The best Balsamic Chicken Marinade Recipe creates a juicy, tender, and immensely flavorful chicken breast. It's a balsamic vinegar marinade that uses Worcestershire, soy sauce, and brown sugar along with some garlic and herbs to create a main dish that goes with a large variety of sides. It's our little black dress of chicken marinades!
Put it on the grill for a quick and easy way to get a delicious dinner on the table any night of the week. We've also included tips for how to grill a juicy chicken breast every time!
This marinade is a simple recipe that equals tons of flavor! By the time this post is done I hope you are convinced to grab some chicken, let it marinate in this magic liquid, and then fire up your grill for tomorrow night's dinner.
I originally found this on Mom on Timeout. It was delicious although a bit sweet for us. We lowered the sugar and added some freshness by swapping our dried herbs and garlic for fresh. What a difference! Now it's over the top.
Another easy one is this 4-Ingredient Chicken Marinade with Italian Dressing. Or if you need a great grilled chicken recipe but don't have time for a marinade, try this easy Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken! If you're feeling it, spice things up with this incredible Hot Honey Chicken Marinade!
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Why this recipe is great
- It's amazingly delicious! Everyone stops and comments on how good the chicken is!
- It pairs well with a variety of sides. Rice or potatoes. Grilled veggies or roasted veggies. Frozen veggies or fresh veggies. All of which makes it so easy to serve.
- The leftovers make the most amazing salads for lunch.
- It is freezer-friendly. My go-to method for keeping dinner easy is to freeze packets of chicken in marinade.
- It is so easy to serve a large group.
Best chicken marinade ingredients
This recipe requires just a few ingredients that are so easy to throw together! You'll be sitting down to a fantastic dinner in no time.
- Chicken: Either boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Sometimes using a neutral-flavored oil is fine, but we want the flavor from the EVOO.
- Balsamic vinegar: High quality balsamic is not necessary. The standard grocery store bottle will do. If you want a lighter flavor try white balsamic instead.
- Soy sauce: Regular or low-sodium.
- Worcestershire sauce: Essential for deep flavor.
- Brown sugar: Either light or dark.
- Stone ground mustard: Can be substituted with Dijon mustard or Spicy Brown mustard.
- Herbs: Fresh rosemary is best, but feel free to substitute dried if needed.
- Salt & pepper: Essential to rounding out the flavors.
- Minced garlic: Minced garlic is perfect here. Fresh is great, although I love the already minced stuff from the grocery store. In a pinch garlic powder will work as well.
Helpful kitchen tools
How to make easy balsamic chicken marinade
Marinating chicken in balsamic marinade is easy and the best way to get amazing flavor!
- Start by placing the tangy balsamic vinegar, oil, brown sugar, worcestershire, soy sauce, herbs and seasonings into a bowl or jar and mix thoroughly until the sugar is dissolved.
- To ensure the tenderness of the chicken, slice each breast in half horizontally.
- Place chicken pieces in a zip baggie or bowl for marinating, pour the flavorful marinade over the top. Be sure to move them all around so that the marinade gets in between all the pieces.
- Set in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight for best flavor.
How to grill juicy chicken breasts
Essentially, the trick with chicken breasts is keeping the heat hot enough to create a good crust, but not so hot that the outside is incinerated before the inside is finished.
The best way to accomplish this is to heat half of the grill to medium-high heat, leaving the other side turned off. Grill the first side of the chicken, allowing any excess marinade to drip off, for 5-6 minutes over the heat until the edges begin to dry out and change color.
Flip them over and grill for another 4-6 minutes depending on their size. If they begin to brown too much on the heated side, transfer them to the unheated side, close the lid, and cook until done.
Hint: These are our favorite long-handled tongs for using on the grill! Hand-savers!
What to serve with grilled chicken breasts
FAQs
Absolutely! This is great for meal prep and one of my own go-to freezer prep marinades. After slicing the chicken breasts in half horizontally and placing in a gallon size bag or airtight container, pour in the marinade and agitate the bag to get the marinade in between all the pieces. Then lay the bag down on a cookie sheet and freeze until it's solid. Stack multiple bags on top of each other to make the most of available space. Thaw completely when ready to use and grill as instructed.
The chicken breast shouldn't be left in the marinade longer than overnight. If they are left too long they will develop a mealy texture. If you want to make ahead I recommend freezing them. Instructions are listed above.
Once the chicken is cooled, place the chicken pieces in an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Tips & Tricks
- Dissolve the sugar completely by stirring before adding the chicken breasts.
- Before marinating the chicken breasts, cut them in half horizontally.
- Make sure all parts of the chicken come into contact with the marinade. Sometimes they like to stick together.
More great recipes
Looking for other great recipes? Try these:
Recipe
Chicken Marinade with Balsamic Vinegar Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon stone ground mustard substitute dijon or spicy brown
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon fresh rosemary may substitute with dried
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 5 chicken breasts sliced in half horizontally
Instructions
- Stir all ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved.½ cup extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup balsamic vinegar, ¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoon stone ground mustard, 1 tablespoon garlic, 2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, 2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon pepper
- Add the chicken breasts and combine well so that every part of the meat is coated in marinade. Marinate the chicken for 8-24 hours.5 chicken breasts
- When it's time to cook, heat the grill to medium-high heat (leave half the grill unheated). Grill the first side of the chicken for 5-6 minutes until the edges begin to dry and change color. Flip and grill for 4-6 minutes longer, or until it is cooked through to 165°F. *If chicken begins to brown too much, move it to the unheated side of the grill. Close the lid and allow it to finish cooking.
Notes
- Dissolve the sugar completely by stirring before adding the meat.
- Before marinating the chicken breasts, cut them in half horizontally.
- Make sure all parts of the chicken come into contact with the marinade. Sometimes they like to stick together.
- It is key to marinate for a minimum of 8 hours if you want to develop tons of flavor. Worth it!
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
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