29 Marinated Chicken Recipes That Guarantee Tender, Juicy Meat
If you're looking for an easy way to add extra flavor to your chicken dinners, take it from us—you've gotta start marinating your chicken. With meat this tender, we know you won't even mind the added time to marinate it (and you won't have any leftovers). Short on time? Just 20 minutes of marinating is enough for any cut of chicken to soak up all the bright, bold flavors in these foolproof recipes, whether you opt for simple grilled chicken breasts, spectacular tequila-lime chicken thighs, or our Peruvian-style chicken with green sauce.
What is a marinade anyway? Marinades ensure a boost of flavor and an increase of moisture in a cooked piece of protein, whether it be chicken, seafood, or even tofu. They're normally made with an acid (such as citrus juice, yogurt, or vinegar), a fat (such as a type of oil), salt (any type works, but we're partial to kosher), and seasonings (herbs, spices, seeds, sugars, etc.). If you want to really make your dinner shine, try building a marinade around our homemade taco seasoning or homemade Cajun seasoning.
Marinades also tenderize the meat as they infuse it with flavor, a true win-win situation. Acidic ingredients, like buttermilk and yogurt, are key to this step, and it's why our tandoori chicken, our grilled Persian chicken, and our fried chicken are beyond tender. Adding a bit of sweetener to a marinade will also help to caramelize your protein as it cooks. Whip up our BBQ chicken marinade or our chili garlic chicken wing marinade, and you'll be so glad you did.
Can't get enough chicken? Check out our top baked chicken recipes, our best creamy chicken recipes, and our favorite shortcut dinners to make with a rotisserie chicken too.
Chicken Fajitas
This classic Tex-Mex dish is a show-stopper. As iconic as they are when ordered out, fajitas are ridiculously easy to make at home, just how you like them. Focusing on only 3 key ingredients, our chicken fajita recipe requires minimal prep and cook time, meaning dinner on the table FAST.
Get the Chicken Fajitas recipe.
Grilled Persian Chicken
When it comes to marinades, yogurt-based sauces are pretty classic, and we're no strangers to using them on all our fave meats. Up next? Persian-spiced grilled chicken with tomatoes and lemons, served with tons of fresh herbs over fluffy jasmine rice. This dish has flavors and textures for days.
Get the Grilled Persian Chicken recipe.
Tequila-Lime Chicken Thighs
We can’t think of a better reason to enjoy a margarita than with these tequila chicken thighs. With a sauce inspired by the classic cocktail (seriously), you’ll also have the ingredients on hand to mix one up while you cook and dine on this easy-to-make weeknight dinner.
Get the Tequila-Lime Chicken Thighs recipe.
Cilantro Lime Chicken Skewers
Get your grill out: This is a chicken dish that goes with everything! Get the marinade and grilling technique down, then turn these cilantro-and-lime chicken skewers into a variety of meals, each with different flavor profiles so they never get boring.
Get the Cilantro Lime Chicken Skewers recipe.
Peruvian-Style Chicken With Green Sauce
Our Peruvian roast chicken will forever be one of our favorites…unless we need to get dinner on the table ASAP. This weeknight-friendly adaptation leans instead on chicken thighs, which cook much faster than a whole bird. You still get that smoky, garlicky chicken with dark mahogany crispy skin, in less than half the time.
Get the Peruvian-Style Chicken With Green Sauce recipe.
Peach Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Grilling fruit brings out all its juicy sweetness, and while you can always go the sweet route with your grilled peaches, they're just as good paired with this sweet and tangy balsamic chicken.
Get the Peach Balsamic Grilled Chicken recipe.
Chicken Shawarma Bowls
Meal prepping doesn’t need to be complicated, and these chicken shawarma bowls prove that. Top it with a simple yogurt sauce and your favorite store-bought or homemade hummus. The bowls are great on their own or served with some warmed pits to scoop up all of the components.
Get the Chicken Shawarma Bowls recipe.
Chipotle Chicken
Juicy, slightly spicy, and packed full of flavor, this copycat recipe just might rival the real deal thanks to an extra-flavorful marinade and super-tender chicken. If you've been searching for that perfect Chipotle recipe—this is it.
Get the Chipotle Chicken recipe.
Sheet-Pan Tikka Masala
Our sheet-pan tikka masala is a fun way to enjoy a classic Indian dish, chicken tikka masala, at home in a slightly new (and easier!) way. It’s a foolproof way to get a whole dinner on the table using just a sheet pan.
Get the Sheet-Pan Tikka Masala recipe.
Tandoori Chicken
Tandoori chicken is a tender, delicious chicken dish that’s a staple in Indian cuisine. The real stand-out in this timeless recipe is the use of a masala-yogurt marinade that coats the chicken throughout the cooking process, making it exceedingly juicy.
Get the Tandoori Chicken recipe.
Ginger-Soy Chicken Marinade
Are you unclear on what exactly a marinade is and how to use them? No worries! We have been there, and this sweet and spicy Asian-inspired marinade is the perfect place to start.
Get the Ginger-Soy Chicken Marinade recipe.
Garlicky Greek Chicken
If you're looking for a simple—but super-satisfying—way to switch up your weeknight chicken dinner rotation, this is it. All it takes is a few basic ingredients (that you most likely already have on hand) to transform chicken thighs into an herby, garlicky dream.
Get the Garlicky Greek Chicken recipe.
Chicken Souvlaki
A classic Greek street food, souvlaki consists of tender pieces of marinated meat that have been skewered (in Greece “souvla” means skewer) and cooked on a grill. The secret to making it? It's ALL in the garlicky-lemon marinade.
Get the Chicken Souvlaki recipe.
Crispy Fried Chicken
To complete the journey to fried chicken nirvana, we went through 5 whole chickens, 3 gallons of peanut oil, and over 20 iterations of this recipe. The final result is a simple formula: a seasoned buttermilk brine + a dip in batter + a shake in flour + a dunk into a pot of hot oil = the best fried chicken EVER.
Get the Crispy Fried Chicken recipe.
Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken
Get these spicy coconut chicken thighs on the grill ASAP; you won’t regret it. They're super-tender thanks to a tasty duo of coconut milk and tenderizing pineapple juice in the marinade. Hot tip: Boil the marinade down into a sauce to drizzle on top for extra flavor.
Get the Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken recipe.
Chicken Marbella
The most signature part of this dish has to be the complex, sweet-briny marinade that flavors our chicken. With prunes, olives, capers, and herbs, this marinade might seem surprising, but trust us—the result is a flavor-packed dish you won't be able to get enough of.
Get the Chicken Marbella recipe.
BBQ Chicken Marinade
Marinating the chicken in BBQ sauce before grilling infuses every bite with flavor. This recipe calls for fancying up a bottle of ready-made sauce, but if you want to make your own, there are many directions to go in, from our Kansas-city style BBQ sauce to our Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce.
Get the BBQ Chicken Marinade recipe.
Chicken Fajita Marinade
A fajita marinade is the best way to transform plain chicken breasts into juicy, flavorful strips that are perfect for folding into flour tortillas. This bright, spicy chicken fajita marinade infuses the meat with flavor and helps it cook more evenly.
Get the Chicken Fajita Marinade recipe.
Grilled Chicken Breast
Grilled chicken breasts can be the epitome of boring—too often they're dried out or rubbery. But when soaked in a super-quick marinade with balsamic, brown sugar, and dried thyme, you're guaranteed deliciousness.
Get the Grilled Chicken Breast recipe.
Grilled Pineapple Chicken
We love how the acidity from the pineapple marinade tenderizes the chicken breasts here while the sugar works to caramelize the meat while grilling. Want to take this recipe to the next level? Slice the chicken and throw it into a tortilla with pickled red onion and a bright red cabbage slaw.
Get the Grilled Pineapple Chicken recipe.
Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Serve this Jamaican jerk chicken with traditional callaloo and rice & peas, or up the sweet factor with some coconut rice or sweet plantains.
Get the Jamaican Jerk Chicken recipe.
Chili Garlic Chicken Wings
A good marinade can make your chicken wings absolutely impossible to put down. This sauce is spicy, sweet, and garlicky. It's the perfect combination to keep you reaching for more. The best part, though, is how caramelized and sticky they get in the oven.
Get the Chili Garlic Chicken Wings recipe.
Air-Fryer Spicy Chicken Thighs
Turns out the absolute best way to achieve the crispiest skin on chicken thighs is using your air fryer! The quick cook time achieves the crispiest, juiciest chicken that we devoured in mere minutes. The marinade doubles as a sticky glaze that is *just* spicy enough. Add it to your rotation of easy chicken recipes ASAP.
Get the Air-Fryer Spicy Chicken Thighs recipe.
Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
Japanese chicken karaage is basically fried chicken with the main difference being that it's seasoned and marinated before it's coated with flour. You can serve these with Kewpie mayo as appetizers or a snack, or alongside some veggies (chili smashed cucumbers, maybe?) and rice for dinner.
Get the Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken) recipe.
Air-Fryer Drumsticks
This dish is loosely inspired by two Chinese dishes: fragrant, umami-filled Cantonese soy sauce chicken and Coca-Cola wings. Instead of the traditional method of poaching, we get the soy-marinated chicken slightly crispy and perfectly tender in the air fryer. Then use the reserved marinade, along with some Coke, to make a sticky, sweetish sauce you'll love.
Get the Air-Fryer Drumsticks recipe.
Jamaican Curry Chicken
Only a few dishes reaaally hit the spot in the dead of winter—chicken curry is for sure one of them! The best part? This recipe is super hands off once you get it going and the marinade is killer, with ginger beer, curry, and scotch bonnets delivering that delicious bit of heat.
Get the Jamaican Curry Chicken recipe.
Chicken Satay
We're using flavorful chicken thighs here, but you can substitute anything from breast meat, to pork or beef, or even tofu and vegetables, though cooking times will vary. But that peanut butter sauce? Absolutely essential to the eating experience, so don't even think about skipping it.
Get the Chicken Satay recipe.
Chicken Shawarma
While you can’t beat the experience of buying and eating shawarma from a street food vendor, we think our homemade version is pretty darn tasty. Our approach? Marinate the chicken overnight to infuse it with a mixture of shawarma spices, then roast it in the oven until it’s tender, juicy perfection.
Get the Chicken Shawarma recipe.
Cilantro-Lime Chicken
Cilantro and lime is a classic duo that we can't get enough of, and this recipe couldn't be easier if you're low on time. All you need is 30 minutes of marinating time to pack in all that flavor. If you're also a major fan, check out our cilantro-lime shrimp lettuce wraps too.
Get the Cilantro-Lime Chicken recipe.
You Might Also Like
