Chicken Marinade with Balsamic Vinegar Recipe

Balsamic brown sugar marinated chicken breasts, grilled and placed on serving platter.

5 from 3 votes

Chicken Marinade with Balsamic Vinegar Recipe

The best Balsamic Vinegar Marinade creates a juicy, tender, and immensely flavorful chicken breast. It’s a freezer-friendly 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 that we've made hundreds of times!

Prep Time5

Marinade Time8

Total Time8 5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Grill

Servings: cups

Calories: 330kcal

Author: Danielle

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

Tips & Tricks

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!

Serving size: In our experience this marinates 5 chicken breasts cut in half (for 10 total pieces) which is approximately 4-5 pounds.

Storage: Once it is cooled, place it in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can store unused marinade in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Freezer instructions: 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. Thaw completely when ready to use and grill as instructed.

Nutrition