This is the best lemon chicken marinade we’ve tried. Use our simple marinade for tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken. You can use it in a variety of chicken cuts and recipes, including baking, grilling, or cooking in a skillet.
This versatile lemon garlic chicken marinade is perfect for all cuts of chicken. We’ve been using this marinade for a while now (it was originally inspired by these delicious lemon chicken thighs). Although it is good for chicken, it is also delicious with pork, fish, and vegetables.
We’ve used it in many of our chicken recipes, including these lemon garlic chicken breasts, juicy grilled chicken, and garlic parmesan wings. For more inspiration, try our Greek chicken marinade, which adds plain Greek yogurt to make the chicken extra tender and juicy.
Key Ingredients
- Lemon: I use fresh lemon juice and zest. Lemon juice forms the base of the marinade, while the zest gives it an extra lemony punch. I like to use a vegetable peeler to make strips of zest.
- Olive oil: I love the flavor of olive oil in this marinade. It makes the chicken very tasty. If you plan to cook your chicken at high heat, consider replacing it with avocado oil.
- Dijon mustard: Mustard and lemon work well together, so I always add a little Dijon to this marinade.
- Garlic: Whole minced garlic cloves add just the right amount of fresh garlic flavor and balance the acidity of the lemon. Keeping them whole prevents any garlic from burning later.
- Fresh herbs: This is optional, but I like to add fresh herbs to this chicken marinade. I use fresh parsley in the video, but dill, cilantro, and basil are great choices.
How Long to Marinate Chicken
Making your own marinade is easy! Simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and use within two hours.
Since this marinade contains lemon juice, do not marinate your chicken for longer than 6 hours. The acidity of the lemon juice can break down the proteins in the chicken, resulting in a mushy texture if left in the marinade for too long. Always refrigerate your chicken and discard any leftover marinade to ensure food safety.
- Boneless chicken breasts: I usually marinate the chicken breasts between 30 minutes and 2 hours.
- Bone-in chicken: Chicken thighs, bone-in chicken breasts, and drumsticks can hold more time. Marinate for up to 6 hours.
For more marinade recipes, check out our Greek chicken marinade, an easy shrimp marinade, or this amazing steak marinade!
Easy Lemon Chicken Marinade
We love lemon garlic chicken marinade! This recipe makes enough marinade for 2 to 3 pounds of chicken. It works well on chicken, but you can also use it on turkey, pork, fish, shrimp, tofu and vegetables.
Feel free to use the baking marinade while cooking or grilling. Just remember to set aside part of the marinade before adding your ingredients if you plan to marinate.
Makes 1/2 cup
Watch We Make the Recipe
You will need it
2 lemons
2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional
Directions
1Use a vegetable peeler to grate the zest of 1 lemon, then juice the lemon until you have 1/4 cup (60ml) of juice.
2Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper together in a small bowl until the salt is dissolved.
3Add the garlic, lemon zest, and parsley (if using).
4Add the chicken to the marinade, and turn it around a few times to make sure it’s well coated. Refrigerate for up to 6 hours or 2 hours for boneless chicken breasts.
Tips from Adam and Joanne
- Fresh herbs: I love parsley, but dill, cilantro, and basil are also lovely.
- Marinating Time: Due to the acidic nature of lemon juice, we recommend that the chicken is marinated for more than 6 hours. If you are cleaning fish, 30 minutes or less is enough.
- To modify the salad dressing: Increase the olive oil to 1/4 cup and whisk until combined. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then discard the garlic and lemon zest. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt. Add a sprinkle of sugar or a little honey to balance the acidity and mustard.
- The nutrition facts given below are estimates.
Food Per Serving
Serving Size
1/4 cup
/
Calories
138
/
Proteins
1 g
/
Carbohydrate
4 g
/
Dietary fiber
0 g
/
Total Sugar
1 g
/
Perfect Oils
14 g
/
Saturated Fats
2 g
/
Cholesterol
0 mg
