Lemon Herb Chicken Marinade

By: Leigh Anne WilkesPosted: 5/26/22Updated: 9/20/24

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This lemon herb chicken marinade is simple to put together and the taste is fabulous. Perfect for summertime grilling, or making anytime feel like summertime.

Two sliced chicken breasts on a cutting board

Why You’ll Love This Recipe!

Every good cook needs to have a repertoire of good marinade recipes. A good marinade can be a total life saver, especially in the summer when it’s just too hot to cook!
It doesn’t get much easier than marinating a piece of meat and then popping it on the grill at dinner time.
Today’s simple but delicious marinade came from my friend Tracy and it has become my go to chicken marinade. The use of lemon juice and herbs gives it a fresh, light summer time flavor.

Ingredients Needed

Lemon. You will use the juice and the zest.
Garlic. Fresh minced is best.
Fresh Herbs. I used a combination of basil, thyme and rosemary but you could use your favorite combination.
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil

How to Make Lemon Herb Chicken Marinade

Mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and herbs.
Place mixture in a zippered plastic bag and add chicken.
Refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

Can I Use Fresh Herbs?

You can use either fresh herbs or dried herbs in this recipe. In the summer when I have easy access to all the herbs in my garden I use fresh, in the winter dried herbs work just great. You can even switch up the combo of herbs depending on what you have but I like to use basil, rosemary and thyme. A little garlic, salt and pepper and you are good to go.

The ratio of fresh herbs to dried herbs is 3 to 1. Three teaspoons or 1 Tablespoon of fresh to 1 tsp of dried.

How Long Should I Marinade Chicken?

For this recipe, I like to marinate it for 3-4 hours. You don’t really want to marinate chicken for longer than four hours when the marinade has a high acidity level thanks to the lemon juice. If you marinate for too long it can cause the meat to become mushy.

If you. need to marinade for longer than four hours, add the lemon juice in the last couple of hours.

I use a zippered storage bag but you could also place the chicken and the marinade in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

How to Grill Chicken

The length of time will vary depending on how hot your grill is so it is always best to use a meat thermometer to check the chicken’s temperature.

Chicken is considered done at 165 degrees F. I always remove my chicken from the grill at about 155 degrees F and then allow it to sit a few minutes, this helps prevent overcooking and the chicken from drying out.

If you don’t have a meat thermometer, prick the chicken with a fork to see if the juices run clear. If the juices are pink, the chicken isn’t cooked through. Don’t cut into the meat as that allows too much of the juice to run out and dry out the chicken.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts usually need about 4-5 minutes per side
Bone-in chicken needs about longer, about 10 minutes per side.

Serve this with:

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of chicken is best to marinade?

I usually use boneless, skinless chicken breasts but you could use thighs, drumsticks or even a whole chicken.

How do I keep chicken from sticking to the grill?

There is olive oil in this marinade which helps prevent the chicken from sticking. If your grill has a tendency to stick, apply some oil to the grill before heating it up. Caution: Do not spray it with a cooking spray while the grill is on as it will flame up!
If you find that your chicken is sticking to the grill when you try to flip it, let it cook for another few minutes before turning.

Other things we like to throw on the grill are:

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