This easy lemon chicken marinade is simply the best! Marinating with lemon not only adds tons of flavor, but it also helps tenderize the chicken. This lemon marinated grilled chicken comes out so flavorful, moist, and juicy inside.
This lemon marinade is made with freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, minced garlic, Italian herb seasoning, salt, and pepper. That’s all, simple and easy!
The chicken needs to marinate for a maximum of 3 hours. You can use this marinade for chicken breasts, thighs, drumsticks, or wings. It’s very versatile!
Chicken is one of the most versatile proteins out there. By itself, it’s pretty neutral in flavor, but once you marinate it, it can be super flavorful and tender.
I love this lemon chicken marinade recipe because it is simple and flavorful. It also does a great job keeping the chicken really moist and tender.
The lemon chicken marinade is super simple – you only need 7 ingredients for the marinade itself: lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, minced garlic Italian herb seasoning, salt and pepper.
The oil moistens the chicken while spices and herbs add flavor. The raw meat is tenderized by acid aids, thereby allowing the oil and spices to have an effect. Many marinades use vinegar as an acid substitute but lemon juice is more effective as it lends a citric flavor.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Adds so much flavor throughout the chicken. Imagine citrus-y, garlicky with aromatic herb flavors…delicious!
- The lemon juice tenderizes the chicken and keeps it juicy inside.
- It doesn’t need to marinate overnight, so I can make it for dinner whenever I crave grilled chicken. In fact, it shouldn’t marinate for more than 3 hours or it could start to break down too much (see “Marinating with Citrus” below).
- It’s versatile! Customize it by adding other ingredients to the marinade, such as fresh herbs, seasoning, mustard, or honey.
- It can be used for chicken breasts, thighs, drumsticks, wings…up to you.
Many marinades call for marinating overnight, but NOT with this one! Any time you marinade with lemon juice or some sort of acidic component, you can’t let it marinate for too long. Marinades that use acidic components, such as lemon juice, should only be used for 2-3 hours, no more than 3 hours.
Here’s why: Lemon juice helps to tenderize meat, but when left for too long, it will break down the proteins too much, making the meat tough and rubbery…sometimes even mushy. So, if you want tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken, make sure to only marinate the chicken for 2-3 hours.
All About The Lemon Marinade
This is a very simple lemon chicken marinade that’s packed with lots of flavor!
The lemon juice not only provides flavor and acidity, but also helps tenderize the chicken. This works especially well for leaner cuts like chicken breast. The result is super flavorful, vibrant, juicy, and tender chicken.
The lemon garlic marinade ingredients are pretty straightforward: lemon zest, freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. All you have to do is combine all these ingredients until uniform, and that’s your marinade!
I always use a resealable plastic bag to marinate the chicken in order to ensure that every inch of the chicken absorbs ALL the flavor more evenly.
To give you an idea, these are the ingredients I use for the lemon chicken marinade:
- Chicken breasts: Make sure to pound them to even thickness, about ½ inch thick. You can also use chicken thighs, drumsticks, or wings.
- Olive oil: For moisture and to help the lemon flavors penetrate into the thickest parts of the chicken.
- Zest of 2 lemons: Before cutting and squeezing the lemons, remember to zest it.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice: The lemon juice adds flavor and tenderizes the chicken.
- Minced garlic: For flavor.
- Italian seasoning: For flavor. You’ll need about 2 teaspoons. You can also use fresh herbs – for every teaspoon of dried herbs, use 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
Lemon Garlic Rosemary Roast Chicken
FAQ
Why do you put lemon in chicken?
What does lemon juice do to chicken?
Why do people put lemon on raw chicken?
What does rubbing lemon on chicken do?
What are the benefits of adding fresh lemon and lime?
Adding lemon and lime to meals will provide vitamin C and acidity. In foods rich in starch or carbohydrates they can delay their absorption, and in foods with iron they can facilitate absorption.
What is lemon chicken?
Lemon chicken is a classic dish that brings a zesty twist to your dinner table. This dish is a go-to for home cooks looking to impress with minimal fuss. Perfect for a weeknight meal or a special occasion, lemon chicken is versatile, delicious, and sure to please. Effortlessly Delicious: Easy to make using pantry staple ingredients.
Why do you add lemon to chicken soup?
Like a vinaigrette on a salad, the pickle on a burger, and the sour cream in a coffee cake, a squeeze of lemon gives chicken soup a game-changing brightness. And in fact, when it comes to soup, the fresh, fruity acid is even more magical and more pronounced, because it’s added at the end. So simple, right?