Six Healthy Chicken Marinade Recipes For Easy Dinners
Bored with the plain old chicken breast? Well you can zest it up with these six healthy chicken marinade recipes.
Chicken marinades are great because they can be batch prepped in advance and then stored in the fridge or freezer! Plus, they're full of healthy nutritious ingredients instead of the store-bought sauces which are usually loaded with preservatives and other ingredients we don’t need.
As a health coach and a mom, I’m always looking for new ways to make home cooking flavorful and delicious! But life can get hectic, so I’m also trying to make things as easy as possible. So I love these recipes because I can purchase a bunch of chicken breasts from the grocery store and then individually bag them with different flavors. Then I just pop them into the freezer for a variety of meals throughout the week. Does it get any better!?
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How To Make Your Chicken Marinades
TIPS AND TRICKS:
> Prepping marinades. If you’re buying a big amount of chicken, you’ll have to freeze them in smaller amounts no matter what. So I like to use this time to marinate my chicken! I’ll put out multiple freezer bags to divide the chicken up, then place the marinade ingredients inside and seal. Then I just pop it into the fridge or freezer depending on when I'll be using the chicken.
> Marinating Time. I like to marinate my chicken overnight to get the most flavor. But if I’m short on time, I’ll marinate for 30 minutes and then cook. The USDA food safety information suggests that you can keep raw marinating chicken in the fridge for up to 2 days. Any longer and it should be frozen instead (visit this link for more food safety information regarding chicken). Also, because the marinade has been in contact with raw chicken, it’s not safe to reuse it - so always make a fresh marinade for the next batch.
> Storage tips. You can use Ziploc freezer bags to freeze your chicken. When adding ingredients to your freezer bags, I like to use these handy clips that will help your bag stand up and avoid spilling. Or you can place the chicken in a glass container with a lid in the fridge for up to 2 days.
> Defrosting tips. I always take out my chicken the night before I’m ready to cook it and place it in a bowl of shallow water in the fridge. This will help to speed up the defrost process.
> Cooking tips. You can use your marinade chicken for a variety of meals! I’ve used mine in my slow cooker, baked using the sheet pan method, Barbequed, or chopped into small pieces for stir fry.
That's it! When you know these simple tips and tricks, you can easily make your healthy marinades. To get you started, below are six delicious chicken marinade recipes to try at home.
1. BBQ Chicken Marinade
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2 lbs chicken breast
1/2 cup barbeque sauce (low in sugar - I use this one)
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
DIRECTIONS: Place 2 lbs chicken breasts and all other ingredients into a freezer bag along with barbeque sauce, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and chili powder. Place in the freezer and freeze. When you’re ready to use, let defrost overnight in the fridge. You can place in a bowl of water to help speed up the defrosting.
2. Teriyaki Chicken Marinade
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2 lbs chicken breast
1/4 cup tamari sauce or soy sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
1 tsp buckwheat flour (any type of flour will do)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground ginger
pinch of ground pepper
DIRECTIONS: Place 2 lbs chicken breasts and all other ingredients into a freezer bag along with tamari sauce (or soy sauce), maple syrup, flour, olive oil, ground ginger, ground pepper. Place in the freezer and freeze. When you’re ready to use, let defrost overnight in the fridge. You can place in a bowl of water to help speed up the defrosting.
3. Basil Balsamic Chicken Marinade
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2 lbs chicken breast
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp sea salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
DIRECTIONS: Place 2 lbs chicken breasts and all other ingredients into a freezer bag along with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dried basil, sea salt. Place in the freezer and freeze. When you’re ready to use, let defrost overnight in the fridge. You can place in a bowl of water to help speed up the defrosting. **Use these awesome freezer bag holders to help your bags stand up and avoid spilling.
4. Hawaiian Chicken Marinade
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2 lbs chicken breast
1/2 cup pineapple juice
3 Tbsp tamari sauce or soy sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried ginger
sea salt and ground pepper
DIRECTIONS: Place 2 lbs chicken breasts and all other ingredients into a freezer bag along with pineapple juice, tamari sauce (or soy sauce), olive oil, onion powder, dried ginger, sea salt, and ground pepper. Place in the freezer and freeze. When you’re ready to use, let defrost overnight in the fridge. You can place in a bowl of water to help speed up the defrosting.
5. Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
2 lbs chicken breast
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
sea salt and ground pepper
Place 2 lbs chicken breasts and all other ingredients into a freezer bag along with olive oil, lime juice, fresh cilantro, sea salt, and ground pepper. Place in the freezer and freeze. When you’re ready to use, let defrost overnight in the fridge. You can place in a bowl of water to help speed up the defrosting.
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6. Fajita Chicken Marinade
2 lbs chicken breast
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin powder
Place 2 lbs chicken breasts and all other ingredients into a freezer bag along with olive oil, maple syrup, chili powder, cumin powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, lime juice. Place in the freezer and freeze. When you’re ready to use, let defrost overnight in the fridge. You can place in a bowl of water to help speed up the defrosting.
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