20 Healthy Chicken Marinades for Grilling Season

If it’s grilled chicken breasts, thighs or drumsticks here is a collection of twenty recipes using healthy chicken marinades.

TLB chicken marinades for grilling season

Summer is almost here off and that means grilling season is in high gear. Whether you’re hosting a party for the 4th of July holiday or just looking for a quick and easy weeknight dinner, I’ve got 20 healthy chicken marinades to keep you grilling all season long.

Making Chicken MarinadeS

Making a Chicken Marinade is pretty easy and saves you money by avoiding the store bought options which normally contain various preservatives. There are normally just a few key ingredients to making a successful marinade.

  • Olive oil or some other fat
  • A meat tenderizer such as vinegar or lemon juice.
  • Salt and/or pepper
  • Dijon Mustard, Soy Sauce, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, honey and many others!

The best Marinade Ratio:

There isnt an exact science to this but I would suggest a 1/2 cup of marinade to every one pound of chicken.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should I marinate chicken for?

Chicken can be marinated in the fridge from anywhere from 30 minutes to 6 hours.

Should chicken be marinated in the refrigerator?

Yes. It would be unsafe to leave it on the kitchen counter.

Should be marinated chicken be placed in a bowl or bag?

Resealable plastic bag are best. This keeps the meat submerged in the marinade for maximum flavor. You could also do a large bowl with plastic wrap.

Recipes

Ginger Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Breasts

4.72 stars average
15 minutes
This fresh and flavorful teriyaki marinade is ideal with chicken but also delicious with pork, beef or grilled vegetables.
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Ginger teriyaki grilled chicken breasts 2

Balsamic Glazed Grilled Chicken | Easy Balsamic Chicken Recipe

This Balsamic Glazed Grilled Chicken is made with hint a fresh rosemary for the perfect weekend grilling recipe. This sweet and savory dinner recipe is also Paleo and gluten free!
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Balsamic Glazed Grilled Chicken 1

Honey Garlic Baked Chicken Wings

5 stars
45 minutes
These sweet and sticky chicken wings are baked, not fried, and turn out crispy and juicy every single time!
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Honey garlic baked chicken wings closeup

Grilled Chicken Legs Recipe

Grilled Chicken Legs Recipe – Chicken recipes are always a crowd-pleaser and this easy grilled chicken leg recipe will become a favorite!
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grilled-chicken-legs-recipe

Grilled Paleo Lemon Chicken With Thyme

My low carb Grilled Paleo Lemon Chicken with Thyme is delicious and bursting with fresh herb flavor and garlic! You can easily cook it on an indoor cast iron grill pan as I did or use an outdoor grill.
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grilled-paleo-lemon-chicken-thyme

Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks

Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks Recipe – One of the Best Chicken Drumstick Recipes! This Drumstick Recipe is Full of Flavor Perfect for an Easy Weeknight Meal!
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honey-garlic-chicken-drumsticks-recipe

Lemon Garlic Chicken Kabobs

3.80 stars average
32 minutes
This easy and versatile lemon garlic marinade is ideal for grilling or broiling meat and vegetable kabobs any time of the year.
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Lemon Garlic Chicken Kabobs The Lemon Bowl hr 1

Grilled Buttermilk Chicken

This Buttermilk Grilled Chicken recipe uses buttermilk as a marinade to create such juicy, tender, flavorful chicken that you’ll never go back to any other marinade!
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grilled-buttermilk-chicken

Maple Ginger Chicken Thighs

These maple ginger chicken thighs are packed full of flavor and perfect for any day of the week. Marinated in a maple syrup ginger mixture and baked to perfection with sweet fall apples. If you love maple syrup this is your new favorite recipe!
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maple-ginger-chicken-thighs

Grilled Chicken Drumstick With Garlic

In this grilled chicken recipe, the humble drumsticks are dressed in a Moroccan-inspired garlic and harissa marinade. Spicy. Tangy. Simply addictive!
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grilled-chicken-drumsticks-with-spicy-garlic-harissa-marinade

Indian Spiced Grilled Chicken

4.36 stars average
22 minutes
A simple and flavorful grilled chicken recipe, my Indian spiced yogurt marinade tenderizes lean meat to create a juicy end result your whole family will love.
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Grilled Indian Chicken

The BEST Chicken Marinade Recipe

This marinade produces so much flavor and keeps the chicken incredibly moist and outrageously delicious – try it today!
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the-best-chicken-marinade-recipe

Mediterranean Topped Grilled Chicken

The marinade is super easy to throw together in the morning and makes for juicy, flavorful chicken. The topping is really bright and fresh and it pairs beautifully with the chicken right off the grill.
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mediterranean-topped-grilled-chicken

Grilled Chermoula Chicken Skewers

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grilled-chermoula-chicken-skewers

Cilantro-Lime Grilled Chicken With Mango Avocado

This cilantro lime chicken is easy to make and packed with flavor! While the cilantro This cilantro lime chicken can stand on its own, I’ve included accompanying recipes for a cilantro lime rice base and a delicious mango avocado salsa. This transforms this cilantro lime chicken into a tasty and healthy meal that is sure to be a hit.
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cilantro-lime-grilled-chicken-with-a-mango-avocado-salsa

Chipotle Grilled Chicken Breasts

4.77 stars average
21 minutes
Easy to prepare, chicken breasts are marinated in a sweet and smoky honey chipotle sauce and then grilled to juicy and tender perfection. 
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honey chipotle grilled chicken

Spicy Thai Grilled Chicken

Gluten Free Spicy Thai Grilled Chicken, filled with bold Asian flavors, extremely moist tender meat, and easy enough for a weeknight! A meal so irresistible your family is going to fall in love!
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spicy-thai-grilled-chicken

Easy Grilled Chicken

The best and easiest marinade ever – no-fuss and packed with so much flavor! You’ll never need another grilled chicken recipe again!
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easy-grilled-chicken

Grilled Chicken With Chimichurri Sauce

For this grilled chicken with chimichurri sauce, the chimichurri doubles as the marinade and the sauce. It’s a quick and easy weeknight meal you can throw on the grill. And it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and paleo.
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grilled-chicken-with-chimichurri-sauce

Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers

These Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers are insane. Literally, they shouldn’t be legal.
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yogurt-marinated-grilled-chicken-skewers

Cuban Grilled Chicken

The longer you can let the chicken soak in the marinade, the better, but if you are short on time, an hour or two will do.
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cuban-grilled-chicken

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