Best Chicken Thigh Marinade [5 ways]
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Looking to change up your usual chicken thigh marinade? Here are 5 delicious options for easy meal prep including honey mustard, cilantro lime, sweet chipotle, maple balsamic and lemon dill marinated chicken thighs.
Where my chicken thigh folks at?! I’ve always preferred chicken thighs to chicken breasts but do admit that it can get kind of boring using the same old marinade. That’s why I wanted to share the best chicken thigh marinade recipes. I’ve giving you 5 different options that all taste delicious but offer something slightly different for everyone.
My go-to is to make a whole bunch of marinades and freeze my chicken thighs. Then I let my chicken thaw in the fridge overnight and throw them on the grill. It’s perfect for those nights when you want a quality, high-protein dinner but you don’t have a ton of time to prep.
You’re going to love having these recipes in your back pocket!
Chicken Thigh Marinade 101
There are 4 components that are essential to building the perfect chicken thigh marinade:
- Acid – helps to tenderize the meat. To be honest, chicken thighs are already fairly tender compared to chicken breasts so the acid is more for flavor when it comes to marinating chicken thighs.
- Fat – This helps the flavors to saturate into the meat.
- Seasoning – For flavor. I tend to focus on spices, sweeteners and flavor enhancers like mustard or chipotles.
- Salt – don’t skimp on the salt! You can reduce slightly if you’re watching your sodium levels but not only does salt help amplify your flavors, it also helps to keep your meat moist.
5 Different Chicken Marinades
I’ve tested MANY different chicken marinade flavors and these ones are by far my favorites. There’s truly something in here for everyone.
Honey Mustard Chicken
- Olive Oil
- Dijon mustard
- Honey
- Minced Garlic
- Salt + Pepper
Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Olive oil
- Lime Juice + Zest
- Fresh Cilantro
- Garlic
- Maple Syrup
- Jalapeno
- Salt and pepper
Chipotle Chicken
- Olive oil
- Chipotle in adobo sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Garlic cloves
- Honey
- Herbs + Spices: chili powder, cumin, oregano
- Salt + Pepper
Maple Balsamic Chicken
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Maple Syrup
- Minced Garlic
- Salt + Pepper
Lemon Dill Chicken
- Olive oil
- Lemon Juice
- Minced Garlic
- Fresh Dill
- Dijon mustard
- Optional: Dill pickle juice
- Salt and Pepper
How to Marinate Chicken Thighs
STEP 1: MAKE MARINADE
Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to marinade and coat to ensure all chicken is covered.
STEP 2: MARINATE CHICKEN
Pour into an airtight container or Ziploc bag. Store in fridge or freezer according to instructions below.
Cooking Instructions:
Everyone has their own preference on how to cook their chicken thighs. I’m offering 5 different suggestions below. Chicken tends to come in all different shapes and sizes so the most important factor is to ensure that your chicken has reached an internal temp of 165ºF. This is best determined by using an Instant Read Thermometer.
1. Oven/Bake
Pour chicken and marinade into a shallow baking dish and bake at 400 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until internal temp has reached 165ºF.
2. Stove-Top
Heat a pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and cook on each side for 5-7 minutes or until internal temp has reached 165ºF.
3. Grill
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat (roughly 450ºF). Remove chicken from marinade and add directly onto grill rack. Grill on each side for 5-7 minutes or until internal temp has reached 165ºF.
4. Instant Pot
Place chicken and marinade inside the Instant Pot. Close the lid and seal valve. Cook on HIGH pressure for 8 minutes, then allow to sit for 5 minutes to naturally pressure release. Manually release any remaining pressure after 5 minutes. Check to make internal temp has reached 165ºF.
5. Slow Cooker
Add chicken and marinade to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, or until the chicken’s internal temp reaches a minimum of 165ºF.
Chicken Marinade FAQs
Marinated chicken thighs taste best when left to marinate in the fridge for several hours or up to 2 days. I would not recommend letting your chicken sit for longer than 24 hours. Not only will your chicken be exposed to oxygen which will cause it to spoil, but the acidity in many of the marinades will also break down the chicken so it is too tender to cook. I recommend a minimum marinade time of 4 hours and maximum of 24 hours.
Unless you’re planning to use it to cook with your chicken thighs, I would not recommend saving any leftover marinade. It has been exposed to raw meat and will not be safe for consumption.
Absolutely! All of these chicken thigh marinades work just as well with chicken breasts.
Definitely! While my preference is for boneless skinless chicken thighs you can use any of these marinades with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs as well. Bone-in chicken thighs will take a little longer to cook but the skin can also get crispy which is delicious.
Chicken is fully cooked when its internal temperature has reached 165ºF. I recommend using an Instant-Read Thermometer to test your chicken to know when it’s ready.
Storage Instructions
Chicken marinades can be made an advanced and stored in the fridge for several days or freezer for up to 3 months. If storing with raw chicken in marinade you can keep your chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to 24 hours. In the freezer you can store your chicken thigh marinade recipes in Ziploc bags for up to 3 months.
*Freezer Tip
If freezing your chicken thigh marinades store in a Ziploc bag and squeeze out all the air. Lay your chicken flat in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge and the cook as desired.
What To Serve with Marinated Chicken Thighs
Not sure what to pair with your marinated chicken? Here are some delicious side dishes!
More Chicken Recipes:
Chicken Thigh Marinade [5 Ways]
Looking to change up your usual chicken thigh marinade? Here are 5 delicious options for easy meal prep including honey mustard, cilantro lime, sweet chipotle, maple balsamic and lemon dill marinated chicken thighs.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cook
- Diet: Gluten Free
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (for each marinade)
Honey Mustard Chicken:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard (smooth or grainy)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Cilantro Lime Chicken:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- zest + juice, 1 lime
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- optional: 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Chipotle Chicken:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup chipotles in adobo sauce, finely mince adobos
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Maple Balsamic:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Lemon Dill Chicken:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (roughly 1 large lemon)
- 1/3 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- optional: 1 tbsp dill pickle juice
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Combine desired marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add 2 lbs chicken thighs to marinade and coat to ensure all chicken is covered.
- Pour into an airtight container or Ziploc bag.
- Store in fridge for up to 24 hours or freezer for 3 months (see freezer instructions above).
- Cook as desired (see cooking directions above).
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