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.
Hi Robyn,
Can I use this marinade for baking chicken breast? Have you tried that? Is it good?
It’s delicious! Hope you enjoy it! Thanks!
How many pieces of chicken did you use with recipe?
Made this tonight for our first grilled meal of 2017! Was delicious! So flavorful and moist!
Sorry but I don’t use beer or would like to, anything else I can use in replace of beer
Hi Jamie,
We don’t drink it personally, but like it in this marinade. You can most definitely use something else. I give other options in the recipe – like apple cider or ginger ale. Both of those work deliciously!
Thanks!
Most any beverage that is fermented or non-fermented will help and give a unique flavor. Water would simply wet the ingredients but might actually re-hydrate the spices and help them soak into meat along with any salt, sugar, or other ingredient that absorbs into water.
can i ask what kind of flavour the beer brings out in the chicken, i’ve never tried using beer before. Also is it possible to bake this?haha thanks~
It doesn’t taste like beer at all! It has an earthy taste that I think comes from the hops grain that is used in fermenting the beer. It is a very mild flavor, even more mild than cumin if you have ever used that in a recipe.
Of course any alcohol is cooked off when the chicken is cooked.
Does the recipe work for boneless and/or skinless chicken?
Yes! It works beautifully with all cuts of chicken! I hope you enjoy it! xo
Thanks for the marinade recipe. I am definitely going to try this. I have heard many people using beer in their marinades and say it just does that little magical something to the meat. I have done ribs with it and they were wonderful. So I am looking forward to this one. Seems I never get the seasonings quite right. When it ever gets warmer for grilling this will be my first thing to try. Thanks…..Claudia
I’ve tried lots of different brands of spices, McCormic always turns out best for me.
Does it work as well with skinless/boneless pieces?
I tried this with boneless, skinless chicken breasts but it didn’t turn out. I substituted apple cider vinegar for the beer as noted in the recipe notes but the vinegar completely took over. We couldn’t taste anything else. I did not rate the recipe because I did not follow the original recipe and I think if you use the beer or ginger ale it would turn out a lot better.
Hi Ashley,
I think the problem was that you used apple cider vinegar rather than apple cider as listed in the recipe’s notes as a substitution idea for the beer.
Apple Cider is not the same as Apple Cider Vinegar!
Hi Can you taste the beer on the chicken after grilling?
Hi Keshanna,
I can’t taste the beer after the chicken is grilled. We don’t drink beer, but I love how the chicken tastes marinated in this recipe! I hope you enjoy it! Thanks so much!
what Branf of beer did you used in the ingredients? Can you suggest? Thanks!
Hi Grace,
We aren’t beer drinkers, so I’ve relied on the guys at the grocery store in the past to help me. I’ve used Corona, Yuengling, and classic Bud. But, if you have a favorite beer that you or your family prefer, I’d use that one! Whatever you have or like should work just fine. I hope that helps!