Name: Best Chicken Marinade Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: ½ cup apple cider vinegar; ⅔ cup olive oil; 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard; 2 tablespoons garlic powder; 2 tablespoons honey; 2 limes (juiced); ½ cup brown sugar; 1 teaspoon salt

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The sweet and tangy flavors of honey, Dijon mustard, and brown sugar, combined with apple cider vinegar, lime juice, and olive oil create the best chicken marinade. The chicken comes out juicy, tender, and flavorful! The marinade is also delicious on pork, flank steak, and vegetables!

4 chicken breasts on a plate with dishes of rice and vegetables to the side

"I made this chicken marinade last night, and the chicken was delicious! Everyone loved it - no leftovers! I saved the recipe to make again! Thanks for the share!"

★★★★★- Ann

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🔍 Quick Look: Best Chicken Marinade
A note to my reader
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Steps
Watch how to make
Top Tips
How long should you marinate chicken?
What type of chicken to use?
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🔍 Quick Look: Best Chicken Marinade

⏱️ Prep Time: 5 minutes
🥣 Marinating Time: 30 minutes to 6 hours
👥 Servings: 6
🍯 Flavor Profile: Sweet, tangy, and savory with honey, Dijon mustard, lime, and brown sugar
🍗 Best For: Chicken breasts, chicken tenders, pork, and flank steak
👩‍🍳 Cook Method: Grill, bake, or cook on the stovetop

A note to my reader

This is my favorite chicken marinade. It has the perfect balance of sweetness matched with a bit of tanginess, turning boring chicken into something incredibly flavorful. I often make a double batch and use the extra marinade to marinate vegetables with also. The leftover marinade would also make a delicious salad dressing on arugula or mixed garden greens.

If you like this recipe, also check out my Greek chicken marinade! It is another fantastic marinade recipe! Enjoy! Xoxo ~Katie.

ingredients for best chicken marinade- apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, honey, limes, olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, and brown sugar

Ingredient notes and substitutions

You will need the following ingredients to make the best chicken marinade recipe.

apple cider vinegar-Adds flavor and tenderizes the meat. I do not recommend substituting with a different vinegar, as it can change the overall flavor of the marinade.
garlic powder- I like powder for the marinade because it breaks down quicker and fresh garlic can sometimes burn on the meat. However, you can use fresh crushed garlic if you choose.
honey- Adds the sweetness and helps create a small of caremelization to the chicken as it grills.
limes- Fresh-squeezed lime juice gives the best flavor for this marinade. If you substitute with bottled lime juice, make sure it is real lime juice and not a lime-flavored concentrate.
extra virgin olive oil- You can substitute with vegetable oil or avocado oil.
brown sugar- Adds depth and balance to the tanginess. Do not substitute with white sugar. Coconut palm sugar is a good alternative.
Dijon mustard- Do not substitute with regular mustard! Dijon mustard is best, however, if you do not have Dijon mustard on hand, honey mustard is the best substitute.
salt- Enhances all of the flavors in the marinade and helps season the chicken throughout. I recommend Kosher salt for optimal results.

*Full recipe with ingredient measurements is located at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

Steps

Follow these easy steps to make the best grilled chicken marinade:

In a food processor or blender, add apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, honey, lime juice, brown sugar, and salt.
Process until marinade is emulsified and smooth.
Set aside ¼ cup of marinade and use the remaining marinade to marinate raw chicken for 30 minutes to 6 hours in a sealed container or Ziploc bag. Refrigerate while marinating.
Remove the chicken from marinade. Discard any used marinade. Grill chicken until completely cooked. Top with the remaining marinade for additional flavor.

Watch how to make

Top Tips

You can use this marinade on baked chicken too. If you choose to bake the chicken, use a shallow baking dish, and baste while cooking.

Leftover marinated chicken is great served cold in sandwiches and salads!

4 chicken breasts on a white plate garnished with limes and parsley with a side of marinade in a jar to the side

How long should you marinate chicken?

You should marinate any cuts of chicken for at least 30 minutes.

The length of time to marinate chicken will depend on the fat content.

Two to 4 hours is a good amount of time for marinating lean cuts of chicken such as breasts and tenders. Because they do not have much fat, they marinate quicker and marinating them too long can cause the texture to become rubbery once cooked.

However, chicken pieces with skin or bone, it is better to marinate up to 6 hours.

You do not want to marinate any chicken pieces longer than 24 hours.

What type of chicken to use?

This chicken marinade will work on any cut of chicken to include bone-in, boneless, skinless, or skin-on. However, boneless skinless chicken breasts and chicken tenders are my personal favorite for this recipe.

Worth and Alecia Paschal toasting a beer

About the recipe

My friend Worth Paschal shared this recipe with me.

His grilled chicken is his family's most requested favorite dish and it has also become one of mine. His two kids really love his grilled chicken tenders, and it is refreshing to see kids excited about a home cooked meal over fast food.

He usually uses the marinade on chicken tenders and serves it with rice and roasted vegetables.

What to serve with grilled chicken?

Looking for tasty sides that will go great with grilled chicken? Try any of these and you will have a fantastic meal!

Please leave me a comment below if you make this flavorful chicken marinade and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.

Also post your picture of your marinade on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!

📖 Recipe