Chicken Marinades

Here are some great time-saving tips on how to kick-up the flavor of your chicken with marinades!

I've compiled a list of some awesome chicken marinades that you can use. Not only are they good to use on fresh or previously frozen meat, you can actually freeze your meat in a zip-lock bag along with the chicken marinade! Then, when you defrost the meat, it's already marinaded! This method is perfect for when you're in a hurry and whether or not you forgot to take out your meat for defrosting. It may not seem like it would work, but trust me, it doesn't under- or over-marinate at all.

To be honest, I don't use the "marinate as you freeze" method as much as I used to anymore. Not for any good reason, though. It really was a good way of marinading chicken. I used to do it all the time and it was a great time saver since I often would forget to take out the chicken for defrosting until the last minute. It even beat using some of those 30 minute marinades I used to buy.


Marinating fresh or defrosted chicken

To use with fresh or defrosted chicken, simply mix up the marinade, trim and prep your chicken per your recipe and marinated by putting your chicken in a zip-lock bag inside your refrigerator for a few hours. You could put your marinade on defrosting chicken as it defrosts, but you should only try this with the refrigerator method of thawing.


How to freeze chicken in a marinade


To freeze chicken with a marinade. Mix up the marinade. Trim your chicken according to how you will use it when it is thawed. (For example, if will be making an Asian stir fry or Mexican Fajitas, you'll probably want to cut the chicken in strips.) Put your chicken into an appropriate size zip-lock bag and carefully pour your chicken marinade in. Zip up the bag and try to get the last bit of air out before completely sealing the bag. Once it is sealed, make sure the chicken marinade coats the meat totally by working it around some with your fingers. Wipe off any spilled chicken marinade and label the bag with the date and contents. Freeze flat. To thaw, use one of the three methods for defrosting chicken, preferably the refrigerator method.


Some safety tips when marinading chicken:

Never marinate on the counter-top as the temperature of your marinade and chicken might rise above 40 degrees F. Also, never re-use marinades or add uncooked chicken marinade to your cooked meat. That's a recipe for food poisoning you don't want to follow.

To convert from U.S. standard measurements, use this handy converter

Chicken Marinades


Teriyaki Chicken Marinade

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Fajita Chicken Marinade

• 1 cup of cold water
• 6 teaspoons of oil
• 9 teaspoons of lime juice (can substitute with lemon)
• 5 cloves of garlic (or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder)
• 3 tablespoons of minced onion (or 1 teaspoon of powdered)
• 3 teaspoons of salt
• 2 teaspoons of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano

 Barbequed Chicken Marinade

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic (or 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder)
• 1 tsp of yellow mustard
• 1 tsp of ground black pepper
• (finish cooked chicken with your favorite bbq sauce when done)

Rosemary Chicken Marinade

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of dried rosemary (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)

Lime Tarragon Chicken Marinade

• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 tablespoons dried tarragon or (1 tablespoon fresh)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)

I will try to update this list with other chicken marinades in the future. If you have any good chicken marinades you have used, email me and I will list them along with your name if you wish.