Best Grilled Chicken Marinade
This is the Best Grilled Chicken Marinade for tender, juicy chicken with bold flavor and beautiful color. It’s an easy way to level up your next BBQ or weeknight cookout.
Servings: 8
Calories: 434kcal
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup olive oil
- ⅔ cup less sodium soy sauce
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce optional
- 2 to 3 pounds assorted chicken pieces
Instructions
- Place all the marinade ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
- Place the chicken into a gallon sized plastic storage bag and add the marinade (split the chicken between two bags, if needed). Seal the bag and turn it around a few times to distribute the marinade.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
Grilling Instructions
- Grill over MEDIUM-HIGH heat until seared then continue to cook over indirect heat until the internal temperature of the thickest portion of chicken reaches 165 degrees F and the juices run clear.
Notes
Chicken Grilling Tips
Size and cut: Try to use chicken pieces that are close to the same size so they will cook at an even rate. Boneless breasts can be very thick and it's best to pound them slightly thinner or even cut them down into smaller portions before grilling so they'll cook more quickly without drying out.
Optimal marinating time: I recommend marinating chicken for at least an hour and no more than 8 hours. Acidic ingredients, like the lemon juice, work wonders to break down the fibers and help tenderize marinated chicken, but you'll end up with a mushy, undesirable texture if it marinates too long.
Indirect heat: You want to cook over a high enough heat to sear the chicken, but much of the grilling time should take place over indirect heat. On a charcoal grill, build your coals off to one side so the chicken can be moved over. My husband swears by this rotating grill grate which makes it super easy to just spin the grill around as needed. For a gas grill, just turn off one or more of the burners directly underneath the chicken.
Cover the grill: Covering your grill creates an oven-like environment which will speed along the cooking process. Plus, the drippings are more likely to catch fire in an uncovered grill.
Temperature: Using a meat thermometer may be the most important tip of all. Chicken should be grilled to a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees F. You don't want to exceed this temperature for the best tender, juicy chicken. Check the temperature in the thickest portion of the thickest piece of chicken.
Nutrition
Calories: 434kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 865mg | Potassium: 285mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 162IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 2mg