The Best Easy Chicken Marinades

Name: 3 Easy Chicken Marinades
Prep time: 1 h 25 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 1 6 oz. skinless chicken breast; 1/8 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper; 1 cup Primal Kitchen Cilantro Lime Dressing &amp; Marinade; 2 lime slices; 1/4 teaspoon fresh cilantro leaves, or 1/8 teaspoon dried cilantro; 1 6 oz. skinless chicken breast; 1/8 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper; 1 cup Primal Kitchen Balsamic Vinaigrette &amp; Marinade; 4-5 fresh basil leaves or 1/8 teaspoon dried basil leaves; 1 6 oz. skinless chicken breast; 1/8 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper; 1 cup Primal Kitchen Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette &amp; Marinade; 1/8 teaspoon sesame seeds

August 04, 2023

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To some people, chicken breasts are a household staple and the heart of delicious family meals. Others end up with a bone-dry bird that looks like it hit the beach without a drop of sunblock or an ounce of hydration. Before you close the book on flavorless fowl, rest assured that even lower-fat white meat like chicken breasts can be juicy and full of flavor.

There are two secrets to cooking perfectly moist chicken. First, you want to make sure to cook your bird until it reaches a safe internal temperature (165° for breast meat), but not longer. Cooking it any more than that can result in dry, chewy chicken. Second, use a marinade before cooking to add flavor and seal in the juices. Chicken marinades typically contain some form of oil, salt and pepper, vinegar or citrus juice, fresh or dried herbs, seasonings, and a sweetener (examples: honey, sugar, maple syrup).

How to Marinate Chicken Breasts

Simply combine your marinade ingredients in a bowl and stir well. You can also put the marinade ingredients in a mason jar, screw the lid on tight, and shake up the mason jar. Here are the basic steps for a stress-free marinade process:

First, lightly pound your chicken breasts into an even thickness with a rolling pin or mallet. This helps break up some of the muscle fibers and makes your chicken more tender.
Put the chicken breast in a glass container with an airtight lid, or in a resealable bag, and pour the marinade into the container.
Place the container in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours (the sweet spot for us is about 2-3 hours). You don’t want to leave your chicken in the marinade longer than that, or it will take on a mushy texture.

Meal prep can be time-consuming, so we've cut the chopping and shopping down by using Primal Kitchen dressings as the supporting main ingredient in our three mouthwatering chicken marinade recipes. With five ingredients or less, these simple DIY marinades come together in just a few minutes. It's that easy!

3 Easy Chicken Marinades

Rated 5.0 stars by 2 users

Servings

Prep Time

85 minutes

Cook Time

25-30 minutes

Calories

483

Did you know our dressings double as mouthwatering marinades? Bring flavor and juiciness to ordinary chicken with these three delicious marinades featuring Primal Kitchen dressings. With just a handful of pantry ingredients and in five minutes, you can whip up a delicious marinade without canola oil, cane sugar, or corn syrup.

Ingredients

Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade

1 6 oz. skinless chicken breast
1/8 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup Primal Kitchen Cilantro Lime Dressing & Marinade
2 lime slices
1/4 teaspoon fresh cilantro leaves, or 1/8 teaspoon dried cilantro

Balsamic Chicken Marinade

1 6 oz. skinless chicken breast
1/8 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup Primal Kitchen Balsamic Vinaigrette & Marinade
4-5 fresh basil leaves or 1/8 teaspoon dried basil leaves

Sesame Ginger Chicken Marinade

1 6 oz. skinless chicken breast
1/8 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup Primal Kitchen Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette & Marinade
1/8 teaspoon sesame seeds

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Directions

Marinate the chicken:

Place chicken breast in a glass container or resealable bag.
Season with salt and pepper. Add marinade ingredients.
Cover or seal bag and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cooking (up to 24 hours).

Cook the chicken:

Remove chicken from the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature to ensure more even cooking (about 15-20 minutes).
Remove the chicken from the marinade and allow any excess marinade to drip off. Discard the marinade.
In the oven: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Place the chicken breast in an oven-safe cooking dish and bake for 25–30 minutes.
On the stove: Heat a teaspoon of avocado or olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken breast in the skillet and cook for 5–6 minutes on each side.
On the grill: Lightly oil the grill grates (do so carefully to avoid a flare up). Place the chicken breast on direct heat and cook for 7–8 minutes per side.
Use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature is at least 165ºF. Remove chicken from the heat.
To preserve moisture, let the chicken rest for 3–5 minutes after cooking before slicing it. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Note

Freeze uncooked marinated chicken breasts in resealable bags in the freezer for up to three months. Make sure to label the outside of the resealable bag with the contents and the date you prepared and froze the marinated chicken breast.
Nutrition information Calculated using Cronometer (for Cilantro Lime Chicken with 2 oz sauce absorbed).