4 Ingredient Chicken Marinade

Interested in more chicken marinade recipes? Try my fajita marinade, chicken drumstick marinade, and chicken thigh marinade next. Need something to spice up your next weeknight dinner? You will love my easy chicken marinade recipe. Made with only essential ingredients, this has been in my family for years. It’s the only recipe I’ve found that pierces through even the thickest chicken breast and guarantees it’ll turn out juicy and flavorful.

Why I love this recipe

Makes for flavorful chicken. I’ve used this marinade for every cut of chicken, and it always (yes, always) turns out incredibly juicy, tender, and full of flavor. Versatile. While this is my go-to chicken marinade, you can use it on everything from steak to pork, shrimp, and even vegetables. Easy to make on the fly. Only pantry ingredients are needed for this recipe, so you can make it whenever you need it.

Ingredients needed

Garlic. Freshly minced or jarred garlic, NOT garlic powder. Lemon juice. The acidic portion of the marinade balances out the other ingredients. Soy sauce. Gluten-free soy sauce or tamari also works. Olive oil. The best oil to use for any marinade: do not substitute this for another oil. Thyme. Optional, but fresh thyme adds that pop of flavor that works so well with chicken.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below. A typical marinade should have at least four components: fat, salt, acid, and flavor. Fat helps the marinade seep into the meat, while acid tenderizes it, salt draws out excess moisture, and flavor influences the taste of the meat.

How to make 4 ingredient chicken marinade

Step 1- Whisk. In a small bowl, add the marinade ingredients and whisk to combine. Step 2- Marinade. Use the marinade on up to two pounds of chicken. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes. Step 3- Cook. Either grill, pan-fry, air fry, or bake the marinated chicken.

Arman’s recipe tips

Scale it up or down. For one pound of chicken, cut the recipe in half. Likewise, double it for four pounds of chicken. Marinade for up to 4-6 hours. Any longer, and the acid will begin to break down the protein and change its texture. Let the chicken marinate in a plastic bag. When you’re done, toss the bag and save yourself a dish! Use bottled lemon juice. While optional, I find the acidity in bottled lemon juice is more consistent.

Storage instructions

To store: Leftover marinade can be stored in the refrigerator, covered in an airtight container, for up to three days. As I mentioned, there are no wrong ways to use this marinade. That said, I find it works great on chicken breasts (like air fryer chicken breast and cast iron chicken breast) when marinated for at least 30 minutes to one hour. If you’re cooking chicken thighs (like sous vide chicken thighs and grilled chicken thighs) or grilling chicken wings, you can get away with as little as 20-30 minutes of marinating.

Add a spicy kick with red pepper flakes or chili sauce. Drizzle with honey for that lovely sweet and salty combination. Cut the sodium by using low-sodium soy sauce or tamari. For an Asian twist, swap out half the olive oil for sesame oil. Swap the lemon juice for other vinegar, like apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, or even Dijon mustard.

To freeze: Place the prepared marinade in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to one month. Let the marinade thaw in the fridge before adding it to the chicken.