook them for 5 to 7 minutes. Then, use tongs to flip them over and cook them for another 7 minutes or until they reach 165 °F (74 °C) with an instant-read meat thermometer.^{[17]
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- If you like crispy chicken, coat it in seasoned flour breading before you cook it in the skillet.

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Question

Is it better to use chicken breast or thighs?

Ollie George Cigliano
Private Chef & Food Educator
Ollie George Cigliano is a Private Chef, Food Educator, and Owner of Ollie George Cooks, based in Long Beach, California. With over 20 years of experience, she specializes in utilizing fresh, fun ingredients and mixing traditional and innovative cooking techniques. Ollie George holds a BA in Comparative Literature from The University of California, Berkeley, and a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from eCornell University.

Ollie George Cigliano

Private Chef & Food Educator

Expert Answer

Choosing chicken thighs over breasts will be your best bet in ensuring that the chicken is never dry. Although most people prefer the appearance of the chicken breast, thighs are your best bet flavor-wise. One key difference between the two is the fat content—chicken thighs are fattier than the breasts and they will always cook moister in comparison. If you're choosing breasts because of their low fat content, consider the fact that you'll probably just add the fat back in (even more so if the meat is dry, via marinades and a fatty sauce). Both thighs and breasts have the same relative content of iron, sodium, and good cholesterol.

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Question

Can I just leave my chicken and marinade in a pot and put it in the fridge for a day?

Community Answer

Yes, as mentioned above, you can leave it longer than 4 hours. Marinating the chicken for more than 3 days is a bit overkill, the flavors won't be stronger past that point - all the sauce would be spread evenly inside the chicken.

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Is it safe for me to bake the marinated chicken, and then once done, pour the left over marinade over the chicken?

Community Answer

No - the marinade has juices from the raw chicken in it, so you would essentially be eating raw chicken.

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Tips

There's no need to rinse the chicken before you marinate it. The FDA actually discourages this practice since rinsing chicken can spread germs throughout your kitchen.^{[18]
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Wash your hands after handling raw chicken and frequently wipe down kitchen surfaces and cutting boards with hot soapy water to prevent cross-contamination.^{[19]
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