Best Ever Grilled Chicken Marinade

The best ever grilled chicken marinade recipe by far!

Best Ever Grilled Chicken Marinade on chicken grilling on a Weber grill.

For years we used Dale’s Steak Seasoning and then switched to Moore’s Original Marinade for the lower sodium content.

I would mix those marinades with bottled Italian dressing and just go with it. Why not make a homemade version, right?

Please don’t let the ingredient list frighten you away. I PROMISE this is the best marinade you will ever try and it’s super easy.

Best Ever Grilled Chicken Marinade Video

Marinated chicken pieces cooking on the grill.

Why You’ll Love This

  • It is 100 times better than any store-bought kind.
  • This best chicken marinade imparts the ultimate flavor experience and produces a juicy tender piece of grilled chicken.

Ingredients

  • Chicken – For this, we used chicken breast, and we like to cut them into strips. But it’s also great for chicken thighs! You can also pound the chicken breasts out to an even thickness.
  • Marinade Liquids– Worcestershire sauce, low-sodium soy sauce, olive oil, molasses, and white wine vinegar.
  • Seasonings – Garlic powder, onion powder, fresh ground pepper, dried thyme, dried basil, dried parsley, and dried oregano. Salt to your taste, there is sodium in the Worcestershire and soy sauce.

We grill year-round and this chicken was planned for our lunches. Every week I make a large salad to keep in the fridge.

It’s lunch for me most days. But my husband has to be coaxed to eat salad on a regular basis.

Well, this week he actually asked for salads with grilled chicken for his lunches. (We’ll see how long this lasts.)

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Marinade mixed in a metal bowl.

How to Make Best Ever Grilled Chicken Marinade

Just whisk the healthy chicken marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour over the chicken (usually about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of chicken) and marinate for a minimum of 1 hour.

We usually go for 3-4 hours of marinating the chicken.

This infuses more marinade flavor and allows for more grilled crispiness (my favorite part) on the chicken pieces.

Reserve some of the marinade in a separate bowl to baste the chicken while grilling.

Chicken marinating in a zip top bag.

Grill the chicken for 3-6 minutes per side. This will depend on the thickness of the chicken. Do NOT overcook! Use a meat thermometer to cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

No one likes dry chicken.

Best ever grilled chicken grilling on a hot grill.

Serve and enjoy! This marinade also works great for pork too.

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What cuts of chicken can I use?

This grilled chicken marinade works with chicken breasts, thighs, drumsticks, tenders, skin on or off, bone-in or out. Remember the cooking times will vary for each type of chicken you choose. The chicken needs to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

How long is it best to marinate chicken?

A minimum of 1 hour. If you only have 30 minutes to marinate do it at room temperature. But be aware that you should not do it any longer than 30 minutes, bacteria can grow. Reserving some of the marinade (before touching the chicken) and basting while it’s cooking will also impart more flavor.
We recommend 3 to 4 hours, any longer than 8 hours and the acids in the marinade will give the chicken a mushy undesirable texture.

Storing

Place grilled chicken in an air-tight container or bag and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

More Grilling Recipes

Best Ever Grilled Chicken Marinade on chicken grilling on a Weber grill.

Best Ever Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe

This is by far the best ever grilled chicken marinade recipe!
4.53 from 19 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Barbeque, BBQ, Grilling
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 343kcal
Author: Leigh Harris

Ingredients
 

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon molasses
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon thyme optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • In a small bowl whisk all the marinade ingredients together.
  • Place the chicken in a zip bag or covered container, pour the marinade over and mix the marinade around to cover evenly.
  • Marinate at least 1 hour but 2-4 hours is preferred.
  • Preheat the grill to medium heat about 375-425 degrees F.
  • Grill the chicken 3-6 minutes each side until cooked through. Chicken should be at 165 degrees F at its thickest part.

Notes

We use the low sodium soy sauce to give us control of the salt. We usually add 1 teaspoon of sea salt and it’s perfect for us. If you’re not a thyme kind of person just omit.

Nutrition

Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 1069mg | Potassium: 738mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 73IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 3mg

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16 Comments

  1. Any idea how much sodium is absorbed into the chicken? For someone who is on a sodium restricted diet.

  2. Have you ever made this recipe in bulk to use more than once during a week? What do you think the shelf life would be?

    1. We’ve never made this in bulk but I don’t see why it couldn’t live in your fridge for 5 days or so. Thanks for the good question. If anybody else wants to chime in with an opinion have at it.

  3. We had your grilled chicken recipe tonight. It was wonderful!!! The only things I changed: I used teriyaki sauce instead of soy sauce ( it’s what I had) and I also added crushed garlic. All 7 of us loved it!!!! Used chicken tenders, too, so it grilled quickly and had a lot of your yummy seasoning!!!5 stars

  4. This marinade is my new go to for
    a fast, tasty, summer dinner. I’ve made it twice in the one week and the whole family loves it.

  5. This is by far the best marinade recipe I’ve come across is a long time!! Absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing it!

  6. I wanted to cook a boneless, skinless turkey breast for supper on a rainy day here and happened upon your recipe thru a Pinterest email. I thought well it’d be just as good on turkey and after marinating a few hours put the breast, marinade and all in the oven to bake. It was awesome and the marinade thickened down to a lovely, flavourful sauce for the turkey! Thanks for a great recipe.5 stars

    1. Hey, Cathy! Great idea, we are going to have to try it soon! Thanks so much for coming by to tell us!!!

  7. Meilleure recette de marinade au monde! Simple, rapide et des ingrédients toujours sous la main. Merci pour cette belle trouvaille.5 stars

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