The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe
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The Best Chicken Marinade recipe is easy, delicious, and comes together in minutes for the best grilled chicken and baked chicken you’ve ever tasted!
We’ve used this simple yet scrumptious chicken marinade for many years, especially when making grilled chicken (and my son’s favorite grilled chicken legs). It is quick to make and uses common ingredients that you most likely have on hand. But the beauty of this recipe is that it is just as delicious as a marinade for baked chicken, so there’s no need to save this only for warm weather grilling season!
Use this chicken marinade recipe year-round on your favorite cuts of chicken, and enjoy! It makes the perfect marinade and results in some of the most juicy, delicious, and flavorful chicken ever! Everyone always loves the chicken I’ve marinated with this. I think you will enjoy it too!
How to Make the BEST Chicken Marinade
I originally just included this marinade recipe with my grilled chicken legs recipe many years ago. Since this recipe was requested so often, I thought it only fitting that the BEST Chicken Marinade got its own spot in the world. Here’s how you make it.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
Ingredients
This marinade recipe works best for about 5 pounds of chicken. To make this delicious marinade, you’ll need the following:
- Olive oil – Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil
- Spices – salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and cayenne
- Garlic – fresh garlic cloves, chopped
- Onion – chopped
- Fresh parsley – chopped
- Beer – Use the beer of your choice. If you don’t want to use beer, you can substitute ginger ale, apple cider (not apple cider vinegar), or apple juice.
I rarely cook with beer, but it definitely adds something to this chicken. Use whichever brand you prefer – I usually use Corona or Yeungling, but any beer will work. If you can’t use beer or prefer not to, one of the substitutes listed taste delicious as well.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Combine the ingredients. In a medium to large-sized mixing bowl, stir together all of the spices with the olive oil. Mix in the chopped onion, garlic, and fresh parsley. Slowly pour in the beer (or substitute if using one), as it may foam over if poured too quickly. Mix all ingredients together until combined.
Pour mixture over chicken. Place the chicken you plan to marinate in either a large, sturdy zip-top bag or another airtight container. Pour the marinade over the chicken in your zip bag or container. If using a zip-top bag, press as much air as possible out of the bag as you seal it.
Chill the marinade-covered chicken. If using a zip-top bag, place it on a baking sheet. If in a container, make sure the lid is secure and airtight. Make sure that all of the chicken is well coated with the marinade and place in the refrigerator to chill.
How Long to Marinate Chicken in Refrigerator:
- At least 1 hour
- Preferably overnight for best results
- No longer than 2 days
Every few hours, turn the bag from one side over to the other to keep the chicken coated with the marinade.
Freezer Instructions for Chicken in Marinade
You can freeze the raw chicken in this marinade. Here are the steps.
Package in a freezer-safe container. Place the chicken into a freezer-safe container and pour the marinade over the chicken, making sure all of the raw chicken is well coated. Remove as much air as possible as you seal the container. If using a zip-top bag, place the bag on a baking sheet to freeze. Label the container with the contents and date.
Freeze chicken with marinade. Place the container in the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw, then cook as desired. Remove from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. After the chicken is thawed, then remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Then 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!
More Delicious Marinades and Sauces
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 ground 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
Freezer Instructions
You can freeze the raw chicken in this marinade. Here are the steps. Package in a freezer-safe container. Place the chicken into a freezer-safe container and pour the marinade over the chicken, making sure all of the raw chicken is well coated. Remove as much air as possible as you seal the container. If using a zip-top bag, place the bag on a baking sheet to freeze. Label the container with the contents and date. Freeze chicken with marinade. Place the container in the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw, then cook as desired. Remove from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. After the chicken is thawed, then remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Then cook the chicken according to your favorite chicken recipe.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2012.
Has anyone baked this instead of grill it?
Hi Laurel,
We love it baked as well as grilled. It is just scrumptious! xo
Thats great! What temp an how long?
About to make it right now.Can I use sage? I forgot to buy parsley. Or can I just do away with the parsley?
Hi Maynard –
I’ve not used sage, so I don’t know how that would taste in this recipe. The fresh parsley adds a lot of flavor to the recipe. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks!
HI Robyn, Thank You so much for all the recipes Have used several and loved them! Now I can’t have onion but can use the powder form or the crystalized with no problem do you think it would change the taste of the recipe that much? Really want to try but little unsure about the altering part and is this hot at all or spicy? Don’t care for that at all but can mild it down a bit if it is. Thank you for your help on this
Hi Bonnie – I am thrilled you’ve enjoyed so many of my recipes! I think the flavor will still be very tasty. I don’t feel that it has a spicy, hot flavor.
Thanks so much! Enjoy! xo
Can I use cilantro instead of parsley? Thanks!
I wouldn’t. Parsley and cilantro couldn’t be more different.
I tried this recipe for a first time last week. I acully not a cook or a person who brave the heat. But I did it to impress the girl of my dreams. It was simply brilliant. The problem was she keep talking about the chicken then us. We’ll you can have it all. Thank you for this great recipe. Looking forward to try some other once.
I really wanted to love this, but just didn’t seem to add much flavor. I followed it to a T and marinated overnight. I will say the chicken came out super moist and juicy, so if you don’t like overly flavored or spicy chicken, you may love this recipe. But I was expecting more. Maybe it needs more garlic? Or a dark beer (I used Miller Lite)? Or some soy sauce?
1) After marination can i put directly to heat on grill ?
2) Why do didn’t use Lemon juice in marinate?
3) how much Quantity of Chicken is required for this marinate Quantity??
Hello
1) – No because a marinade is meant to sink into the meat. (that’s why it’s called a marinade) 🙂
2) – I can’t answer why he/she didn’t use lemon.:)
3) – 5 pounds of chicken. ( It says in the bottom of the notes in the recipe.)
I made this with apple cider a couple of weeks ago and it was FANTASTIC! However, I am currently eliminating sugar and looking for something I could use instead of the apple cider!
What kind of beer (regular or dark) and what kind of parsley (curly or Italian) do you use?
Hi Kelly,
We don’t drink beer, but I’ve use Yuenling or Corona for this marinade and we love it. I think those make a great flavor, but you can try any beer that you like if you have a favorite.
Could I replace the olive oil with red wine vinaigrette?
No.