Easy Lemon Chicken Marinade
- PREP 10min
- TOTAL 10min
We love this lemon garlic chicken marinade! This recipe makes enough marinade for 2 to 3 pounds of chicken. It works great for chicken, but you can also use it for turkey, pork, fish, shrimp, tofu, and vegetables.
Feel free to use the marinade for basting while cooking or grilling. Just remember to set aside a portion of the marinade before adding your ingredients if you plan to baste.
You Will Need
2 lemons
2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional
Directions
Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zest of 1 lemon, then juice the lemons so you have 1/4 cup (60ml) of juice.
Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper together in a small bowl until the salt has dissolved.
Stir in the garlic, lemon zest, and parsley (if using).
Place the chicken in the marinade, and then move it around a few times to ensure it’s well coated. Refrigerate for up to 6 hours or 2 hours for boneless chicken breasts.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Fresh herbs: I love parsley, but dill, cilantro, and basil are also lovely.
- Marinating time: Due to the acidic nature of the lemon juice, we recommend marinating chicken for no longer than 6 hours. If you’re marinating fish, 30 minutes or less is adequate.
- To turn into a salad dressing: Increase the olive oil to 1/4 cup and whisk until blended. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then discard the garlic and lemon zest. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt. Add a sprinkle of sugar or a little honey to balance the acidity and the mustard.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.