Juicy Grilled Chicken Marinade
Published 5/30/2023 • Updated 8/15/2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
One of the best things you can do to chicken before grilling it, is marinate it! Marinating chicken before grilling will ensure that the chicken is infused with flavor and moisture, leaving you with juicy flavorful chicken.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this grilled chicken marinade for my family because it’s at least once a week in the summertime!
Let’s not waste any time because you’re about to memorize this recipe it’s THAT good. This grilled chicken breast marinade features balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and honey. This recipe makes enough to marinate around 1.5 – 2lb. chicken, but feel free to double or triple, as needed.
If you’re big into grilling like us, you know that having good marinades on hand is clutch because they infuse your meat with juicy flavors. Our steak marinade, grilled shrimp marinade, and pork tenderloin marinade are both ones to keep in your back pocket!
What You Need for this Grilled Chicken Marinade
- balsamic vinegar
- olive oil
- Worcestershire
- honey
- dijon mustard
- lemon juice
- lemon zest
- minced garlic
- red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
How long should I marinate chicken?
We recommend marinating your chicken for 12-18 hours for the best results. If you’re short on time, we recommend no less than 2 hours. The longer you marinate your chicken, the more flavorful it will be.
Can I over-marinate chicken? We don’t recommend marinating your chicken for more than 24 hours if the marinade has either vinegar or citrus in it because your chicken could come out tough.
How to Prep this Chicken Marinade for Grilling
- Mix: measure out all of your ingredients and place them into a medium bowl. Whisk together to combine.
- Transfer ingredients: transfer marinade into a gallon-size plastic or baking dish and submerge the chicken breast. Make sure it’s all covered in the marinade.
- Marinate: marinate for around 12-18 hours for best results. If you’re short on time, we suggest no less than 2 hours.
Can I marinate other cuts of chicken?
Good news! You can use pretty much any cut of chicken with this marinade. Use around 2-lbs. of the following:
- Grilled chicken breasts
- Grilled chicken thighs
- Grilled chicken Legs
- Grilled chicken wings
Check it out!
6 Chicken Breast Marinades
You are going to love these 6 Easy Chicken Marinades. They’ll infuse your chicken breast with flavor and they’re so easy to put together!
Quick Instructions for Grilling Marinated Chicken
Once your chicken has marinated for 12-18 hours, it’s time to grill it! We have a thorough guide on how to grill chicken here, but here’s a quick refresher.
- Remove Moisture: First things first, remove your chicken from the package and then use a paper towel to blot as much moisture out of it as you can.
- Flavor: Next, use this grilled chicken marinade recipe to marinate your chicken for 12-18 hours.
- Grill: Preheat your grill (gas or charcoal) to around 400ºF. We know that grill temps fluctuate, so don’t freak out if it isn’t exact! We’ve found that 400ºF is the perfect temp for grilled chicken. Hot enough to get you gorgeous grill marks, but not too hot to dry out your chicken. Grill your chicken for around 7-8 minutes over direct heat, flip, and grill for 8-10 more minutes. PS: this is for a 6 oz. chicken breast!
- Internal Temp: You know your chicken is completely cooked once it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. We use a meat thermometer for this, that way you don’t take any risks in eating raw chicken. You can learn more about cooking here from this great article by the USDA.
- Let Rest: What is rest time? After you remove the chicken from the grill and it sits, it will continue to cook to the final temperature. We recommend letting your chicken rest for at least 5 minutes so that you can ensure it reaches at least 165ºF to destroy any bacteria.
Try it!
Thermoworks Thermapen
We swear by using a meat thermometer when cooking any cut of meat. The Thermapen is our go-to meat thermometer that works every time.
Can you freeze marinated chicken?
One of our favorite things to do is prep this grilled chicken marinade and freeze the chicken breast right in a gallon-size plastic bag submerged in the marinade.
This makes for a super easy dinner idea. Just thaw the marinated chicken in your fridge overnight and proceed with grilling when you are ready!
Juicy Grilled Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- 1.5 – 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, any cut of chicken works
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1.5 tablespoons minced garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Worcestershire, honey, dijon, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl.
- Use a whisk to mix everything together until combined.
- Transfer grilled chicken marinade into a large baking dish or gallon-size bag and then add chicken. Submerge the chicken into the marinade and make sure it's covered in marinade.
- Place into the fridge to marinate for 12-18 hours for best results (no less than 2 hours).
- When you’re ready to grill your chicken, follow the instructions in our grilled chicken recipe post.
Tips & Notes
- Nutrition information is for just the marinade.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Don’t forget to tag your posts on social media with the hashtag #fitfoodiefinds, we’d love to see what you’re up to!
Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
My kiddo, who says he doesn’t like chicken, LOVES this chicken marinade. 1st time I made it I was only able to marinade about 2 hours and even that was such good flavor. It’s our new go-to marinade recipe for summer grilled chicken.
We’re so happy to hear your kiddo loves this marinade, Nancy!
Good one!