These chicken marinade recipes are perfect whether you’re looking to up your daily protein intake or add a more variety to your weekly meals. Freeze, grill, air fry, saute, or add to your favorite dishes, believe me, chicken has never tasted better!
If you’ve ever stood in the kitchen staring at chicken, wondering how to make it taste different this time, this one’s for you. Marinades are the simplest way to turn a basic protein into something you actually look forward to eating, no fancy ingredients or long prep needed. And ever since I have started marinating chicken breasts and storing them in the freezer, my week night dinners have become so easy!
This collection of chicken breast marinades is all about ease and reliability. They’re quick to mix, easy to store, and perfect for everything from weeknight dinners to meal prep. Make one or make a few, and you’ll always have flavourful chicken ready to go.
Jump to section: Easy Chicken Marinades
Best cut of chicken
Even though any cut of chicken like thighs, wings, or even a whole chicken works when marinating, we prefer chicken breast. Chicken breasts are easier to marinate, have more protein per piece vs chicken thighs, are leaner, plus you can cut them into thin strips, pieces or even shred after cooking to suit the recipe you want to use it in.
Why we make a few of these and store every week
- Marinated chicken is the best way to add flavor to bland and boring chicken.
- I marinate about 3 different flavors over the weekend for the coming week. This ensures an easy yet delicious protein fix for busy nights or lunches. Plus, if unexpected guests show up, I know I can always whip up something quickly.
- It’s super versatile. I add my cooked and marinated chicken to wraps, sandwiches, pita pockets, and salads. We eat it as a side or even use it in curries. Trust me, the possibilities are truly endless.
- The marinades are also customisable. You can easily switch things up to use what you already have and still end up with a delicious yet easy chicken marinade!
Easy Marinated Chicken Breast Recipes
Thai Chicken
- 4-5 tablespoons sunflower or any neutral flavored oil
- Marinade 1 – Thai chicken
- 1 chicken breast (approx. 120 grams)
- 2 teaspoon Thai paste
- 1 thai chilli, sliced
- 3 tablespoons coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon jaggery
- 3 lemon grass roots, grated
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Tastes best with: Noodles, or rice plus I mix the extra marinade left in the bag with coconut milk and heat it for a delicious sauce
Piri Piri
- 1 chicken breast (approx. 160 gms)
- 1 ½ tablespoons greek yoghurt / hung curd
- 2 teaspoons piri piri powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sunflower oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Tastes best with: Chop it up and put it on top of herb rice, add it to a wrap or sandwiches for a spicy fix
3. Saffron chicken
- 1 chicken breast (approx. 120 grams)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon greek yoghurt / hung curd
- 1 teaspoon grated garlic
- 1 pinch saffron soaked in 1 teaspoon cooking oil
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
4. Kokum chicken
- 1 chicken breast (approx. 120 grams)
- 2 teaspoons kokum paste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk
- ¾ teaspoon green chilli, crushed
- ½ teaspoon garlic, grated
- 1 sprig curry leaves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon greek yoghurt or hung curd
5. Soy ginger chicken
- 1 chicken breast (approx. 160 grams)
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon green chilli, crushed
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon crushed pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
6. Orange Chicken
- 1 chicken breast (approx. 160 grams)
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon vinegar
- ½ teaspoon garlic paste
- ¾ teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
How to cook marinated chicken
- Grilling/Stovetop: Heat a pan or skillet with 2 teaspoons of oil. Add the chicken breast and cook for 4 minutes without flipping on medium to low heat. Flip the chicken & then cook on the second side until well browned and cooked through and serve.
Serving ideas
- Pasta: Cut up the cooked marinated chicken breast into thin strips and toss it in with your favorite pasta. I love adding the piri piri chicken to this red pepper pasta or my white sauce vegetable pasta to switch things up from time to time.
- Salad: Toss it in any salad for an added boost of protein and flavor.
- Make it into a meal: Serve any cooked marinated chicken along with some stir-fried veggies and mashed potatoes for a wholesome meal.
- Burger: Choose your favorite flavor of marinated chicken, cut into strips, and serve with between two buns with some slaw, mayonnaise, and lettuce for a quick and nutritious burger.
- Wrap: Wraps are my favorite weeknight dinners, and these prepped marinated chicken breasts along with some sliced veggies and sauces make whipping them up so easy!
- With rice: I often cook soy ginger or Thai chicken marinades in some water and conflour slurry to make a sauce and serve it along with rice for an easy-peasy, take-away style Indo-Chinese meal.
- Sandwich: Whether you want a 5 pm snack or an effortless dinner, these chicken marinades come in sooo handy! Put it in some pita bread, on top of a sourdough, or between two slices of toast for something more classic. Either way, these taste delicious and wholesome!
Faqs
Absolutely! Since chicken tends to be more bland, these easy chicken marinade recipes really help the flavor pop. But you can still use it on any other meat like pork, lamb, or beef. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
You can marinate the chicken in any airtight container or bag if you plan to marinate it for more more than 30 minutes. If I am going to use the marinated chicken immediately, I simply marinate it in a glass bowl and let it marinate on the countertop itself. I avoid metal containers as the acidic agents in the marinate could react with the metal. But for freezing, I freezer safe ZipLock bags (with air completely removed) to save space and for food safety.
Since the marinade has been in contact with raw chicken, it is not safe to be reused. I would highly recommend using a fresh batch to marinate chicken every time you have excess remaining in the bag or container
Richa’s Top tips
- To make these chicken marinade recipes, I prefer to use skinless chicken breast pieces for how easy they are to store and use in recipes later. However, you can use any cut or type of chicken you prefer.
- Use a generous amount of the marinade to marinate the chicken and be sure to season it well. Since chicken tends to be quite bland, being generous with the marinade and seasoning will ensure the flavors actually go deep.
- I would recommend marinating the chicken for at least 30 minutes to 2-3 hours or up to 24 hours if you have time. The longer you marinate, the more flavorful the chicken will be.
Storage + freezing and defrosting tips
- Fridge: You can store marinated chicken safely in the fridge for up to 3 days. Any longer than that, and it should be transferred to the freezer.
Tip: Some acidic ingredients like lemon juice or vinegar tend to break down the chicken after 24 hours. So it’s best to cook it within 24 hours or freeze the marinated chicken immediately.
- Freezer: Marinated chicken freezes beautifully and is perfect for meal prep. Make sure to freeze it in freezer safe bags to save space (airtight glass containers work also). Frozen marinated chicken stays good for up to 3 months.
Tip: I prefer to store marinated chicken in single serving portions so I can just thaw the amount I need. This prevents spoiling.
- Thawing: It is best to thaw marinated chicken overnight in the fridge as defrosting at room temperature can breed harmful bacteria.
Tip: Once thawed, cook the chicken within 24 hours and DO NOT refreeze.
Think of these marinades as your shortcut to better meals. Prep them once, use them in different ways, and let them do the heavy lifting on busy days.
If you try these chicken marinade recipes, I would love to hear how you used them. Don’t forget to send me pictures over on my IG @my_foodstory.
Watch Marinated Chicken Breast Recipe Video
Chicken Marinade Recipes
Ingredients
- Marinade 1 – Thai chicken
Marinade 1 – Thai chicken
- 4-5 tablespoons sunflower or any neutral flavored oil
- 1 chicken breast approx. 120 grams
- 2 teaspoon Thai paste
- 1 thai chilli sliced
- 3 tablespoons coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon jaggery
- 3 lemon grass roots grated
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Marinade 2 – Piri piri
- 1 chicken breast approx. 160 gms
- 1 ½ tablespoons greek yoghurt / hung curd
- 2 teaspoons piri piri powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sunflower oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Marinade 3 – Saffron chicken
- 1 chicken breast approx. 120 grams
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon greek yoghurt / hung curd
- 1 teaspoon grated garlic
- 1 pinch saffron soaked in 1 teaspoon cooking oil
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Marinade 4 – Kokum chicken
- 1 chicken breast approx. 120 grams
- 2 teaspoons kokum paste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk
- ¾ teaspoon green chilli crushed
- ½ teaspoon garlic grated
- 1 sprig curry leaves finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon greek yoghurt or hung curd
Marinade 5 – Soy ginger chicken
- 1 chicken breast approx. 160 grams
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon green chilli crushed
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon crushed pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Marinade 6 – Orange chicken
- 1 chicken breast approx. 160 grams
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon vinegar
- ½ teaspoon garlic paste
- ¾ teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Marinating chicken
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Add marinade ingredients to a bowl, whisk well, add chicken and massage with the marinade. Cover with a lid and let it marinate for 30 minutes or overnight.
Grilling chicken
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Heat a pan or skillet with 2 teaspoons of oil. Add the chicken breast and cook for 4 minutes without flipping on medium to low heat. Flip the chicken & then cook on the second side until well browned and cooked through and serve.
Video
This article was researched and written by Urvi Dalal.
The post Chicken Marinade Recipes appeared first on My Food Story.
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