Chicken Marinade
This easy chicken marinade adds savory, citrusy, lightly sweet flavor to chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders. Use it for grilling, baking, skillet cooking, or the air fryer.
Servings: 6
Calories:
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken Breasts boneless and skinless, or thighs, tenders
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice the juice of 1 lemon or use bottled
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 6 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 ¾ tsp Natural Ancient Sea Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- ⅛ tsp Red Pepper Flakes an optional pinch of red pepper flakes for a little kick
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, and Dijon mustard until combined.
- Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using.
- Add the chicken and marinate: Place the chicken in a large zip-top bag or shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken and turn to coat well.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat a grill, grill pan, or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and let the excess drip off.
- Cook the chicken for about 5 to 7 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until it reaches 165°F internally.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Slice thick chicken breasts: Cut large breasts in half horizontally so they cook evenly.
- Marinate long enough: Refrigerate for at least 2 hours for the best flavor.
- Do not over-marinate: Stop at 24 hours since the citrus can affect the texture.
- Let excess marinade drip off: This helps the chicken brown instead of steam.
- Watch the heat: Since the marinade has honey, lower the heat if the outside browns too quickly.
- Cook fully: Chicken is done when the thickest part reaches 165°F.
- Rest before slicing: Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes to keep it juicy.
- Discard used marinade: Do not reuse marinade that touched raw chicken unless you boil it first.
