Best Chicken Marinade

The sweet and tangy flavors of honey, Dijon mustard, and brown sugar, combined with apple cider vinegar, lime juice, and olive oil creates the best chicken marinade.

The chicken comes out juicy, tender, and flavorful!

The marinade is also delicious on pork and flank steak!

I often make a double batch and use the extra marinade to marinate vegetables with also.

Best chicken marinade video tutorial

The 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!

Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients to make the best chicken marinade:

• apple cider vinegar-Adds flavor and tenderizes the meat. Do not substitute with a different vinegar.
• 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
• limes- I like fresh squeezed for this recipe. If you substitute with concentrate, make sure it is real lime juice.
• olive oil- You can substitute with vegetable oil.
• brown sugar- Do not substitute with white sugar. You can substitute with coconut palm sugar.
• Dijon mustard- Do not substitute with regular mustard! Dijon mustard is best, however, if you do not have Dijon mustard on hand, honey mustard would make a nice substitute.
• salt

Steps to make grilled chicken marinade

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

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

Notes

Note: 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.

Note: Leftover chicken is great served cold in sandwiches and salads!

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 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!

• Rice Cooker Coconut Rice with Lime and Cilantro
• Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
• Dill Cucumber Salad
• Summer Corn Salad
• Oven Roasted Broccoli
• Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
• Sriracha Grilled Zucchini
• Hash Brown Casserole
• Southern Hoppin John

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.

Please leave me a comment below if you make this 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!