Robyn StoneBest Chicken Marinade Recipe – An easy chicken marinade that comes together in minutes for the best grilled chicken or baked chicken you’ve ever tasted!
For years now, we’ve used this simple grilled chicken marinade that I quickly throw together when grilling chicken. It uses ingredients that you’ll most likely have on hand. If not, I urge you to buy them the next time you are at the grocery store, along with your favorite cuts of chicken and make it! It makes the perfect marinade for the best grilled chicken I’ve ever had!
Best Chicken Marinade Recipe
A few years ago, we made grilled chicken legs using this marinade when my sister-in-law Karen, her husband Todd, and their three boys were on an RV trip with us. I knew that our son loved it and hoped that their boys would as well. We won’t even talk about how much chicken we got all of the kids to eat…so let’s just say they loved it as much if not even more than I’d hoped!
In all seriousness, I’ve not fed anyone chicken made with this marinade that hasn’t loved it.
I originally just included this recipe in with my grilled chicken legs recipe that I shared a long time ago. It makes such juicy, delicious grilled chicken breasts and works for baked chicken too! Since I have requests for this recipe so often, I thought it deserved it’s own little spot in the world.
How to Make It
To make this, you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- Cumin
- paprika
- cayenne
- garlic
- onion
- fresh parsley
- beer, ginger ale, apple cider (not apple cider vinegar), or apple juice
I rarely cook with beer, but it definitely adds something to this chicken. For the beer, I would recommend using whatever beer you prefer. I usually use Corona or Yeungling, but any beer that you prefer will work. If you can’t use beer or prefer not to, I’ve included a couple of other options that I’ve tested in the recipe below for you.
- Ginger Ale
- Apple Cider
- Apple Juice
Stir. Stir together all of the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
Pour. Then pour the marinade over the chicken in a large zip top or other airtight container. If using a zip top bag, press as much air as possible out of the bag as you seal.
Chill. Make sure that all of the chicken is well coated with the marinade. Arrange in the refrigerator and chill for at least an hour.
How Long to Marinate Chicken:
- At least 1 hour
- No longer than 2 days
If I’m using a ziptop bag, I place it on a half sheet pan in the refrigerator for at least an hour, but hopefully overnight so the chicken has plenty of time to soak up all that goodness.
Every few hours, I’ll turn the bag from one side over to the other to keep the chicken coated with the marinade.
Can I Freeze Chicken in this Marinade?
Yes! Here are the steps.
Package. Place chicken into freezer-safe container and pour over the marinade. Make sure that all of the chicken is well coated. Remove as much air as possible as you seal the container. Label the container with the contents and date.
Freeze. Arrange in the freezer so that the container is as flat as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw. Remove from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. After it’s thawed, then remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Finally, cook the chicken according to your favorite chicken recipe.
What Chicken Recipes Can I Use With This Marinade?
You can use this recipe with many of your favorite chicken recipes! We love it for our grilled chicken as well as for our simple baked chicken!
Here’s The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!
The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 cups beer, ginger ale, apple cider, or apple juice
Instructions
- Pour olive oil into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup.
- Mix together salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper and add to olive oil. Add garlic, onions, and parsley. Mix together well with a fork. Slowly add beer as it will cause the mixture to foam and bubble slightly.
- Pour marinade over the chicken in the zip top bag. Remove as much air as possible from the bag and seal. Turn the bag from side to side to make sure all chicken has been coated with the marinade.
- Place the bag flat on a small, rimmed kitchen sheet pan and into the refrigerator. Allow to sit up to 1 hour or overnight for best results, turning the bag over every few hours to keep the chicken coated.
Notes
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2012.
This recipe is a keeper!!! My family LOVES this on boneless skinless chicken thighs, grilled on the bbq!! I make/marinate about 12-14 thighs per recipe. I use the can of ginger ale. I usually marinate about 2 hours. The flavor is just perfect!! Thanks for the recipe!!
So glad you and your family love this recipe, Jennifer. Thanks
I haven’t got a bag to put it all in, does it matter if it’s just in a covered bowl?
You can use a covered bowl, Alison. Hope you enjoy!
I do not grill. Can you get tasty results from baking?
Rosanna, I use the marinade on chicken that I bake in the oven. It is delicious. Hope you enjoy!
What temperature should I bake in the oven and for how long?
This recipe is just for the marinade for the chicken. You will need to follow whatever recipe you are using for your chicken. The chicken legs photos featured in this recipe and post are for my Grilled Chicken Legs Recipe.
I made this recipe and marinade the chicken with ginger ale for 1 day and baked it for about 35 mins, let me tell you, this is the best tasting chicken I have ever had. The chicken I used had some skin so it was crispy outside and juicy and flavorful inside. Will definitely make this again and have my bf try this! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!
Thanks, Chris. I’m so happy you liked this.
Definitely gonna try this with either a home brew Wee Heavy Scotch Ale or Hefeweizen, not sure which yet
I don’t usually comment on my pins but this lil recipe was delicious. Everyone loved it, I cooked mine on the plancha(stainless steel flat grill) and used the left over marinade to pour over the chicken after the first flip. Also used my beer of choice Pacifico for just 2 hours in the fridge before cooking. Very good 👏 thank you.
Thanks, Gabriel! I’m so glad you liked this.
Hi Robyn
I would like to try this but can I make it for just say 2lbs of meat. ? Only want to do on half of the meat to see if the picky eaters will like it !
Thanks
Sue
I would divide the recipe in half if you are only using that amount of meat, Sue.
Hi! Would onion powder work instead of fresh onions? Thanks!
Lester, I use a chopped onion, but you can absolutely substitute with minced onion or onion powder if you like.
Hi there, this recipe looks amazing. Would ginger beer work?
I’m sorry, Sarah, but I haven’t tried this recipe with ginger beer so I’m not sure.
I used Ginger Beer. Admittedly I didn’t eat the chicken bc I’m vegetarian, however, ALL my family loved the grilled chicken legs on the grill, and that is normally not the case!
Thanks, Dawn. I’m happy all your family loved it even if you couldn’t have it.
So good and usually have all this stuff on hand in the fridge!! Thank you!
Thanks, Stephanie.
I this sweet? I don’t care for sweet sauces on my meat? Looking at the recipe, I don’t think that ginger ale would add to much sweetness. Have any who have used this marinade found it to be noticeably sweet?
I used beer. Very skeptical as we don’t like the taste of alcohol in our food but it was delicious! I think the liquid is simply to tenderize and help to keep meat moist and it was very tender, moist and full of flavor.
The beer does just tenderize the meat and you can’t taste the alcohol. Glad you liked it!
Can I use cilantro instead of parsley?
You can use cilantro if you prefer, Marijoy. Hope you enjoy!
How long do I bake it for?
Cory, this recipe is just for the marinade for the chicken. You will need to follow whatever recipe you are using for your chicken. The chicken legs photos featured in this recipe and post are for my Grilled Chicken Legs Recipe. Hope this helps!
Excellent marinade! Well seasoned, juicy, tender chicken every time.
Thanks, Deb!
I used a light lager beer but after tasting it felt like it needed something sweet to balance it out. Since you had used apple juice, apple cider or ginger ale (they all have sugar) I added 1/4 cup of honey. Then grilled the chicken. It was fantastic.
I’m glad you found the perfect ingredient to go with your beer, Pam. So glad you liked it.
Do you use fresh onions or dried onions? Thanks!
I use fresh onions for this recipe, Rebecca.
Will diet ginger ale work also?
You should be able to use diet ginger ale in this recipe, Nancy. Hope you enjoy!
LOVE this! We use it all the time. It keeps chicken breasts from drying out on the barbeque. Easy enough for “the boys” (my husband and teen son) to prepare. I use dried onion (same amount) so they don’t have to chop, and dried parsley (1/3 to 1/2 as much). Makes enough marinade for a “club pack” of chicken breasts.
Thank you, Glenda! So glad you and your family love using this marinade. xo
Thank you for this delicious looking recipe. I am about to prepare it for the long weekend, and was wondering if I can make it with boneless, skinless chicken thighs? Will the ginger ale tenderize it too much? Appreciate any guidance.
Sophi, you can use this marinade with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I don’t think it should tenderize them too much.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe! What are your favorite side dishes to accompany the chicken?
Margaret, I like to make different sides at times to serve with my Grilled Chicken Legs such as Coleslaw, Spicy Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges, Air Fryer Mexican Street Corn, Grilled Corn Salad, Southern Baked Beans, Grilled Okra, or Roasted Potatoes.
Can I use vinegar such as red wine or white wine vinegar instead of beer?
Joan, I haven’t tried making this with a vinegar.