This balsamic chicken marinade is sweet, tangy, and easy to make using clean ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now. You can make this juicy, delicious chicken recipe on the grill or in the oven.
Having easy chicken marinades in my recipe repertoire is one of my secret weapons for easy meals during the week. I regularly grill and bake chicken breasts to use in salads or to use as a quick lean protein for quick healthy dinners.
Our favorite marinades include this Italian Chicken Marinade, Greek Chicken Marinade, Asian Chicken Marinade, Chipotle Chicken Marinade, and this Balsamic Chicken Marinade.
Reasons you’ll love this recipe
- Pantry ingredients – The ingredients used in this recipe are simple pantry ingredients that can be thrown together into a marinade in less than 5-minutes.
- Clean and gluten-free – Not only is this homemade marinade easy to make, but it’s free of all mystery ingredients.
- It can double up as a salad dressing – this is delicious in pasta salad, Caprese salad, or drizzle over your favorite greens.
- Meal prep – You can prepare this chicken marinade ahead of time in a few different ways. I’ll go over all the meal prep tips below.
Ingredients
- Balsamic vinegar – You don’t need to break the bank by purchasing expensive balsamic vinegar, but I recommend using higher-quality balsamic vinegar for the best flavor. I recommend an organic aged balsamic vinegar.
- Extra virgin olive oil – this adds fat and flavor to the marinade. It pulls the flavors out of the garlic and other seasonings.
- Honey – this balances out the tangy flavor of balsamic vinegar.
- Garlic – Adding freshly grated garlic infuses a delicious flavor to the marinade. I love fresh garlic, but you can also use ½ – 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Italian seasoning – you can also swap in dried oregano or dried basil for Italian seasoning.
- Crushed red pepper flakes – For extra zing and spice, crushed red pepper flakes do the trick.
- Boneless skinless chicken breast – To keep the saturated fat low, I prefer using chicken breast. However, any chicken cut will work. You might need to adjust the cooking time depending on the thickness of the chicken. The internal temperature needs to reach 165 degrees to be safe to eat.
FAQs
For many vinaigrette dressings, it’s recommended not to marinate the chicken longer than 12 hours because the vinegar can make the chicken tough. However, this balsamic chicken marinade has enough olive oil to keep the chicken juicy so it can sit in the marinade for up to 48 hours. For best results, I like to marinate the chicken for 24 hours before grilling or baking.
Yes, you can bake the chicken in the marinade. Both will be safe to eat once brought up to temperature and cooked thoroughly.
Of course, the result will be a different texture and flavor than if you grilled the chicken. However, the chicken will be just as tasty.
No, you don’t need to rinse the chicken before cooking. Instead, shake any excess marinade from the chicken before adding it to the grill to prevent flare-ups.
Cooking Tips
- This balsamic honey marinade is delicious with other proteins. You can use it with steak, pork, shrimp, and fish.
- Discard unused marinade. Once the marinade has touched the raw chicken, you cannot use it for salad dressing or to baste after the chicken has cooked. If you want to have balsamic marinade to use after the chicken cooks or as a salad dressing, I suggest saving extra marinade in a glass container before it touches raw chicken.
- Grating the garlic adds more flavor. It’s tempting to chop the garlic for this marinade recipe, but I strongly recommend grating the garlic. You can do this with a grater or zester. Doing this helps the garlic flavor infuse into the marinade without there being pieces of raw garlic.
- You can use a grill pan. If you don’t own a grill, or it’s wintertime, then use a grill pan to make this balsamic chicken recipe.
- Don’t push down on the chicken as it cooks and let it rest before slicing. These are my two main tips for grilling juicy chicken.
- Pound the chicken to even thickness before grilling. This helps the chicken cook quickly and evenly.
Supplies
- 16-ounce mason jar and lids – use this container to store any unused leftover marinade.
- Mixing Bowls – to make the marinade.
- Grater – this is used for the garlic.
- Whisk – to combine the marinade ingredients.
- Ziploc bags or glass meal prep containers – to store the marinade and chicken.
- Grill pan or grill – to cook the chicken.
How to Make Balsamic Chicken Marinade
- Start by putting together the balsamic marinade. You can use a bowl and whisk to combine the ingredients or put all of the ingredients into a 16-ounce mason jar and give it a good shake. I like to use a mason jar because then I can pour the amount of marinade I need to cover the chicken and then use the mason jar to store the rest in the fridge.
- If the chicken breasts are on the thick side, then use a mallet to pound the chicken to about ½ in thickness. As I said, this helps the chicken cook evenly and quickly.
- Place the chicken in a glass container and then pour the marinade in until it covers the chicken. Give the chicken a couple of turns until coated with the marinade. You can also use a plastic bag for this step.
- Place the lid on the container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour but preferably overnight, if you can.
- When you’re ready to cook the chicken, prepare the grill. Set the grill temperature to medium-high heat.
- After the grill is hot, remove the chicken from the marinade and place it directly onto the hot grill. Discard the marinade.
- Close the grill and grill the chicken for 5-7 minutes, and then using tongs, flip to the other side and grill for another 5-7 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165º. Remember, don’t push down on the chicken as it cooks.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and place it on a plate and cover it with foil. Let the chicken rest for 3 – 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
What to serve with it?
This grilled balsamic chicken is delicious with:
- Grilled or roasted vegetables
- Rice, risotto, or pasta
- On top of a green salad or pasta salad
- In a wrap or sandwich
How to Store the Recipe
To meal prep for the week
First, you can assemble the balsamic marinade and chicken into a glass container or plastic bag. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to cook, then continue with the recipe.
You can also cook the chicken entirely ahead of time, store it in glass containers, and refrigerate it for up to four days. Toss into salads, use in wraps or sandwiches, or throw into pasta recipes during the week. This is one of my favorite ways to prep grilled chicken ahead of time.
To freeze
Assemble the chicken and marinade into a freezer bag or glass container and freeze for up to 3 months. Take it out of the freezer for 1-2 days to thaw in the refrigerator. Continue with the recipe. Here are some other chicken freezer marinade tips.
You can also freeze the cooked grilled chicken to use in recipes. Portion out the grilled chicken into freezer bags and freeze. When you’re ready to eat, take the chicken out of the bag and heat it in the microwave for a minute or so. Then use in a salad, wrap, or other recipes.
Balsamic Chicken Marinade
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- 16-ounce mason jars
- Grill or grill pan
- glass storage containers or plastic bags
- Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons melted honey
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 4 (4 ounce) Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Instructions
- Start by making the marinade. Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper in a small bowl. You can also put the ingredients into a mason jar, put the lid on tightly, and vigorously shake.
- If you need to pound out the chicken breasts, so they are of even thickness. Place the chicken in a bowl, dish, or plastic bag and pour the marinade over the top. Make sure to cover the chicken.
- Place chicken into the refrigerator and marinate for at least one hour or preferably overnight.
- When you’re ready to cook the chicken, prepare the grill. Set the grill temperature to medium-high heat.
- After the grill is hot, remove the chicken from the marinade and place it directly onto the hot grill. Discard the marinade.
- Close the grill and grill the chicken for 5-7 minutes, and then using tongs, flip to the other side and grill for another 5-7 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165º. Remember, don’t push down on the chicken as it cooks.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and place it on a plate and cover it with foil. Let the chicken rest for 3 – 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Other Chicken Marinades posts
- Honey Mustard Chicken Marinade
- Buffalo-style Chicken Marinade
- Garlic Ranch Chicken Marinade
- Italian Chicken Marinade
Did you make this recipe?
Have you tried this Balsamic Chicken Marinade yet? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny. I can’t wait to see it.
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