Quick and easy marinaded chicken breasts are great on the grill or in the oven. Bursting with outstanding flavor, they will make a great salad topping, served in a sandwich or just on the plate.
Introduction
We all know that skinless boneless chicken breast can be tasteless. Made with lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, and a few other ingredients, it delivers a wonderful taste that will take your chicken to the next level.
This could easily be a weeknight dinner recipe since 20-30 in the marinade works well—just enough time to heat, clean, and oil the grill.
My Rating
A very solid 4 and could be a lower 5 if you brine.
🐓The Chicken
The first tip is to try to cook chicken breasts of about the same size and thickness. If one is just thicker, you can use a meat mallet or bottom of a heavy pan to even them out. The maximum thickness you want is ¾ of an inch.
I prefer fresh, but frozen can be fine but must be completely thawed. A few will come pre-brined, which is fine, but please do not brine or salt again.
🧂Optional Brine
A brine is always a good thing, and if you have time, you will be glad you did. A recommended quick brine of 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon salt for 30 minutes to 2 hours, but as little as 20 minutes, will have some effect.
To me (a safety guy), I don’t like raw chicken at room temperature, so I always refrigerate.
While we no longer recommend rinsing chicken, you should always rinse carefully after brining. Also, don’t add any more salt after a brine is used.
🥣The Marinade
Marinades are generally made up of some oil, an acid, and a variety of spices. In my house, you also must add garlic. Then, it is used to soak various meats to transfer the flavors—a wonderful and easy enhancement to many types of meat.
Marinaded should not be confused with brines that are basically salt and water. It is used to add moisture to the meat. But you can also add flavors to brines.
This marinade uses common pantry stables many households have in stock: olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, salt, and garlic. You can add other flavors if you wish.
For safety, once used, marinades should be considered contaminated and discarded. There are ways around that, but that is another discussion.
If you want the marinade to brush the meat during cooking, reserve a small amount ahead if there is enough or make a bit extra.
🔥The Grill
The most important part of this recipe is not to rush the cooking. I used a grill surface temperature of 450°, a tad above medium on most grills. Total grill time of about 20-25 minutes but could be a bit longer depending on the thickness of the chicken and the exact grill temperature.
If you have questions about controlling your grill temperature, please check my A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.
♨️Optional Oven Baking
No grill, no problem. Preheat the oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional. Place them in a shallow baking dish. That is all there is to it.
Cooking time is dependent on the thickness and size of the chicken and the oven temperature. With average size (about 10 oz) chicken breast and a 400° oven, about 25-30 minutes is a good estimate. The only real answer is to cook until 165° internal temperature—so check a little early.
📖Other Marinades
Garlic Lemon Marinaded Grilled Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast
Buttermilk Grilled Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast
Garlic Marinated Grilled Flank Steak
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Trim chicken breasts of any excess fat.
Optional brine: If you have time, brine is always a good thing for skinless boneless chicken breasts. I suggest a brine of 2 cups water and 1 tablespoon table salt for 20-120 minutes. If you brine, remove the salt from the recipe and rinse the chicken under running water when removed from the brine.
In a 1-gallon zip lock bag, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, olive oil, crushed garlic, and lemon juice. Add salt if you didn't brine. Add chicken to the bag, remove extra air, and seal. Refrigerate for 30-120 minutes, but as little as 20 minutes gives a lot of taste.
Clean and oil grill grates and preheat to a surface temperature of about 450°, which is about medium-high on most grills. I recommend a surface thermometer to be able to control your grill well.
Remove breasts from marinade and place over direct heat. Do not rinse off the marinade.
Flip about every 5 minutes. Remove from the grill at an internal temperature of 165°—about 25 minutes of total grill time. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
📖Recipe
Easy Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts - well trimmed
Marinade
- ¼ cup soy sauce - low sodium preferred
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- ½ teaspoon salt
Optional Brine
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoons salt
Instructions
- Trim chicken breasts of any excess fat.
- Optional brine: If you have time, brine is always a good thing for skinless boneless chicken breasts. I suggest a brine of 2 cups water and 1 tablespoon table salt for 20-120 minutes. If you brine, remove the salt from the recipe, and rinse the chicken under running water when removed from the brine.
- In a 1-gallon zip lock bag, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, olive oil, crushed garlic, and lemon juice. Add salt if you didn't brine. Add chicken to the bag, remove extra air, and seal. Refrigerate for 30-120 minutes, but as little as 20 minutes gives a lot of taste.
- Clean and oil grill grates and preheat to a surface temperature of 450°, which is about medium-high on most grills. I recommend a surface thermometer to be able to control your grill well.
- Remove breasts from marinade and place over direct heat. Do not rinse off marinade.
- Flip about every 5 minutes. Remove from the grill at an internal temperature of 165°. About 25 minutes total grill time. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
My Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Like most chicken recipes, cooking temperature and final temperature are critical.
- Try to use chicken breasts of about the same size and thickness. Even them out some with a meat mallet if needed. Maximum thickness of ¾ of an inch.
- Brining is optional but will give more moist results. As little as 20 minutes will give good results, but 30-120 minutes refrigerated is suggested. Longer can start to affect the texture.
- Once used, the marinade should be discarded. If you want to brush some on during cooking, reserve a small amount or make more.
- Both the grill time and oven time can vary some by the thickness of the chicken and the exact cooking temperature. So check the internal temperature a bit earlier than you think.
- An internal temperature in the thickest part of the chicken of 165° is the minimum safe temperature.
- Nutrition is calculated without brine and with 10% of marinade absorbed.
Optional Oven Baking
- Preheat the oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional. Place them in a shallow baking dish.
- Baking time will be about 25-30 minutes.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Originally published April 17, 2010. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Megan
Amazing marinade! Had chicken breast in fridge and needed something to do with them and stumbled across this. Quick and easy. I did this before going to work at 9am, and let it sit all day and didn't cook it till about 8pm. The longer the better. Since I had 5 breasts I upped the number in the recipe but didn't use any salt since the soy sauce is salty enough and it came out amazing! Definitely going to use again.
DrDan
Hi Megan,
This is one of those recipes I forget about for a year then use it over and over again. Then I forget about it.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Michelle Johnson
Hi! I'm trying this tonight. Have the breasts brining right now (for two hours), then I'll marinade for two hours. Do I have to rinse the breasts after brining? I usually brine my whole turkeys and typically rinse... I'm so excited to taste this! Thanks Dr Dan!
DrDan
Hi Michelle,
Sorry for the delayed reply. Always rinse off a brine. If a brine did it's job, you already have some extra salt. No need to add to that.
Dan
Serina
I read the ingredients and cooked this recipe without reading any instructions and my guessed ratio turned out great after marinating for around 90mins, i even cooked it in a grill pan on top stove with a little olive oil and turned a couple of times... Perfect!😊
DrDan
Hi Serina,
I have been known to do things like that. It is all about ratios.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Ferdinand lemaire
My chicken was the best! Looked way better than in these pictures.
DrDan
Thanks for the note.
I have excuses for the pictures. First generation digital camera and 4th month of the blog. Maybe I should redo this post next summer.
Dan
angela
I can't grill at my apartment. when say use a grill pan do you mean in the oven or on stove top?
DrDan
Hi Angela,
With all the sugar in this, I would not be doing it stovetop. And in the oven, the chicken will take too long and again may burn before the chicken is done. Maybe not if you filp... If you try it in the oven, it would take 30-45 minutes depending on size and oven. Cook to 165 of course. I'm not sure how good that would work.
Dan
tina
My grill broke & I have the chicken marinating! Can I put this in a crock pot? Please advise! Thanks
DrDan
The crockpot would work but I would prefer the oven especially if you have a grill pan. If no grill pan than cast iron. If no cast iron then oven safe pan. A little oil in the pan to coat the pan and 350-375 degrees about 30 minutes plus minus depending on size, pan and oven. Use a meat thermometer and you are done at 165. I would probably flip after about 15 minutes. (I'm guessing at the time since this is not how I normally do this so keep an eye on it and thermometer ready. My guesses are usually fairly good.)
You could do a pan sear method but I'm worried about burning the sugar.
Lexy
Yum! Totally transforms chicken, especially when you're short on time for a marinade. We're trying it on thin sliced pork chops tonight.
Empress
Omg this marinade was perfect!! My computer won't let me rate it but I definitely give it five stars! I added everything in the ingredients exactly except garlic. Because I love garlic I doubled up but you don't have to. I Waldo seasoned the chicken on both sides first with onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, and lawrys seasoning salt and some pepper before adding it to the marinade because I like my meat really flavorful. I put it in the plastic bag and let Last night and didn't take it out until about 9 o clock tonight and it was delicious! So about a day but I'm sure if you let it sit for 4 hours or so it would still be just as good! Thank you sooooo much for this recipe I really loved the added brown sugar it balanced out all the other flavors!
Pam
This was EASY, QUICK and DELICIOUS. I doubled the recipe for 6 chicken breasts. Cut the cooking time to about 14 mins. by pounding them first to an "even" thickness, between 2 sheets of wax paper. Sliced and served warm over cold salad - perfect summer dinner!!
DrDan
Hi Pam, I have started to "pound the chicken" some too but haven't decided yet if I want to do it all the time. First my wife always thinks it should be on a sandwich. Second, the times I have done this it seems dryer and I'm a careful griller. I'm not done evaluating yet.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Meg
I even slightly screwed up the recipe and it still turned out great! You can check out my review here.
https://semiunemployedgirl.wordpress.com/2015/07/07/inevitable-cooking-fail-1/
Amanda S.
I made this tonight per instructions (I didn't get a chance to try the brining part) and I have to give the author some SERIOUS compliments! This is hands down the best chicken marinade I've ever tasted or used. It is now my go-to marinade for chicken and I especially love how quick it is to not only make but use considering I rarely think too far ahead for the need to marinate the meat I cook. It's usually just an afterthought so I love that this had the chicken ready in a short time. Thanks so so much for posting this! And now I can't wait to look at your other recipes.
David
I buy chicken breasts in bulk packages, make a big batch of this marinade then vacuum pack and freeze for later use. By the time the chicken thaws it maninated perfectly and makes a quick clean up.
Mary
this is a keeper, it was really good!!! I let it marinade for a couple of hours and will definitely be making this again for more people :)
Sarah
Thanks! I tried this last night and loved it. It gave a good amount of flavor after 30 minutes of marinating (will try it for longer next time if I can!). I've never tried brining before, so that information is useful for me as well. I'll have to give that a shot one of these days.
DrDan
Do try the brine, you won't believe the change in moisture. I was using this recipe last weekend again. I really like that I always have the ingredients.
Thanks for the comment
DrDan
Leah Noble
Did you use a tablespoon or teaspoon for sugar, lemon juice, oil and salt? I used teaspoon since there is a lower case "t" by the ingredients, but it tastes very soy saucy…. just checking! Thanks!
DrDan
I went back to my original notes. You are right... And the garlic was left out. Fixed and please accept my apology. That was apparently a bad day.
DrDan
todd little
very good marinade. upping the brown sugar next time and marinading for more than 1/2 hour
DrDan
Thanks for the note. I will try upping the brown sugar next time. If my grill ever gets out the the snow. Longer is better but 30 minutes still gets very good results but not more than a couple of hours with this.
Again thanks for the comment.
DrDan
todd little
my bad I see now that the info is indeed there - sorry! trying this tonight!
DrDan
Sorry for the confusion. This recipe is still in the format from Blogger and need converted so it looks better and is less confusing. I have about 2/3 of 300 done. They take 15 minutes each and I'm still working on it.
DrDan
todd little
would be real helpful for us newbs to know exactly how much of each ingredient goes in the bag to make the marinade instead of saying combine.
Robert Pulley
Its all in the recipe above. Check it.
Chris
Brining is a definite plus for boneless skinless breasts. I like the marinade, good flavor profile.
Ray
I need a nice quick marinade for tonight. I can't wait to try this.