Looking for some creative ways to flavour up your chicken? Here, we’ve got six easy chicken marinade recipes ranging from honey garlic to curried yogurt to suit all of your flavouring needs! {gluten-free}

 

We are all about the flavour in our house. One thing I can’t stand is dry and tasteless chicken. It can honestly ruin the whole meal if it’s lacking in the moisture and flavour department.

So what’s the solution?

A good ol’ tasty marinade.

I’m sure we all have that one marinade that’s our go-to recipe. For us, it’s been this recipe that my husband actually created.

Buuuut, after making the same marinade time and time again, sometimes it’s nice to have some options to switch it up. Options are always good.

So we decided to compile six tasty and healthy chicken marinade recipes that you can prepare whether you’re making tacos or curried chicken!

Let’s get started!

How to Prepare these Chicken Marinades

All six marinades are super easy to prepare and each one requires less than 10 ingredients.

Bonus!

To prepare, simply mix all of the ingredients for each marinade together in a bowl or mason jar. You can either make just one at a time or a few if you’re looking to do some meal prep!

Marinate the chicken right away or set aside for later.

How Much Marinade Does Each Recipe Make?

Each of the recipes makes enough to marinate the equivalent of about one to one and a half pounds of chicken breasts or chicken thighs.

If you require more marinade, you can also double or triple the recipe that you intend to use!

Can you Freeze these Marinades?

The great thing about these marinades is that they are freezer-friendly.

There are a couple of different ways that you can go about freezing them.

You can either freeze the marinades in separate ziplock bags or freezer-friendly containers individually OR you can freeze it with the chicken immersed in it.

I tend to prefer the latter option because then you have your meal pretty much ready to go!

If you do opt for the ziplock bag method, I highly recommend using this handy tool to make it super easy to get that chicken and marinade in the bag…and not all over the counter!

Once it’s all packaged up and frozen, simply pull the chicken and marinade out of the freezer when desired, defrost and cook!

How long can you freeze marinated chicken?

For optimal quality, I would recommend freezing the marinated chicken for no longer than 6-8 weeks.

Your best bet is to use it within two months for the best tasting outcome.

How to Defrost the Marinades

To defrost, place the marinated chicken breasts or thighs in the fridge in a bowl or on a tray about a day or two before serving to allow it to adequately thaw.

How to Cook Marinated Chicken

Once you’ve marinated the chicken, you can then cook it by:

• Baking it in the oven
• Dumping it in a crockpot
• Placing it in the instant pot
• Tossing it on the grill

You can cube the chicken and skewer the pieces to make them into kabobs, dump it in the crockpot or instant pot and shred it to use on tacos, salads or wraps, or cook it whole and eat as is.

So many different options for these yummy marinades!

So without further adieu, here are six homemade chicken marinade recipes!

Best Chicken Marinades

Honey Garlic Marinade

Recipe:

• 1-1.5 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 4 tbsp honey
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp water

Directions:

Place the chicken breasts or thighs in a ziplock bag, large bowl or container. In a small bowl or jar, mix together the marinade ingredients. Pour over the chicken and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, or package in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for later use.

Cilantro Lime Marinade

Recipe:

• 1-1.5 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tsp honey
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Place the chicken breasts or thighs in a ziplock bag, large bowl or container. In a small bowl or jar, mix together the marinade ingredients. Pour over the chicken and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, or package in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for later use.

Jerk Chicken Marinade

Recipe:

• 1-1.5 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice

Directions:

Place the chicken breasts or thighs in a ziplock bag, large bowl or container. In a small bowl or jar, mix together the marinade ingredients. Pour over the chicken and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, or package in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for later use.

Curried Yogurt Marinade

Recipe:

• 1-1.5 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
• 4 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp curry paste
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Place the chicken breasts or thighs in a ziplock bag, large bowl or container. In a small bowl or jar, mix together the marinade ingredients. Pour over the chicken and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, or package in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for later use.

Chili Garlic Marinade

Recipe:

• 1-1.5 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
• 6 tbsp chili garlic sauce
• 3 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp water

Directions:

Place the chicken breasts or thighs in a ziplock bag, large bowl or container. In a small bowl or jar, mix together the marinade ingredients. Pour over the chicken and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, or package in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for later use.

Lemon Ginger Marinade

Recipe:

• 1-1.5 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:

Place the chicken breasts or thighs in a ziplock bag, large bowl or container. In a small bowl or jar, mix together the marinade ingredients. Pour over the chicken and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, or package in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for later use.

Want a printable copy of all of the marinade recipes?

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