Make 25 healthy and easy chicken marinade recipes using 4 ingredients or less. Basics like lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, and olive oil transform mundane into mouthwatering in just a few minutes!<\/p>\n
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\n<\/picture>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nDo you ever grill chicken and get excited for that hot off the grill, smoky charcoal flavor, only to be greeted with a mouthful of dry, bland chicken?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been there.<\/p>\n
Thankfully, you can make a delicious chicken marinade (yes, even as flavorful as my Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken<\/a> or Oven-Roasted Whole Chicken<\/a>) using what you already have in the pantry!<\/p>\n There are two secrets to amazing chicken: 1) marinate ahead of time<\/strong>, and 2) choose the RIGHT marinade<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to throw some naked chicken on the grill, or just buy a bottle at the store, so why bother making your own marinade for chicken? Let me tell you!<\/p>\n If you\u2019re familiar with my Grocery Budget Bootcamp<\/a> eCourse, you know that budgeting for groceries is a top priority of mine. Enrollment is currently closed, but you can check out my FREE Fight Inflation Workshop<\/a>. You\u2019ll get access to three AMAZING video sessions focused on how to save money on food right now, despite rising grocery costs.<\/em><\/p>\n The key to making the best chicken marinade is knowing how to create a good combination based on what you have.<\/p>\n Lucky for you, I found a \u201cformula\u201d that seems to do the trick every time. A great marinade for chicken will include 4 components.<\/p>\n Ready to make some marinade for chicken breasts (or chicken wings or chicken drumsticks)? Let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n For every ONE POUND of meat, you need:<\/p>\n Example #1: One of my favorite chicken marinades is simply olive oil<\/a>, honey<\/a>, soy sauce<\/a> (and maybe some garlic). If I were going to marinate ONE POUND of chicken breast, I would put the chicken into a bag<\/a> or container<\/a> and add:<\/p>\n Pretty simple, right?<\/p>\n Example #2: Let\u2019s say I have some pineapple juice in the fridge, leftover from making Healthy Hawaiian Rolls<\/a>, that needs to get used up. Here\u2019s how we can turn that into a chicken marinade:<\/p>\n *For simplicity\u2019s sake, I\u2019m using \u201colive oil\u201d throughout the post, when in fact I am using extra virgin olive oil in all of these recipes. It\u2019s what I keep on hand and tends to have the best flavor.<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s important to consider how much salt<\/a> you\u2019re using in chicken marinade recipes. We want to use SOME salt in order to tenderize and flavor the meat. However, we don\u2019t want to use so much salt that the meat itself tastes salty.<\/p>\n Here are the general rules of thumb I follow:<\/p>\n Note: Using these \u201crules,\u201d you can easily double or triple any chicken marinade and make a big batch!<\/strong><\/p>\n Once I learned this formula and opened my pantry, I thought of MANY chicken marinade recipes using ingredients I already have! As long as you follow the rules of including fat, acid, salt, and flavor, you can experiment with lots of combinations.<\/p>\n In fact, I was easily able to come up with 25 chicken marinades in all sorts of flavors just with what I usually have in my kitchen!<\/p>\n Lemons, limes, oranges, and pineapples all give delicious, tangy acidity to the chicken marinades.<\/p>\n Ginger, cumin, and basil also go well with citrus flavors!<\/em><\/p>\n You can make a delicious grilled chicken marinade using homemade spice blends you already keep on hand (or can easily whip up!). If you have a favorite spice mix that you\u2019re already using, chances are it will taste great in a chicken marinade recipe too!<\/p>\n Check the refrigerator door for condiments to use in your next chicken wing marinade. Most of the sauces you already use for other purposes make perfect chicken marinade ingredients! Bonus points if you use up the last bit in a jar that has been lingering in the refrigerator for a while. We love these on wings and drumsticks!<\/p>\n If you\u2019re out of olive oil, try a marinade for chicken breasts using coconut milk, which acts as the fat in the chicken marinade formula.<\/p>\n Tip: Everything ends up in the same Ziploc bag or mixing bowl when you make marinades, so save yourself time and dishes by not rinsing out the measuring spoons!<\/em><\/p>\n Yogurt<\/a> is another option for chicken marinades, combining the fat component with a bit of acidity from the lactic acid. Try one of these creamy chicken and yogurt marinades.<\/p>\n Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes to one hour, but for the best flavor, marinate for 4-6 hours. If you only have a bit of time, you can also poke holes in the chicken with a fork or a skewer to help the marinade soak in more quickly.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve picked a chicken marinade flavor, you can find some yummy side dishes to complement it.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re tracking your macros, it\u2019s important to be as accurate as possible to help you meet your goals. Here\u2019s how I make that work with marinated chicken.<\/p>\n Since there\u2019s a fat component in the chicken marinade, you likely won\u2019t add additional fat when cooking. So, you\u2019ll just have the chicken and the marinade itself to consider (plus any sides you enjoy with your lean protein).<\/p>\n Weigh the raw chicken and track that using your favorite nutrition tracker (I like My Fitness Pal).<\/p>\n You could try to figure out exactly what goes into your marinade for chicken AND exactly how much you\u2019re using, but the reality is that most of the marinade gets discarded before cooking.<\/p>\n So, I track the raw meat and add 2g of oil for my serving. It\u2019s not exact, but it covers the oil from the marinade. Sometimes, \u201cgood enough\u201d really is good enough!<\/p>\n Want to learn more about macros, nutrition goals, and accurately tracking what you eat? Grab my free guide here<\/a> to start achieving your real body goals by eating the foods you love.<\/em><\/p>\n According to the FDA, you CAN reuse marinade if you boil it first. However, it\u2019s probably best that you just reserve some marinade to use as a sauce instead.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes to one hour, but for best flavor, try 4-6 hours. You can marinate chicken overnight, but make sure to use a weaker acid so that the chicken does not start to break down and change in texture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Whether you\u2019re grilling<\/a>, barbecuing, baking in the oven or rotisserie, frying, or putting in the slow cooker, marinades all work the same way! Simply mix the marinade and chicken in a baking dish or large bag and let it sit before you cook the meat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n No. If you want a sweeter flavor in your meat, choose a marinade with honey or maple syrup. Remember that these natural sweeteners will cook and create a glaze on your chicken!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n As you can see from this post, you have lots of options! As long as you follow the formula for chicken marinades and include fat, acid, salt<\/a>, and flavor, you\u2019ll be able to come up with all sorts of combinations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n For sure! Simple meal prep: put the chicken and the marinade in a freezer-safe bag<\/a> and freeze for up to 6 months. I like to lay mine flat on a baking sheet<\/a> while it\u2019s freezing so that it takes up less space in my freezer storage. Then the chicken marinates as it thaws.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Are you looking for other ways to jazz up your chicken? Try these chicken recipes that are packed with flavor!<\/p>\n Sign up for my FREE Fight Inflation Workshop<\/strong>\u00a0and learn simple strategies to save money, even with rising food costs!\n\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWHY MAKE YOUR OWN CHICKEN MARINADE?<\/h2>\n
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THE BEST CHICKEN MARINADE FORMULA<\/h2>\n
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MARINADE FOR CHICKEN INSTRUCTIONS<\/h2>\n
CHICKEN MARINADE RATIOS<\/h2>\n
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SALT IN CHICKEN BREAST MARINADE RECIPES<\/h2>\n
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EASY CHICKEN MARINADES USING PANTRY INGREDIENTS<\/h2>\n
CHICKEN BREAST MARINADES USING CITRUS<\/h2>\n
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DELICIOUS GRILLED CHICKEN MARINADES WITH HOMEMADE SPICE BLENDS<\/h2>\n
CHICKEN WING MARINADE RECIPE USING CONDIMENTS<\/h2>\n
MARINADE FOR CHICKEN BREASTS WITHOUT OLIVE OIL<\/h2>\n
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CHICKEN AND YOGURT MARINADES<\/h2>\n
HOW TO MARINATE CHICKEN AND OTHER TIPS<\/h2>\n
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SIDE DISHES TO SERVE WITH YOUR GRILLED MARINADE CHICKEN<\/h2>\n
HOW DO I TRACK CHICKEN MARINADE?<\/h2>\n
MARINADES FOR GRILLING CHICKEN FAQS<\/h2>\n
Can I reuse chicken marinade?<\/h3>\n
How long should you marinate chicken?<\/h3>\n
When do I marinate chicken?<\/h3>\n
Should I add brown sugar to the chicken marinade?<\/h3>\n
What to put in a marinade for chicken?<\/h3>\n
Can you freeze chicken marinade?<\/h3>\n
MORE FLAVORFUL CHICKEN RECIPES<\/h2>\n
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Fight Inflation Workshop!<\/h4>\n
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