Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken Marinade is a flavorful way to dress up plain old grilled chicken breast. The marinade helps tenderize the chicken, to yield super juicy and delicious meat.
I love a good marinade as a flavorful way to dress up plain old grilled chicken breast. It also helps to tenderize the chicken, so you’ll get super juicy and delicious meat. We usually make this on the grill during summer, but it’s just as good if pan fried or baked.
This recipe uses simple ingredients from the pantry. And the best part? You can bag up the raw chicken in the marinade and freeze it for easy meal prep – so you’ll always have some marinated chicken on hand!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Make sure to check the recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact quantities and cooking instructions!
Ingredient notes
- Chicken: Use any chicken cut you like with this recipe. I mostly use boneless, skinless chicken breast. But chicken thighs are a close second favorite!
- Lemon juice: I used fresh lemon juice, but you can use ¼ cup – ⅓ cup bottled lemon juice instead.
- Olive oil: Vegetable oil can be used in place of the olive oil if that’s what you prefer.
How to make Lemon Garlic Chicken Marinade
It’s so easy to marinate chicken:
1. Pound chicken: Place the chicken in a heavy-duty ziptop bag, leaving the zipper open. Lightly pound using a rolling pin to get the chicken to an even thickness.
2. Make marinade: Combine the marinade and pour over the chicken in the bag.
3. Close bag: Close the bag almost all the way, carefully push out as much extra air as you can without spilling out the marinade. Close completely, then lightly massage the marinade into the chicken.
4. Chill: Refrigerate the chicken for at least 30 minutes and for up to 2 days. Make sure to place the bag in a shallow dish or container to catch any accidental marinade spills!
5. Remove from marinade: Remove the chicken from the fridge 15 minutes before you want to cook it. Remove it from the marinade, shaking off any excess. Discard the marinade.
6. Cook: Bake, pan-sear or grill the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Rest the chicken for 5-10 minutes, tented with foil, before serving.
Recipe tips
- Pounding: Don’t overdo the pounding, or you may break the bag! Also, if you pound the chicken too thin, it will dry out very quickly – 0.5 – 0.75 inches is just fine.
- Bag: If you don’t have a heavy-duty bag, I recommend pounding the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap, then transfer the chicken to a regular freezer bag.
- Color: The chicken will change color in the marinade, that’s completely normal!
- Refrigerate: Make sure to place the bag with the chicken into a dish to refrigerate, you don’t want to end up with any accidental spills on your fridge shelves.
- Resting: Make sure to rest the chicken for 5-10 minutes, on a plate tented with foil, before slicing/serving. This helps the meat to relax after cooking, making it juicier.
Recipe FAQ
Can you marinate chicken too long?
According to the USDA food safety guidelines, you can marinate chicken safely in the fridge for up to two days. A couple of hours are usually enough to reap the benefits though. If you’re short on time, you can get away with 30 minutes – it will just be a little less flavorful.
How do you grill chicken on the stove?
So what if you’re all ready for your backyard barbecue, but it suddenly starts raining like crazy?
If you have a grill pan, you’ll be all set. If it’s a cast iron one, preheat it on the hottest setting. Turn down the heat to medium-high and carefully brush with oil.
Then just grill the chicken as you would on an outdoor grill. It will take a while to be done, up to 15-20 minutes depending on the size and thickness of your chicken breast.
What is the right internal temperature for chicken?
No matter if you’re using the stove or an outdoor grill, always check that the juices are running clear and the internal temperature has reached 165°F at the thickest part, according to the USDA’s food safety guidelines.
Storage
Leftovers: Store cooked leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: The raw chicken breast can be frozen in the marinade:
- Make sure you label the bag with the name of the dish and the use-by date
- Freeze for up to 3 months
- To thaw, simply place in the fridge overnight in a dish to catch any spills. Cook as if fresh.
Serving ideas
Depending on the season, different side dishes go well with this chicken.
If you’re cooking it year-round indoors, it’s actually great with pretty much any classic sides – but especially so with roasted fingerling potatoes and sautéed green beans!
During the summer, classic barbecue sides work really well!
More marinade recipes
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Lemon Garlic Chicken Marinade
Recipe details
Ingredients
Meat
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts about 3-4 large
For the marinade
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 lemons juice only
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Pound chicken: Place 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts in heavy-duty bag or between two pieces of plastic wrap. Lightly pound using a rolling pin to 0.5-0.75 inch thickness.
- Make marinade: Combine 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, juice of 2 lemons, 4 cloves garlic (minced), 1 teaspoon dried garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper in small measuring jug.
- Marinate chicken: Pour marinade over chicken in bag (if used plastic wrap, place chicken in a freezer bag and then add marinade). Close bag, removing as much air as possible. Lightly massage marinade into chicken, then place bag in a dish to catch accidental spills and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
- To cook: Remove chicken from fridge 15 minutes before cooking. Remove from marinade, shaking off any excess. Discard marinade. Cook chicken your preferred way until juices run clear and the internal temperature has reached 165°F. Allow chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Chicken: Use any chicken cut you like with this recipe. I mostly use boneless, skinless chicken breast. But chicken thighs are a close second favorite!
- Lemon juice: I used fresh lemon juice, but you can use ¼ cup – ⅓ cup bottled lemon juice instead.
- Olive oil: Vegetable oil can be used in place of the olive oil if that’s what you prefer.
Recipe tips
- Pounding: Don’t overdo the pounding, or you may break the bag.
- Color: The chicken will change color in the marinade, that’s completely normal!
- Resting: Make sure to rest the chicken for 5-10 minutes, on a plate tented with foil, before slicing/serving. This helps the meat to relax after cooking, making it juicier.
Storage
Leftovers: Store cooked leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Freezer: The raw chicken breast can be frozen in the marinade:- Make sure you label the bag with the name of the dish and the use-by date
- Freeze for up to 3 months
- To thaw, simply place in the fridge overnight in a dish to catch any spills. Cook as if fresh.
Nutrition
More recipe information
Recipe first published in 2018. Updated with more information on 01/05/2021. Updated with a slight recipe improvements, new text and new photos on 06/24/2024.
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