Chicken Marinade

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 3/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders*

6 garlic cloves (minced or grated (about 2 tablespoons))

Juice and zest of 1 medium lemon (about 1 teaspoon zest and 1/4 cup juice)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Pound

If making chicken breasts, place them on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap, and with a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound into an even thickness. (If using tenders or thighs, you can skip the pounding).

Poke

With a fork, poke holes all over the chicken (this will allow the marinade to absorb).

Combine

In a large ziptop bag, combine the garlic, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper.

Seal

Add the chicken. Seal the bag, removing as much excess air as possible.

Squish

“Squish” the bag to coat the chicken, then place the bag on a plate or inside a shallow baking dish to guard against leaks.

Marinate the chicken at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes (the longer the better), or refrigerate for up to 12 hours (I find about 5 to 6 hours is ideal—since this is a small amount of lemon juice, you can push to 24 hours if absolutely necessary). Do not let marinade for longer, or the meat will start to break down. Let the chicken stand at room temperature for 15 minutes prior to cooking.

Preheat

When ready to cook: Preheat your grill to medium high (425 to 450 degrees F) or preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess.

Grill

To grill: cook chicken over high heat until charred in spots and the internal temperature reaches 160 to 165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, flipping halfway through, about 8 to 12 minutes total for breasts or thighs or 4 to 8 minutes for tenders. Do not overcook!

Bake

To bake: Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a foil- or parchment-lined baking dish large enough to hold it comfortably without the chicken touching. Bake the chicken until it reaches 160 F to 165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer inserted at the thickest part. Don't overcook! For breasts you will need about 14 to 16 minutes (for small/medium breasts that are about 6 to 7 ounces), 16 to 20 minutes (for medium/large breasts that are 8 to 10 ounces), or 20 to 25 minutes (for larger breasts). Bake thighs or tenders for 15 to 20 minutes.

Rest

Remove the chicken to a plate and cover. Let rest for at least 5 minutes. Serve!