This is the Best Grilled Chicken Marinade recipe that makes the perfect summer weeknight meal. Packed with flavor and texture, prep the night before and grill the next day. The natural sweetness comes from orange juice and brown sugar while the savoriness comes from a mixture of soy and balsamic vinegar. This will be your go to grilled chicken recipe.
For more delicious grilled chicken dinners try my Grilled Orange Chicken. Try this grilled chicken in a white Alabama sauce for some sauce chicken inspiration.
Ingredients needed for the Best Grilled Chicken Marinade
- Chicken: I used bone-in, skin on chicken thighs.
- Orange juice: adds sweetness and acidity to the marinade.
- Brown sugar: adds natural sweetness to the marinade balancing the savory flavors.
- Soy sauce: perfect umami and savory notes to balance the sweetness of the orange juice.
- Worcestershire sauce: more savoriness and umami flavors.
- Balsamic vinegar: adds tanginess to the marinade.
- Garlic: adds a pungent sharpness to balance the sweetness and savoriness of the marinade.
How to make the BEST Chicken Marinade
This sweet and savory marinade is what makes this the best grilled chicken. It’s easy and simple to make with only a few staple ingredients. You don’t need a lot to make a flavorful impact!
In a large bowl, I love my large YETI bowls, add orange juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, some minced garlic and a mix of Dad’s All Purpose rub and Dad’s Sweet BBQ rub. Mix the ingredients together making sure everything is blended well.
Pour 1/2 cup of the marinade into another container and set aside for later.
Recipe Tip
For convenience, I used pre-minced garlic in a jar. It has just the right level of sharpness. For sharper garlic notes use fresh garlic and finely chop or mince yourself.
Dad’s Seasonings
Must have grillin seasonings!
Prep and Marinate the Chicken
I used bone-in, skin on chicken thighs in this grilled chicken marinade recipe. This fattier part of the bird has more flavor, it’s easier to grill and more forgiving. But remember any cut of chicken or even pork will be delicious using this marinade recipe.
A great way to save some money is purchasing chicken parts that have not been trimmed. Remove them from the package and cut off any loose fatty or skin pieces. Keep the skin on or remove depending on preference.
Place the prepped chicken thighs into the marinade and store them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or ideally overnight. The longer the marinating process, the more flavor the chicken will have.
How to grill the perfect chicken thighs
For me, nothing screams summer more than grilled chicken over a charcoal grill. The charred skin, smokey flavors and charcoal smell.
Preheat the charcoal grill to a medium to high heat and set for dual zone grilling.
How to create dual heat zone on different grills
Dual heat zones are created differently depending on the type of grill you have.
- Gas grill: Turn the burners on one half of the grill. For indirect heat, place food on the opposite end.
- Charcoal grill: position the heated charcoal to one half of the round bowl. For indirect heat, place the food on the opposite end.
- Komodo style grill: use a plate setter that will deflect direct heat from the food on the grates.
Start by placing the marinated chicken thighs skin side up on the indirect side first. This method will allow the chicken to cook evenly over lower heat and avoid burning.
Cover the grill and cook for about 20 minutes.
Recipe Tip
When using a charcoal grill, place the lid over the grill with the vents directly above the chicken. This will allow the hot air to circulate and exit over the chicken cooking the chicken evenly throughout.
Flip the chicken skin side down and cook until the internal temperature of the thighs reach 175 degrees.
The safe eating temperature on chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. However, darker meat should be cooked to a higher temperature to cook off connective tissue and render down the fat. Thighs are much more forgiving than a chicken breast and when grilled to 175 degrees, the meat will be tender, juicy and have a great bite through. Lower temps will cause the meat to feel rubbery and unpleasant to eat.
Move the grilled chicken thighs to the direct heat side skin side up. Take the reserved marinade and brush the chicken. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes, flip and repeat the process. Continue to do so until the skin has built a nice char all around. This can take 3- 4 flips to get the ideal finish.
Be careful when brushing on the sauce as flareups can occur.
Don’t forget to rest grilled chicken
The golden rule to perfectly tender and juicy meat of any kind is cooking to the right temperature and then resting the meat for 5-10 minutes. Some people are so eager to eat the meat right away, because it’s still warm, that they miss a crucial step - the resting phase.
Resting protein not only slows down the cooking process and brings the final temperature of the meat to a safe range, but allows the juices within the meat to redistribute through making every bite juicy.
BUT before you rest the grilled thighs, once they are off the grill, brush some marinade one last time over the chicken.
Hope you enjoy this Best Grilled Chicken Marinade recipe as much as we do!
Frequently Asked Questions:
How to keep chicken thighs moist while grilling? The best method to ensure juicy grilled chicken thighs is to grill indirect heat until the internal temperature reads 170 degrees. Remove them from the grill and rest for 10 minutes. This will redistribute the juices throughout the meat.
Other options include marinades and brines.
Can I replace chicken thighs with chicken breast? Yes, in any chicken recipe, you can swap the protein cuts. If you are grilling chicken breast instead of thighs, remove the meat once the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit and let it rest to bring it up to 165 degrees.
If you tried this Best Grilled Chicken Marinade recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments. I love hearing from you!
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Best Grilled Chicken Marinade
This Best Grilled Chicken Marinade recipe and it's the perfect weeknight meal. The chicken is tender, juicy and super flavorful.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken marinade, easy chicken recipe, grilled chicken thighs
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes minutes
Servings 4 People
Calories 820kcal
- 1 cup Orange juice
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/2 cup Soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Minced garlic
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp All purpose seasoning
- 1 tbsp Sweet BBQ seasoning
- 6 Chicken thighs - bone in, skin on.
In a large bowl, add orange juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, some minced garlic and a mix of all purpose and sweet BBQ rubs. Mix the ingredients together making sure everything is blended well. Pour 1/2 cup of the marinade into another container and set aside for later.
Clean up the chicken thighs cutting off any loose fatty or skin pieces. Keep the skin on or remove depending on preference.
Place the prepped chicken thighs into the marinade and store it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or ideally overnight.
Preheat the charcoal grill to a medium to high heat and set for dual zone grilling.
Start by placing the marinated chicken thighs skin side up on the indirect side first. Cook for 20 minutes.
Flip the chicken skin side down and cook until the internal temperature of the thighs reach 175 degrees.
Move the grilled chicken thighs to the direct heat side of the grill, skin side up. Take the reserve marinade and brush the chicken. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes, flip and repeat the process. Continue to do so until the skin has built a nice char all around. This can take 3- 4 flips to get the ideal finish.
Remove the grilled chicken thighs from the grill and let them rest 5-10 minutes.
Brush more of the Best Grilled chicken marinade while it rests. Enjoy!
- Instead of carton orange juice, use freshly squeezed orange juice to a strong zesty flavor. Also, add lime and or lemon to increase the acidity levels.
- When using a charcoal grill, place the lid over the grill with the vents directly above where the chicken. This will allow the hot air to circulate and exit over the chicken.
- Resting protein not only slows down the cooking process and brings the final temperature of the meat to a safe range, but allows the juices within the meat to redistribute through making every bite juicy.
Calories: 820kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 212mg | Sodium: 1868mg | Potassium: 839mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 65g | Vitamin A: 491IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 6mg
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https://manstuffnews.com/backyard-grilling/indian-spiced-pork-chops
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