12 Chicken Marinades That Will Upgrade Your Dinner

Embrace the marinade for your next chicken dinner -- not only will it infuse the meat with flavor, but with leaner cuts, such as cutlets or breast, a good marinade can help keep the meat tender and juicy. The marinating options are endless, use our recipes as a starting point for your culinary explorations.

Easy Roasted Chicken Thighs

Flavorful dark meat doesn’t need much; a simple olive oil and lemon marinade tenderizes the meat and takes the flavor in a brighter, zestier direction.

A herb-infused marinade gives the chicken a delightful tanginess and also tenderizes the meat.

By slicing the chicken breast into thin strips, the meat needs only a quick marinade to soak in the umami-rich flavors of soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil and crushed red pepper flakes.

As there's no acid in this marinade, the chicken can sit in it without getting mushy or slightly cooked. Plus, the longer it sits in this garlicky bath, the better the flavor -- so feel free to marinate as long as overnight.

This marinade uses thick Greek-style yogurt and dill to give chicken kebabs a fresh flavor.

The fruity, spicy marinade used to make this traditional Jamaican dish relies on an intoxicating mix of allspice, chiles and thyme for its signature flavor.

The oregano, garlic, and lemon in the marinade give these chicken skewers a Mediterranean flair.

A marinade for after cooking? Yes, juicy chicken thighs are tossed in a herbaceous lemon vinaigrette, offering a new twist on ways to capitalize on flavorful marinades.

Chicken breast is a lean meat that easily dries out during cooking; this marinade relies on buttermilk to tenderize the meat, and fresh rosemary to give it an extra layer of flavor.

Bright Mediterranean flavors star in this quick-to-make marinade. Reserve some and brush it on during cooking -- then it will act as a glaze and add yet more flavor!

Using thin cuts such as chicken cutlets means you can impart flavor with a just a 10-minute marination.

This recipe draws inspiration from Greek flavors and streamlines it into a dish that takes just 20-minutes from start to finish.