This is a favorite simple marinade for grilled chicken that is also versatile. We love it for grilled chicken as a main course, in a salad, and even on a sandwich. It evolved from experiments over the years, from ingredients in my kitchen.
Often, when I do not have a set meal plan, but I have meat thawed and ready, making a simple marinade is my go-to. It doesn’t take much and then I end up with a great marinade like this one. Easily repeated and excellent every time, this Simple & Delicious Grilled Chicken Marinade will not disappoint!
Simple & Delicious Chicken Marinade Ingredients
To make this chicken marinade, you will need olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, pressed garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, thyme, and lemon juice. Then you will also need 4 chicken breasts, or about 2-2.5 pounds.
Notes about Marinades: The 4 main components of a marinade are an acidic ingredient, oil, seasoning, and salt. An acid can be vinegar (mustard has vinegar in it), wine, or citrus. The oil can be chosen based on the cuisine you are cooking and the temperature at which you are cooking. Seasoning can be garlic, pepper, paprika, or any preferred spice. When making this recipe, if you are missing something, maybe follow the 4 main components rule and create your own. You may just find something that is an easy go-to for you!
Marinades can be super simple. However, if I am marinating something right before cooking it, I throw all my efforts at it. So, in these cases, I will add extra ingredients beyond the 4 ingredient rule. Additionally, I like the flavor of the Dijon mustard and lemon, so I prefer to create this full marinade when I have everything.
NOTE: If you are marinating this just before grilling it, another tip I have is to drizzle a little vinegar and lemon over the chicken while you mix up the marinade. This will help to start to break down the meat and allow the marinade to soak in more easily since it won’t have much time to rest in the marinade. First prepare the chicken by trimming the fat and placing it in a dish for marinating. Then drizzle on a little bit of lemon and vinegar just enough to coat it. Stir to coat the chicken. And continue making the marinade. When it’s ready pour over the chicken.
How to Make this Chicken Marinade
Ideally, I like to marinate anything I can 24 hours in advance. In reality, I work full-time and have 2 kids, a third one if you count the husband, so planning that far in advance for food is rarely possible. I have made this marinade 30 minutes – 1 hour before grilling and the chicken breasts still turned out to be delicious and tender. The vinegar helps break down the meat’s proteins, thereby tenderizing it. The lemon and mustard assist in this but also bring some great flavor.
Prepare the marinade by adding all ingredients to a small mixing bowl or measuring cup. I always use my Pyrex measuring cup, as I can pour the olive oil and vinegar directly in to measure it. Then I add the rest of the ingredients and use a whisk to mix it. I also use my immersion hand mixer occasionally. This is great for mixing salad dressings or marinades. Of course, it has a lot of uses when you don’t necessarily need the larger mixers, so if you don’t have one, check out this Cuisinart Immersion Hand Blender on Amazon.
Preparing the chicken:
First, rinse and pat the chicken dry. Trim excess fat. If the chicken breasts that you buy are generally larger, they can be harder to grill evenly and they can be too much for a single serving. I like to cut chicken breasts in half, as is pictured here. You can do this by laying trimmed breasts on a cutting board and using a sharp knife to slice them in half lengthwise and at a slight diagonal. This technique results in thinner, evenly sized chicken breast pieces which optimizes marination. More seasoning infuses into the chicken, and each piece is sized more appropriately for single servings. Of course, you can also use chicken tenders, legs, thighs, or any part of the chicken with this marinade.
Once the meat is prepared, place it in a dish, bowl, or ziplock bag and cover with the prepared marinade. Thirty minutes prior to your grilling time, take the marinating chicken out of the refrigerator. This allows the chicken to come closer to room temperature, therefore cooking more evenly.
If you are new to grilling, check out this post on Grilling Tips for Beginners.
Other Tips for this Simple & Delicious Grilled Chicken Marinade
- Don’t have lemon? Try using 1/2 of an orange or clementine. Or if you have the bottled version of lemon, that can also save some time. Just consider that often it’s a bit more concentrated than a fresh lemon. Or just skip it all together. I have also made it without lemon, and it has been very tasty!
- Don’t have ANY thyme? Substitute with dried oregano or basil.
- Don’t have THE time? Skip the pressed garlic, and throw in 1/2 tsp garlic powder instead.
- REMEMBER: Take out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before grilling to bring it closer to room temperature.
- This Simple and Delicious marinade works well for so many meals. Pair grilled chicken with a salad, such as this Kale Bacon Avocado Salad, for a lighter lunch or dinner. Or serve with some savory roasted vegetables, like this Roasted Asparagus with Pancetta for guests! We also love it with this Lemon Basil Orzo with Sundried Tomatoes.
Simple & Delicious Grilled Chicken
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts – If they are large, cut in half to better absorb the marinade and to grill evenly.
- 1/3 c olive oil
- 1/3 c white wine vinegar
- 1 T Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves pressed garlic
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 T Worcestershire
- 1 tsp salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme (I have also substituted with a oregano)
Instructions
Preparing the Marinade:
- Add all ingredients (besides chicken) to a small mixing bowl or measuring cup. If using a measuring a large Pyrex measuring cup, pour the olive oil and vinegar directly in to measure them. Then add the rest of the ingredients and use a whisk or immersion blender to mix.
Preparing the Chicken:
- First, rinse and pat the chicken dry. Trim excess fat.
- If the chicken breasts that you buy are generally larger, they can be harder to grill evenly and they can be too much for a single serving. I like to cut chicken breasts in half. You can do this by laying trimmed breasts on a cutting board and using a sharp knife to slice them in half lengthwise and at a slight diagonal. This technique results in thinner, evenly sized chicken breast pieces which optimizes marination. More seasoning infuses into the chicken, and each piece is sized more appropriately for single servings. Of course, you can also use chicken tenders, legs, thighs, or any part of the chicken with this marinade.
- Once the meat is prepared, place it in a dish, bowl, or ziplock bag and pour the prepared marinade on top.
- 30 minutes prior to grilling time, make sure you take the chicken out of the refrigerator to rest. This allows the chicken to come closer to room temperature, therefore cooking more evenly.
- Grill as usual! Or check out this post on grilling for beginners if you are new to grilling.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
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