The Best Ever Grilled Chicken Marinade

Looking for the little black dress of chicken marinades? This is it! This Best Ever Grilled Chicken Marinade can be dressed up or down. It holds its own at a dinner party or a casual family dinner any night of the week. 

This marinade is the bomb! 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.

My criteria for chicken marinades:
• Amazingly delicious! Like everyone stops and comments on how good the chicken is.
• Does it pair well with a variety of sides? Rice or potatoes. Grilled veggies or roasted veggies. Frozen veggies or fresh veggies. You get the idea.
• Do the leftovers make the most amazing salads for lunch?
• Is it freezer friendly? My go-to method for keeping dinner easy is to freeze packets of chicken in marinade.
• Is it easy to serve a large group?

Ingredients

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.
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 or Spicy Brown.
Herbs: Dried rosemary is easiest, but feel free to substitute fresh.
Salt & pepper: Essential to rounding out the flavors.
Garlic: Fresh minced garlic is perfect here. I love the already minced stuff from the grocery store. 🤫

Instructions

This is a very simple process. Place all the ingredients into a bowl or jar and mix thoroughly until the sugar is dissolved.

There are a couple tips for ensuring the tenderness of the chicken. If the breast is any larger than the palm of your hand be sure to slice it in half horizontally. Once you place the breasts in a zip baggie or bowl for marinating, be sure to move them all around so that the marinade gets in between all the pieces.

Chicken Breast Grilling Tips

In my home I am the main griller. My oldest son has taken on the role of grilling hamburgers, but I do everything else. We grill multiple times a week, mainly 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 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.

Questions & Answers

Can I prep this ahead?
This is one of my go-to freezer prep marinades. After slicing the chicken breasts in half horizontally and placing in a gallon size bag, 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.

Can I serve this to a crowd?
Absolutely! Make up as many pounds as you need ahead of time, and then just grill off the day of. Serving is especially easy if you plan side dishes that require very little hands-on time while you are grilling.

Hungry for more?

• Skillet Roasted Corn is a quick and delicious side dish that everyone can agree on. Bonus: It uses frozen corn!
• The Best Brown Butter Rice Pilaf can be made before going out to the grill and will wait patiently on the stove (or in the Instant Pot!) while the chicken is grilling.
• If you want something supremely delicious yet hands-off while you grill, make this Twice Baked Potato Bake. YUM!
• This Autumn Chopped Salad is AMAZING! Are you getting hungry yet?

Tips & Tricks

• Dissolve the sugar completely by stirring before adding the chicken breasts.
• Before marinating the chicken breasts cut in half horizontally.
• Make sure all parts of the chicken come in contact with the marinade. Sometimes they like to stick together.

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