SIMPLE 4-Ingredient Chicken Marinade (Cracker Barrel Tenders Copycat)

A simple 4-Ingredient chicken marinade made with zesty Italian, fresh lime juice, and sweet honey in just minutes! This Cracker Barrel copycat recipe yields tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken that pairs well with any number of sides.

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• 🍗 Simple Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦  For a crowd
• 🙋 Questions and Answers
• 📖 What to serve with grilled chicken
• 👨🏼‍🍳 Tips & Tricks
• 👋 Connect with us!
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Grilling season is here in full swing and I couldn’t be happier! Summer is a busy time of year, so I try to keep a few easy marinades, like this overnight chicken marinade, this yummy honey chicken kabob marinade and this pineapple steak marinade, in the back of my mind for grilling nights.

This 4-Ingredient Chicken Marinade is one of my favorites because it is so simple - plus it's super quick and easy! Four ingredients that I always have on hand and a final product that gets zero complaints (that’s the real victory, am I right?). 

The perfect marinade is a good balance of acid, oil, and spice. In this simple chicken marinade the acid is both vinegar and lime juice, while the oil and spice come in the Italian dressing. Then we add a bit of honey for an easy sweet and zesty marinade that results in juicy, moist chicken every time.

This recipe was inspired by the classic Cracker Barrel Chicken Tenders and first served to us by my uncle. Although I kept it just as simple as the original recipe, I amped up the flavor. Below I have also included instructions for prepping ahead and freezing the chicken in the marinade, which always results in a more flavorful result. Lastly, I included links to some of my favorite sides to complete this easy grilled chicken!

🍗 Simple Ingredients

Chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins: Cracker Barrel's original recipe uses chicken tenderloins. While those are great, I prefer to grill chicken breasts that have been cut in half horizontally, but you can also cut the chicken breasts into strips for chicken tenders.
Italian dressing: The acid in the dressing is what helps to tenderize the meat. Whether name brand or generic, choose a zesty Italian dressing rather than a house or vinaigrette version.
Lime juice: Use freshly squeezed instead of pre-bottled.
Honey: Adds a bit of sweetness to balance the tangy lime.

🔪 Instructions

How to make 4-ingredient chicken marinade

Get ready, this will be fast! Start by prepping your chicken (just trim any excess fat and, if using, cut the breasts in half horizontally). Place the chicken in a zip top bag and pour in the Italian dressing, lime juice, and honey.

Now just give the bag a thorough shake. Chicken always has the best level of flavor, tenderness, and moisture when it marinates for 8-24 hours. You can marinate for less time but it won't be quite the same.

If you want a grilled chicken recipe without a marinade I recommend this grilled chicken with honey mustard sauce. The sauce is divine and can be mixed up in 5 minutes.

How to grill juicy chicken

Once the 4-Ingredient Chicken Marinade has worked it's magic, it's time to start the grill. The way to grill perfectly juicy chicken breasts or tenderloins is to have a two-zone fire. That is where one side of the grill is on medium-high and the other is off or on low.

Grill the first side for 5-6 minutes until the edges begin to dry and change color (resist the urge to move them if you want pretty grill lines). Flip and cook the second side for another 4-6 minutes. If at any point the chicken begins to brown too much, move them over to the unheated side of the grill, close the lid, and let them finish cooking there.

Being able to move them to the low heat zone will help them finish cooking on the inside without burning the outside. My go to tip for moist chicken breasts.

The tenderloins or really thin pieces of chicken breasts don't require as much grilling time so watch them carefully.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦  For a crowd

If you don't mind standing in front of a grill for awhile, this 4-Ingredient chicken marinade is a perfectly fine option to serve to a crowd. It's inexpensive, quick, easy, and produces flavorful chicken every time. This is a good time to use the chicken tenderloins that Cracker Barrel does because they don't require any extra prep time.

I highly recommend prepping as many pounds of chicken as you need ahead of time, then freezing it in the marinade. On the day of serving, thaw the chicken at room temperature for several hours. Then grill (in batches if needed).

Serving is especially easy if you plan side dishes that require very little hands-on time while you are grilling.

🙋 Questions and Answers

📖 What to serve with grilled chicken

Whether you choose chicken tenders like Cracker Barrel or chicken breasts, this simple flavor profile pairs well with any number of sides, including rice dishes, vegetables, potatoes, quinoa salads, fresh salads… you get the idea. Here are some of my favorite sides to serve with this chicken: 

• The Best Brown Butter Rice Pilaf - A four ingredient recipe that can be made in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop for a super flavorful rice. 
• Incredibly Crispy Smashed Potatoes - Tender on the inside, crispy on the outside! 
• Easy Green Beans Almondine - A simple and healthy veggie made with frozen green beans and fresh lemon.

👨🏼‍🍳 Tips & Tricks

• Use fresh lime juice instead of pre-bottled juice. Fresh juice rounds out the flavor and adds a great tang! 
• For the most flavor, marinate the chicken overnight (up to 24 hours) or freeze it in the marinade.
• To ensure juicy chicken tenders or breasts, create a two zone fire when grilling. One side medium-high and the other on low. If the outside of the chicken is getting done too quickly move it over to the low side until it has finished cooking.

👋 Connect with us!

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