Eight super easy chicken marinade recipes! Includes directions for freezing chicken in marinade, grilling, baking (cooking in the oven), and slow cooking.
Chicken marinades are one of the easiest ways to turn boring chicken into a flavorful, juicy dinner. This collection includes eight easy chicken marinade recipes, all made with simple pantry staples and ready in just minutes.
Each marinade works well for grilling, baking, or slow cooking, and they all freeze beautifully, which makes them perfect for meal prep and busy weeknights. Whether you’re cooking chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders, these marinades add both flavor and moisture so your chicken stays tender and never bland.
“What a great idea! So far I’ve tried the teriyaki and the everyday marinades and both were delicious.” – Lue
Chicken marinade FAQs
Chicken marinades are a great way to add moisture and flavor to chicken. Chicken doesn’t have much flavor on its own. Marinades are an easy way to change up plain chicken and add lots of flavor.
Chicken in marinade is safe to store in the fridge for up to two days.
You can! Freezing chicken in marinade is a great way to get a jump on dinner prep.
What if the chicken is already frozen?
If the chicken is already frozen, don’t thaw before use. Simply add the frozen chicken to the bag and pour in marinade. Then, freeze.
Chicken marinade storage
It’s important to properly store chicken in marinade, and the right container makes a big difference. These are the options I’ve found work best:
Best containers to store marinating chicken in
Meat should be marinated in a non-reactive, covered container: resealable plastic or silicone bags, glass, stainless steel, and plastic containers all work well.
Avoid using aluminum dishes to marinate meat because the aluminum can react with acids in the marinade.
Best containers to freeze marinating chicken in
The three types of containers that I’ve found work best for freezing chicken in marinade are glass containers, resealable silicone bags, and resealable plastic bags (freezer bags).
- Glass containers
- Pros: Reusable, glass doesn’t absorb odors or germs
- Cons: Takes up lots of space in the freezer, expensive, fragile
- Resealable silicone bags
- Pros: Reusable, can lay flat in the freezer (take up less space)
- Cons: Expensive, can be difficult to find large bags
- Resealable plastic bags (freezer bags)
- Pros: Inexpensive, can lay flat in the freezer
- Cons: Not reusable, can break or tear
How to thaw frozen chicken in marinade
Move the container from the freezer to the fridge about 24 hours before you plan to cook and serve it. This should allow sufficient time for the chicken and sauce to thaw.
Comments & Reviews
Sasha says
The brown sugar bourbon marinade rocks!
Kate says
Thank you so much!!
Lue says
What a great idea! So far I’ve tried the teriyaki and the everyday marinades and both were delicious.
Kate says
Thank you! Marinades like this are a huge time saver for my family. I’m so glad that you liked the marinades. =) Thanks for commenting!