Web Admin / Sunday, May 14, 2023

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3 Ingredient Easy and BEST Grilled Chicken Marinade

a photo of several golden grilled chicken breasts that look juicy and have perfect diagonal grill marks on them.

Want the juiciest chicken recipe ever?? Then you’ve got to make this 3 ingredient chicken marinade. It’s the most simple combination of garlic and herbs, a hint of buttery-melt-in-your-mouth flavor and then that pop of the champagne vinegar. Which is a must if you haven’t ever tried using different vinegars.

Last summer we were crazy busy trying to move and I needed some fast and easy dinner recipes. On a whim I bought a bottle of Champagne vinegar and whipped up a lazy, 3 ingredient chicken marinade that ended up being the best chicken marinade EVER. In fact, I even caught a short little video of the process so scroll down and check out a blast from the past in our old house.

(PS, fun fact! Did you know we write our blog posts an entire year out? So right now it’s September 2022, and I’m sitting at the counter of the rental house we finally found after the most insane summer. Did you follow that story? Talk about stressful chaos! I wonder, by the time this recipe goes live, will we have found our future home and be getting ready to settle in? I can’t wait to see where life takes us so leave a comment if you want an update!

Chicken Marinade Ingredients

You can’t get any more simple than just 3 ingredients for the most delicious chicken marinade! This is all you will need:

Olive Oil – the base of the marinade and helps the chicken stay moist and juicy
Champagne Vinegar – this can be hard to find sometimes, but it really is the best flavor for this marinade
Kinder’s Buttery Steakhouse Seasoning – we buy ours at Costco, but I’ve seen it at Walmart and Smith’s, and of course there is always Amazon

The measurement for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to Make a Grilled Chicken Marinade?

I like to throw all three of the ingredients into a shallow baking dish and to whisk it all together. Then place the chicken breasts into the marinade and give them a flip to coat both sides. Then let it marinade in the fridge.

You can also use a ziploc bag to marinate the chicken. Just whisk all the ingredients together in a glass measuring cup and pour the marinade over the chicken in the bag and let it sit in the fridge until you’re ready to grill.

Can Other Types of Vinegar Be Used?

The best substitute for champagne vinegar is Asian rice vinegar. White wine vinegar or sherry vinegar are also good substitutes.

Red wine or apple cider vinegar are ok substitutes but they are less sweet and pack bolder tangy vinegar flavor.

Can Other Cuts of Chicken Be Used?

You can absolutely use this marinade on chicken thighs, wings, or drumsticks.

How Long to Marinate Chicken

Marinating chicken for even just 15 minutes can add so much flavor to chicken. I have found the sweet spot for this marinade is from 2-6 hours. For the best flavor and texture, that is what I recommend. If you have to go a little longer, it should be fine, but anything more than maybe 10 hours, and the texture will really start to suffer.

How Do You Know When Grilled Chicken is Done?

The most safe way to know when chicken is cooked through is to use a meat thermometer. The safe internal temperature for chicken breasts is 160 degrees Fahrenheit. We have also found that chicken has a way of showing you when it’s ready but release from the grilled on the its own. It will no longer be stuck to grill when you try to flip it or remove it from the grill.

What to Serve with Marinated Chicken

In all honesty, just about anything would go great with this chicken. It is so versatile! If you want to keep everything cooking out on the grill, I have suggestions, and if you want to bring some of the cooking indoors, then I’ve got you covered there too. Here are some ideas:

See all our side dish recipes here for several other delicious options!

Can You Reuse Marinade that Has Touched Raw Chicken?

Okay, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes. All my other past chicken marinade posts have said to absolutely never ever reuse marinade that has touched raw chicken. I’ve been reading all over the place recently that it is actually ok to use as long as you bring it to a full boil. The temperature will kill any possible bad bacteria left in the marinade. So I actually highly recommend it in this recipe!

If you just can’t do it, I totally understand! Just one and half the marinade recipe and reserve some to boil and simmer into the sauce. Boiling then simmering the sauce sort of blooms the Kinder’s seasoning and makes this delicious flavor packed sauce that I pour over the grilled chicken.

How to Eat this Grilled Chicken

You can eat this chicken just plain as the main course and it is perfection! That is what we always do, but I always make a few extra chicken breasts so I can have some left over. It is great for salads or wraps the next day for lunch. It is also perfect for adding to a pasta sauce or rice bowl.

How to Reheat Grilled Chicken

I have found the best way to reheat grilled chicken is in the oven. Heat the oven to 250 degrees and wrap the chicken in foil and place them in the oven until warmed through. It will take about 15-20 minutes. Keeping it wrapped in foil will help the chicken not get dried out when reheating.

Can Marinated Chicken be Frozen?

Yes, freezing marinated chicken is great option for meal prep. Add the chicken and marinade to a ziploc bag that is freezer safe, and place in the freezer. It will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. When you’re ready to use it, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and grill as stated in the instructions.

This no fuss, simple 3 ingredient chicken marinade will impress guests every single time. I’ve made it several times when we’ve had people over and everyone always wants to know how I made this chicken. It pretty anticlimactic when I tell them it’s only 3 ingredients, but that’s what makes it so fabulous!

More Easy Chicken Recipes: