Every busy family needs easy go-to dinners. These 4 Fantastic Make-Ahead, Quick & Easy Chicken Marinades are the answer! You can marinate and freeze or cook super fast!
Whether it’s Summer grilling, Back to School, or stocking the freezer for Winter, marinades are always a good idea. Well, I got you! Here I have 4 Fantastic Make-Ahead, Quick & Easy Chicken Marinades guaranteed to make dinners easier! But not only that, they take boring chicken to something exciting and delicious!
Type of chicken
I love to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you can use just about any type of chicken, such as chicken tenders, chicken thighs or pre-cut chicken as well. You can also break down a whole chicken.
One of the easiest ways to get ahead on meals for the week AND save some money, is to buy in bulk and then divide up for several different meals. BUT…it’s boring if you divide up into the same exact 4 meals. You can take that bulk chicken and keep it whole or create different cuts of chicken such as cubes or slices and then make these easy chicken marinade recipes!
TIP: a smaller cut of chicken will have more marinade coverage and therefore, be a much more flavorful chicken – and small cuts cook faster!
Oil and Acidic Ingredients
For Oil, I used Olive oil, but you can use vegetable oil, avocado oil, or other oils you prefer as long as they are relatively neutral. In terms of acidity…if you add vinegar, citrus or other acidic ingredient, it will help to tenderize the chicken up to a point, but then it can go too far. I recommend no more than 8 hours marinating with acid.
Storing your Marinating Raw Meat
Always be sure to immediately store your chicken and marinate in an airtight container or airtight plastic bag in the refrigerator or freezer. In the fridge, with an acidic marinade, you will want to use it in about 8-12 hours. Without acid, it will keep in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. In the freezer, you can store it up to 9 months.
Get ready to make Dinner Easier with these Chicken Marinades!
So, today, I have 4 super easy Prep-Ahead Chicken Recipes with easy marinades that will completely transform the bulk chicken into 4 unique and delicious dinners.
Each if these recipes has simple marinade ingredients. You can make them all at once or pick and choose.
1. Hungarian Paprika Chicken
First up in my Easy Chicken Marinades is my Hungarian Paprika Chicken Marinade recipe that I published back in May. This recipe is a quick way to get those delicious goulash flavors into a weeknight dinner! The Hungarian Paprika gives beautiful color and a deep, peppery flavor. This recipe only has 5 simple ingredients, which means it’s so simple! Drizzle with or dip in the easiest Paprika Aioli for a creamy, irresistible finish! Prepare days or months (in the freezer) ahead! On this side, my Veggie Quinoa Salad with Cream Lemon Vinaigrette would be a terrific pairing!
Not only is this one yummy and easy, but Paprika is a great source of antioxidants and can help eye health. If you go for the hot paprika, then the capsaicin that gives the heat also has anti-inflammatory benefits.
Full recipe is down below, but the gist is this…put all the ingredients into a storage bag/container and then marinade for 1 hour up to overnight. Cook in a skillet or roast in the oven, make aioli, and enjoy!
2. Mediterranean Chicken Marinade
Mediterranean Chicken Marinades are so versatile and can go with so many different side dish options. For this easy marinade you only need a few ingredients here, fresh garlic (you can substitute with garlic powder), tons of herby dried Oregano (or Italian seasoning), olive oil, salt, and pepper.
You can also add a tablespoon of dijon mustard to this recipe for a bit of zip. Or a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar! It’s simple, but full of flavor! You can certainly add fresh herbs at the end as well, such as basil.
Scroll down for the full recipe, but again, just put all ingredients into a storage container and let marinade for 1 hour up to overnight. Then cook in a skillet over medium heat or roast in the oven, serve with a simple pasta and enjoy! My favorite sides to go with this are my Grilled Halloumi & Tomato Salad which takes it in a Greek chicken direction. Or, try my amazing Walnut & Ricotta Pasta with Spinach which takes you to Italy. Or, go red with this easy Tomato Cream Sauce Pasta
3. Sesame Sweet Chili Marinade
This EASY Sesame Sweet Chili Chicken is quick to make and mouth wateringly yummy! This is also the best chicken marinade recipe in my opinion! The fantastic marinade and sauce is slightly sweet, tangy, savory, nutty, with a touch of heat.
It has Soy Sauce, Sweet Chili Sauce, Sesame Oil, Garlic, Minced, and Sesame Seeds. If you don’t have sweet chili sauce, you can add a teaspoon of brown sugar along with red pepper flakes to taste. Citrus juice also goes great in recipe, so try adding a little fresh orange juice or lime juice.
It will please any ‘chicken-is-boring’ naysayers and kids love it for the sweet and salty sauce. Win Win in my house!
There is so much flavor in this marinade that you can pair it with a simple white rice and stir fried veggies and call it a night! Or pair it with something cooling, my Sesame Asian Slaw!
Once again, it’s a simple 2-step process of tossing the easy few ingredients into a storage container with the chicken and marinating it for 1 hour up to overnight. Then for this one, I recommend searing and cooking in a skillet vs. roasting in the oven. That way, you can add a bit of water at the end to pick up all of those delectable sweet and savory bits and create a delicious sauce to pour over top of the sliced chicken.
Keep on scrollin’ down for the full recipe!
4. Mexican Spice Chicken Marinade
Our last stop on the Chicken Marinades Tour is Mexican Chicken Marinade. The chicken in this recipe is infused with so much smokey, savory flavors from the fresh garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Try adding fresh lime zest or lime juice to the marinade!
As with the four previous marinades, the chicken plus the few other ingredients all go into the storage bag or container. Then let them marinate for 1 hour up to overnight! Then cook in the skillet, serve with rice or my super easy make-ahead Cilantro Lime Quinoa! Or serve added to a Black Bean Taco Bowl!
Almost there, scroll a little more and these 4 recipes are your for the printing!
I hope you love these easy Chicken Marinades as much as I do! Please also send me YOUR easy make-ahead marinade ideas!
😍 Carrie
4 Easy Meal Prep Chicken Marinades
Back to School means life may be gettin’ a little crazy, so you need easy go-to dinners! Well, I got you! Here are 4 Fantastic Make-Ahead, Quick & Easy Chicken Marinades guaranteed to make dinners easier! Hungarian Paprika Chicken ~ Mediterranean Chicken ~ Sesame Sweet Chili Chicken ~ Mexican Spice Chicken #marinades #chicken #chickendinners #easydinners #dinners #familydinners #busymom
Ingredients
- 64 oz Chicken, Boneless & Skinless Eight 8 oz Chicken Breasts
Hungarian Paprika Marinade
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbps Water
- 1 teaspoon Hungarian Paprika You can use Hot, Sweet, or Regular
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
Mediterranean Marinade
- 1 Tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Asian Sweet Sesame Marinade
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 3 tablespoon Sweet Chili Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 1 clove Garlic, Minced
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds
Mexican Marinade
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Prep-Ahead
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Open your bulk package of chicken breasts. Make sure that you have 8 breasts about equal in size, 2 for each marinade.
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Since every recipe has fresh minced garlic, you can mince all 5 cloves in advance. Note, each clove is approximately 1 tsp, so when dividing it up again, you can use a teaspoon measure, with the Hungarian Paprika recipe getting 2 teaspoon and the others getting 1 tsp.
Hungarian Paprika Chicken Marinade
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In a storage bag or storage container, add the olive oil, water, paprika, minced garlic, and salt. Mix together, then add the raw chicken breasts. You can marinade the chicken in the sauce for 1 hour up to 8 hours. You can also freeze the chicken in marinade at this point and use it up to 4 months later!
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Preheat a skillet on high, add a teaspoon of Olive Oil and spread around. Remove the marinated chicken breasts from the marinade using tongs, saving the marinade to cook. Add the chicken breasts to the hot skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the the chicken starts to sear.
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Add ¼ cup water and the remaining marinade then bring to a simmer. Add back the chicken and juices and then cover the skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 F degrees or the chicken feels firm with a little give.
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Uncover, turn off the heat and move the skillet off the hot burner. Let rest for a few minutes. Then remove the chicken and slice it on a bias in ¾ inch slices. This should give you about 5-6 slices. Spoon the sauce from the skillet on top.
Mediterranean Chicken Marinade
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In a storage bag or storage container, add the olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix together, then add the raw chicken breasts. You can marinade the chicken in the sauce for 1 hour up to 8 hours. You can also freeze the chicken in marinade at this point and use it up to 4 months later!
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Preheat a skillet on high, add a teaspoon of Olive Oil and spread around. Remove the marinated chicken breasts and add to the hot skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the the chicken starts to sear. Cover the skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 F degrees or the chicken feels firm with a little give.
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Uncover, turn off the heat and move the skillet off the hot burner. Let rest for a few minutes. Then remove the chicken and slice it on a bias in ¾ inch slices. This should give you about 5-6 slices.
Asian Sweet Sesame Chicken Marinade
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In a storage bag or storage container, add soy sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and sesame seeds. Mix together, then add the raw chicken breasts. You can marinade the chicken in the sauce for 1 hour up to 8 hours. You can also freeze the chicken in marinade at this point and use it up to 4 months later!
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Add the chicken to a preheated skillet, leaving as much of the marinade behind as possible. You will add the marinade later to cook down into a sauce.
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Cook the chicken for 5 minutes on one side to both sear and start cooking. Then flip the chicken over and cook for another 3 minutes, just until seared. Remove the chicken to a plate.
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Add the remaining marinade then bring to a simmer. Add back the chicken and juices and then cover the skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 F degrees or the chicken feels firm with a little give.
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Uncover, turn off the heat and move the skillet off the hot burner. Let rest for a few minutes. Then remove the chicken and slice it on a bias in ¾ inch slices. This should give you about 5-6 slices.
Mexican Chicken Marinade
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In a storage bag or storage container, add olive oil, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Mix together, then add the raw chicken breasts. You can marinade the chicken in the sauce for 1 hour up to 8 hours. You can also freeze the chicken in marinade at this point and use it up to 4 months later!
-
Preheat a skillet on high, add a teaspoon of Olive Oil and spread around. Remove the marinated chicken breasts and add to the hot skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the the chicken starts to sear. Cover the skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 F degrees or the chicken feels firm with a little give.
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Uncover, turn off the heat and move the skillet off the hot burner. Let rest for a few minutes. Then remove the chicken and slice it on a bias in ¾ inch slices. This should give you about 5-6 slices.
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