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5.0 from 81 votes

5 Easy Chicken Marinade

These 5 easy chicken marinade recipes are freezer-friendly, effortless to prepare, and totally delicious! These are the perfect chicken marinades for meal prepping, grilling, panfrying, Instant Pot, and more!

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Servings: 2
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: International

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breast per marinade
ROSEMARY CITRUS
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 tablespoon orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 3 tablespoon rosemary
  • pinch of salt
CHIPOTLE LIME
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • ⅓ cup chicken stock or water
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 clove garlic minced
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 93 mL adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers I used half of the can shown above. More if you want more adobo flava flav
  • 1 chipotle pepper
GREEK
  • ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 4 lemons juiced
  • zest of one lemon
  • 4 cloves garlic pressed or minced
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon thyme
  • pinch of salt and pepper
VIETNAMESE
  • 2-3 tablespoon lemongrass sliced
  • 1 shallot minced
  • ⅓ cup soy sauce paste
  • 1 garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon oil
LEMON PAPRIKA
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 garlic
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • pinch of lemon zest

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Whisk together the ingredients for (one) marinade in a small bowl until combined.
  2. Combine the marinade with the chicken in a ziplock freezer bag, and toss until the chicken is evenly coated in the marinade. Carefully press out the extra air in the bag before sealing.
If Freezing
  1. Immediately transfer the chicken pack(s) to the freezer, and freeze laying flat for up to 3 months. Then when you’re ready to cook the chicken, transfer the chicken pack back to the refrigerator for 24 hours, or until it has thawed completely.
If Using Immediately
  1. Refrigerate the chicken for anywhere from 30 minutes to up to 1 day to marinate.
Baking
  1. Heat oven to 425°F. Add chicken and marinade to a small baking dish. Bake chicken for 25-30 minutes.
Instant Pot
  1. Place the chicken into the Instant Pot and add 1 cup of water (or broth) and pressure cook for 8-9 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken breast, 6 minutes per pound of chicken) and then Quick Release when done. 
  2. Optional: After removing the chicken from the Instant Pot, press sauté, add a tbsp of cornstarch or heavy cream to thicken the liquid leftover in the pot to make it into a sauce! This does not work with the greek chicken though.
  3. Note: be sure to shake off the marinade for the greek chicken (the yogurt) before placing it in the IP with the 1 cup liquid.
Grilling
  1. Heat grill to medium-high. Grill for 18 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through, until it is cooked through (165°F)