Easy Grilled Chicken Marinade
This easy grilled chicken marinade is bright, savory, and just a little sweet, made with lemon, honey, garlic, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and herbs. It's simple to whisk together and helps make grilled chicken juicy, flavorful, and perfect for summer dinners, cookouts, and easy meal prep.
For another easy grilled chicken dinner with bright, fresh flavor, try my Cilantro Lime Chicken - it's a reader favorite for summer meals and meal prep.
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This easy chicken marinade adds bright, savory flavor whether you're grilling outdoors, cooking indoors on a grill pan, or baking the chicken in the oven. Made with lemon, honey, garlic, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and herbs, it helps keep the chicken juicy, flavorful, and delicious for summer dinners, cookouts, and easy meal prep.
What I Love About This Recipe
This grilled chicken marinade is quick to whisk together, made with pantry ingredients, and gives chicken a bright, savory-sweet flavor with very little effort. The lemon keeps it fresh, the honey helps the chicken brown beautifully on the grill, and the garlic and herbs make it delicious for summer dinners, cookouts, and meal prep.
What Makes a Good Chicken Marinade?
A good chicken marinade usually includes three simple elements: acid, oil, and flavorings. In this recipe, fresh lemon juice adds brightness, olive oil helps carry the flavors, and garlic, Worcestershire sauce, honey, herbs, and spices give the chicken its savory-sweet flavor.
The key is balance. You want enough acidity to brighten the chicken without overpowering it, enough oil to help keep it moist, and enough seasoning to make every bite flavorful.
Easy Grilled Chicken Marinade
This marinade uses simple pantry ingredients with a bright, savory-sweet flavor that's perfect for grilled chicken.
- Olive oil: Helps carry the marinade's flavors and keeps the chicken moist as it grills.
- Fresh lemon juice: Adds brightness and a little acidity to tenderize and flavor the chicken.
- Honey: Brings subtle sweetness and helps the chicken brown beautifully on the grill.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds savory depth and rich flavor to the marinade.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic gives the marinade its bold, delicious flavor.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper add herby, smoky, and savory notes.
How to Make Grilled Chicken Marinade
Step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below, along with details on how to perfectly grill chicken thighs.
- Step 1: Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. If you'd like to baste the chicken while grilling, set aside a portion of the marinade before adding raw chicken.
- Step 2: Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken in a large resealable bag or covered container. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours, before grilling.
How to Grill the Chicken
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, about 400°F, and lightly oil the grates. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard any marinade that touched the raw chicken.
Grill the chicken over direct heat for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Move it to a lower-heat zone of the grill, brushing it only with the reserved marinade set aside before adding the chicken.
Remove from the grill, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
For bite-sized grilled chicken with a sweet-savory flavor, my Teriyaki Chicken Skewers are another easy favorite for cookouts and weeknight dinners.
Chicken Marinade Tips
- Marinate long enough for flavor: At least 30 minutes works well, but I prefer 3 to 4 hours when possible. Avoid marinating longer than 24 hours, as the texture of the chicken can become soft.
- Keep it refrigerated: Always marinate chicken in a sealed container or resealable bag in the refrigerator.
- Reserve basting marinade first: If you plan to baste while grilling, set aside clean marinade before adding the raw chicken.
- Pat dry before grilling: Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels to help it sear and develop grill marks.
Easy Grilled Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- ¼ cup olive oil extra virgin
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons Worchester Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
Grilled Chicken
- 6 chicken thighs boneless skinless
- lemon slices slightly grilled, for serving
Instructions
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Remove half of the marinade and set aside for basting the chicken while it grills.
- Place the chicken in a large resealable bag and pour the marinade over the top. Seal the bag securely and massage the marinade into the chicken.
- Chill the chicken in the refrigerator and at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. For the most flavor, 2 to 4 hours is optimum.
To Grill
- Preheat the grill to medium high heat (about 400 degrees) and lightly oil the grates.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the remaining marinade.
- Place chicken over direct heat and grill for 6 to 8 minutes per side. Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160°F, move the thighs to a low heat zone of the grill. As the chicken grills, baste with reserved marinade.
- When cooked, remove chicken from the grill, tent with foil, and let rest about 5 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Marinating time: Chicken can marinate for as little as 30 minutes, but 3 to 4 hours gives it even more flavor. Avoid marinating longer than 24 hours, as the texture can become soft.
- Reserve marinade before adding chicken: If you plan to baste the chicken while grilling, set aside a portion of the marinade before adding raw chicken. Discard any marinade that has come into contact with raw chicken.
- For chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cook more quickly than thighs, so grill just until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Let it rest: After grilling, tent the chicken loosely with foil and let it rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
- No grill? This marinade also works well for chicken cooked indoors on a grill pan or baked in the oven.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Delicious and citrusy. So easy!! Works with boneless, skinless chicken breast, too.
Thank you, Emily, for trying the recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed it ❤️