4 Ingredient Chicken Marinade
Ready in 5 minutes, this 4 ingredient chicken marinade is simple, easy, quick, and flavorful! There is no soy sauce in this homemade marinade and It is the perfect blend of savory and tangy flavors that everyone will love. And, it only takes a few minutes to whip up. A great recipe for those who are looking for a quick and healthy way to marinate chicken!
4 ingredients chicken marinade recipe
This 4 ingredient chicken marinade is my go-to when I’m short on time and need to get dinner on the table fast or meal prepping for the week. My homemade marinade is easy, quick, and made with a few ingredients that you probably already have at hand. Plus, it’s super flavorful and makes the chicken so moist and juicy! You will be pleasantly surprised.
Quick and easy juicy chicken marinade that is simple yet delicious. This marinade is not only perfect for chicken breast but it can also be used on all cuts of chicken, chicken thighs, chicken wings, drumsticks, and many more. It is the best, the only 4 ingredient marinade you will ever need, and it is super affordable.
Perfect for a mid-week meal or even to batch cook and freeze for those busy times ahead. Marinated chicken can be baked, fried, and air-fried grilled. boiled, slow-cooked or pressure cooked
You can double or triple the quantity of marinade to suit your needs. The amount used for this recipe can be used for up to 2 pounds of chicken. This simple chicken marinade recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and Whole30 compliant.
Related recipes: Mexican chicken marinade, Italian dressing chicken marinade, whole chicken marinade, jerk paste seasoning, and pork steak marinade.
What makes a good marinade
A good chicken marinade should have these 3 components, acid, oil, and flavoring agent. You can flavor your marinade with fresh herbs, or spices of choice. My 4 ingredient chicken marinade uses lemon juice as the acidic component, olive oil to help coat the chicken so that it doesn’t dry out during cooking. I used garlic and herbs de Provence to flavor the chicken. The herbs in the herbs de Provence are oregano, basil, rosemary, and savory which complement the chicken well.
The acid in the lemon juice helps to tenderize the chicken while infusing it with flavor. The most common acids used in marinades are lemon juice, lime juice, and vinegar.
You can marinade chicken with any cooking oil of choice, make sure to use one that has a high smoking point.
These three components when incorporated when making a marinade help to achieve juicy, succulent, and flavorsome chicken.
Ingredients
Olive oil: substitute with any other flavorless cooking oil of choice.
Herbs de Provence: substitute with Italian seasoning.
Garlic granules: substitute with garlic powder or freshly minced garlic.
Lemon juice + zest
Salt and black pepper to taste
How to make 4 ingredient chicken marinade
In a small bowl or jar, whisk together herbs de Provence, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic granules, salt, and black pepper until combined.
Prep the chicken by removing unwanted fats and excess skin. You may wash your chicken if you want to. Make sure to do it safely and pat it completely dry. This step is not optional( if you wash your chicken, do it safely); it is important.
Place chicken in a large Ziploc freezer bag, pour the marinade over the chicken, zip the bag then give it a good massage so the chicken is fully coated. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours, or straight in the freezer if you plan to use it later.
When you are ready to cook, remove the chicken from the bag and discard the leftover marinade. Cook the chicken as desired, and enjoy!
How to cook marinated chicken
Marinated chicken can be cooked in many different ways, it can be grilled, baked, broiled, air-fried, pan-fried, slow-cooked or pressure cooked. You’ve got this, just cook it however is convenient for you.
The important thing to remember is that you should not overcook your chicken as it will result in dry and tough meat. Chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165F/73C
How to freeze marinated chicken
Place the chicken in the freezer bag, and pour the marinade over it. Ziploc the freezer bag and give it a good massage or a shake making sure all the chicken is coated with the marinade. Label and date the freezer bag then place it in the freezer for up to 12 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before cooking or cook from frozen if you prefer.
4 Ingredient Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ Tablespoon Herbs de Provence
- 2 teaspoons garlic granules
- 1 Lemon juice + zest
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl or jar, whisk together herbs de Provence, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic granules, salt, and black pepper until combined.
- Prep the chicken by removing unwanted fats and excess skin. You may wash your chicken if you want to. Make sure to do it safely and pat it completely dry.
- Place chicken in a large Ziploc freezer bag, pour the marinade over the chicken, zip the bag then give it a good massage so the chicken is fully coated. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours, or straight in the freezer for up to 6 months if you plan to use it later.
- When you are ready to cook, remove the chicken from the bag and discard the leftover marinade. Cook the chicken as desired, and enjoy!
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
FAQs
Can you pan fry marinated chicken
Yes, you can pan fry marinated chicken, this method is the quickest way of getting dinner on the table. This cooking method works especially if the chicken is diced, boneless, or cutlets.
What is the best way to store this chicken marinade
This chicken marinade can be stored in a glass jar or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. It will last in the fridge for up to 10 days depending on the ingredients used.
How long should you marinate chicken
You really don’t need to marinate chicken for more than a few hours, and in some cases, even 30 minutes is sufficient. I find that 2 hours is the perfect amount of time to marinate chicken breast or chicken thighs. Any longer and the acid in the marinade can start to break down the protein and make the chicken mushy.
More chicken recipes with a simple marinade
Italian dressing chicken breast
I hope you enjoy this easy and simple chicken marinade recipe. Please let me know how it turns out for you if you try it! Kindly rate the recipe 5 star and leave me feedback in the comment section below. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox
I’m so confused! In the directions, it says you “may wash your chicken, if you want.” To me, that sounds like an optional step. Then, you say, “This step is not optional.” What??? Please clarify.
Hi Hilary, I meant if you do wash your chicken, make sure to do it safely. The do-it-safely’ is the mandatory part.