Best Chicken Marinade

•Posted: Jun 7, 2024

The BEST Chicken Marinade ever! A super flavorful, tangy marinade made with a secret ingredient that’s probably right in your refrigerator. So versatile, this marinade recipe can also be used with pork and turkey, too. Whether you cook it on the grill or in the oven, you’re going to end up with the most flavorful, juicy chicken ever!

marinated chicken breast sliced with juices

Why We Love This Chicken Marinade

So, how much chicken do you guys eat??? If you’re like us and so many people we know – the answer is A LOT. That’s why finding the best chicken marinade recipe is so important. When you’re eating a lot of something like grilled chicken, you want the flavor to be addictive.

Our secret ingredient in this marinade is pickle juice. Yep, pickle juice fright from your favorite jar of pickles. Don’t like pickles? No worries, we have non-pickle lovers in our house and they still go crazy for this chicken.

Ingredients You’ll Need For The Marinade

Pickle Brine (from your favorite jar of pickles!): Again, no worries if you don’t like pickles, just grab a jar for the juice!
Soy Sauce: Low sodium if you prefer, but either will work.
Olive oil: For flavor and moisture.
Fresh Garlic: For flavor, fresh is best!
Dijon Mustard: Stone ground or regular dijon mustard.
Salt and Pepper: Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper for flavor. If using regular soy sauce, you can skip the salt.

How To Make And Use

All you need to do to make this marinade recipe is add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. You can double or triple the recipe if you’re making some chicken in bulk for meal prepping, we do that often.

A regular batch of this marinade will work for about 2 pounds of chicken. If you have more chicken (or other protein) than go ahead and double the recipe.

Then pour the marinade over your chicken in a glass dish or resealable plastic bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate until you’re ready to cook.

chicken breasts marinating in glass dish

How Long Do You Need To Marinate The Chicken?

We like to marinate the chicken for quite a few hours before it hits the grill or the oven. You’ll want to marinate the chicken at least 6 hours but overnight will give you the best results.

Cooking time for your chicken will depend on how big your chicken breasts are, or really whatever cut of chicken you’re using. Because you can also use this on a whole, butterflied (spatchcocked) chicken or chicken thighs or legs too.

Make sure the temperature of your chicken is at 165 degrees so that you know it’s cooked through, a good way to test it is by cutting into it and seeing if the juices run clear. Or use a meat thermometer for a precise temperature reading.

grilled chicken breasts on platter with parsley

Tips For Success

Use Quality Ingredients: Since there are only a few ingredients in this recipe, you want to make sure they’re all quality ingredients. Fresh garlic, instead of jarred garlic will impart the best flavor. Good olive oil (doesn’t have to be extra virgin) and a pickle brine that’s not too sweet.
Take Time For The Marinating Process: We really like the flavor of our chicken after it’s been in the marinade for several hours. At least 6 or overnight is our recommendation.
Not Too Thick: If the chicken pieces that you’re using are very thick or large, cut them in half so the marinade can penetrate the meat better.

close up of grilled chicken breasts on platter with juice

Serving Suggestions

There’s plenty of side dishes to choose from, if you’re not eating this chicken straight up or cut up in a salad. Here’s a few ideas for you!

close up of sliced chicken breast with juice

Looking For More Marinade Recipes?

Balsamic Chicken Marinade
Greek Chicken Marinade
Teriyaki Marinade For Steak or Chicken
Fiesta Steak Marinade (works for chicken also)
Honey Chipotle Marinade
Whiskey Steak Marinade