Last Updated on January 14, 2023 by Anne-Marie

You’ll love this easy chicken marinade tenderizer recipe. Super flavorful, and it makes grilled chicken oh so tender! It’s sugar-free, keto-friendly, and low-carb.

Why this recipe works

Use this simple chicken marinade to cook up big batches of chicken at your next cookout.

This healthy chicken marinade recipe also works when you need grilled chicken to use in a Cobb salad recipe or in sandwich wraps.

It’s a fantastic recipe when you want some tasty chicken and Oven Roasted Vegetables for a quick and easy dinner.

And it’s naturally gluten-free and keto friendly!

Ingredients

• fresh lemon juice
• Worcestershire sauce
• olive oil
• garlic
• salt
• ground black pepper
• fresh oregano
• fresh parsley
• fresh basil
• boneless, skinless chicken breasts

How to make this recipe

Just combine the ingredients and marinate for a couple of hours or overnight.

1. In a medium bowl, add lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.
2. Whisk in olive oil.
3. Add minced garlic, salt, black pepper, and herbs to the bowl. Mixed until well combined.
4. Place chicken breasts in a large bowl or shallow baking dish. Pour marinade over the chicken. Cover.
5. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
6. Remove chicken from the marinade and grill.

FAQs

Tips for making chicken marinade

Tenderize the chicken:

Use a meat tenderizer tool to get the marinade flavor into the chicken.

I use a Jaccard 48-Blade Meat Tenderizer tool in my Mexican carne asada marinade recipe. My readers LOVE this tool!

It’s best to run it over both sides of the chicken breast before adding it to the marinade for maximum flavor enhancement.

Use a Ziploc bag:

Instead of a bowl, you can put all the marinade ingredients into a Ziploc bag. Then shake to blend.

Add the chicken pieces to the marinate for a couple of hours or overnight. (Place the baggie on a platter or baking sheet in case it leaks or there’s condensation.)

Time saver:

Use already minced garlic from a jar instead of mincing your own. 1/2 teaspoon equals one clove.

Don’t have fresh herbs?

If you can find fresh herbs, use 2 teaspoons dried oregano instead of 2 tablespoons fresh.

Or use 4 teaspoons of dried parsley or basil instead of 1/4 cup fresh parsley or basil.

Can I use the marinade with other types of chicken?

Sure! This marinade guarantees that you’ll end up with juicy chicken every time! You can use this with chicken thigh meat, chicken tender meat, chicken wings, or chicken pieces for chicken stir fry.

What can I do with the leftover marinade?

Toss it! Remember, it’s had raw chicken sitting in it for hours. Yuck! It’s bacteria soup at this point.

However, if you’re a “waste not, want not” type of person, pour the marinade into a saucepan.

Then bring it up to boil and boil the heck out of the marinade for five minutes to destroy any harmful bacteria levels.

Then you can safely use it as a serving sauce.

How to store this simple chicken marinade

Refrigerator: A small batch will keep well for a week because of the fresh herbs and garlic.

The olive oil will solidify, but you bring it back to liquid at room temperature (or zap it for 10-20 seconds in the microwave). Then give it a stir to use it.

Freezer: Make a double or triple batch of the marinade. Then freeze it in small containers for several months, which makes it perfect for meal prep.

Each portion is enough for about two pounds of meat, which makes the perfect dinner for most families. Super convenient!

You can also add the chicken to the marinade in a gallon Ziploc Freezer bag and freeze it.

Then thaw the bag in the fridge overnight and grill the next day!

How to cook the marinated chicken

After the chicken has been seasoned in the healthy chicken marinade for a few hours or overnight, you can cook the chicken recipe several ways – grilling, baking in the oven, or cooking on the stovetop.

Here’s how:

Grilling: Turn the heat to medium, then place the chicken breasts on the grill.

Cover the grill. Cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes.

Flip the breasts over. Grill for 5-7 minutes more until the delicious chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°.

Baking the chicken: Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Spray a shallow baking pan with cooking spray. Then place the marinated breasts in the pan, and put it in the oven.

Bake 22-25 minutes or until chicken reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer.

Stovetop cooking: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Flip the chicken breasts. Cook for 5-7 minutes more until they reach 165°F.

You can also use an electric stovetop grill, like a George Foreman grill, combining two methods!

Serve it with a sauce: Even though this flavorful chicken is lovely on its own, you may want to serve it with a homemade sugar-free barbecue sauce or this 5-minute Alabama White BBQ Sauce recipe.

How to serve marinated chicken

While this chicken makes a terrific dinner on its own, you can shred it for tacos or use it in Chicken Vegetable Soup or make sandwiches with this Easy Rotisserie Chicken Salad Recipe.

Add some of these tasty side dishes to your quick chicken marinade dinner.

● Serve this with a healthy, Easy Vegan Garbanzo Bean Salad. It’s a wonderful side dish that goes well with grilled chicken.

● If you love pasta, try Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe or Pasta Salad with Roasted Vegetables Recipe.

● If you feel like a salad, try Broccoli Bacon Salad Recipe or Cucumber Onion Salad Recipe.

● Love coleslaw? Try this Easy Coleslaw Recipe or Brussel Sprouts Salad with Cranberries Recipe.

● For dessert, try Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Frosting or some Ice Cream Cones Cupcakes.

What’s your favorite side dish to serve with chicken?