This grilled chicken marinade gives you the most tender and juicy chicken on the grill, or any way you cook it, every time, with big flavor and zing!
Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe
Are you looking for the best chicken marinade ever? You found it! This simple chicken marinade lets you make tender, juicy chicken that's huge on flavor every single time.
Marinating your chicken before grilling it up is a smart way to ensure a juicy, tender and flavorful meal. There are many options for marinating, but this spicy bbq chicken marinade that will REALLY spice it up for you.
This is my favorite way to marinate chicken and it has never failed me.
It's great for any cut of chicken, so if you're looking for a chicken breast marinade, chicken thigh marinade, chicken wing marinade, it doesn't matter.
This recipe is everything you need when grilling up chicken.
Ingredients in Spicy BBQ Chicken Marinade
The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Olive Oil.
- Vinegar. Use apple cider vinegar, or try malt vinegar or red wine vinegar for a nice spin.
- Worcestershire Sauce.
- Hot Sauce. I am using a spicy homemade habanero hot sauce, but you can use your favorite based on taste and heat level preferences.
- Spices. Dried basil, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Chicken. Use any of your favorite cuts.
Heat Factor
Mild-Medium. The heat will depend on your choice of chili powder. Cayenne will give a nice touch of heat, but if you're looking for extra heat and spice, use ghost peppers or a good ghost powder.
However! If you'd like to go even HOTTER, either include more of the ghost pepper powder, or go with a superhot chili powder. I LOVE my batch of homemade 7-Pot Chili Powder. I use my dehydrator to dry chilies from my garden and grind into my own powders for these sorts of recipes.
See - How to Dehydrate Chili Peppers and Make Homemade Chili Powders and Spice Blends.
How to Make Grilled Chicken Marinade
Whisk the Ingredients. Here comes the hard part, my friends. Add everything to a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Easy, right? Look at all those spices. This is going to make some awesome chicken right here, let me tell you.
Marinate the Chicken. When the marinade is ready, just add the chicken to the marinade and cover it. A plastic bag also works well.
Cover and Refrigerate. Cover it and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or overnight for the most flavorful chicken.
Boom! Done! This is my favorite chicken marinade for grilling, and I know you're going to love it. It's also great for baked chicken, or anyway you prefer to cook your chicken.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Use any cut of chicken. You can use this marinade for any cut of chicken, with or without the bone. I tend to use this for chicken breasts, though it's great for chicken thighs, legs and wings, bone-in or boneless chicken. I love it with boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- Adjust the ingredients. You can easily adjust the amounts of liquids and spices used to achieve your own desired heat level and consistency. I tend to like a bit more oil, as I find that translates to juicier chicken when cooking.
- Add other ingredients. You can squeeze in a bit of lemon juice or lime juice if you'd like a pop of citrus. Some other flavorful additions include dijon mustard, brown sugar or maple syrup (for a touch of sweetness), soy sauce, and/or balsamic vinegar.
Storage
Chicken marinade can be made several days ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use. Store it in an airtight container.
You can also marinate your chicken then freeze it with the marinade for simple meal prep. Then, when ready to cook, simply thaw the marinated chicken and fire up the grill.
Try Some of My Other Popular Marinade Recipes
If you enjoy my easy chicken marinade recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (or try malt vinegar)
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons habanero hot sauce (or use your favorite)
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (use ghost chili powder for some EXTRA HEAT)
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 pounds chicken approximately
Instructions
- Whisk all of the ingredients together until well combined.
- Marinate your chicken in a baggie or large bowl, sealed, at least 2 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight for even more flavor.
- Cook your chicken however you'd like. Discard the marinade before using. Be sure to cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (74 C) when measured with a meat thermometer.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 5/31/24 to include new information, photos, and video. It was originally published on 8/20/18.
Johannes Leyman says
46 comments so far: "Awesome", "Outstanding", "Phenomenal", and so it continues. I totally agree. Your Blackened Chicken recipe has been a favorite, but I think this even tops it. I had four nice chicken breast fillets, and as you suggested, I added some honey to the marinade. After three hours in the fridge and one hour at room temperature: Four minutes per side at around 230°C on the GBS cast iron sear grate in my Weber Master Touch, then (with some extra marinade on top) into the oven at 150°C to get the right internal temperature. The result? So flavorful, so tender! And the video is as enjoyable and inspiring to watch as usual. All the best from Sweden!
Mike H. says
I really appreciate your comment, Johannes. Very inspirational! Enjoy!
Katherine says
Thank you for this outstanding flavorful recipe. My whole family loved it! Can’t wait to try your chicken marinade next.
Mike H. says
I appreciate it, Katherine - super happy to hear about your family having a great time. Enjoy!
Jamie says
This marinade makes all chicken disappear immediately. Soo good!
Mike Hultquist says
Nice!! Thanks, Jamie!
Greg Cole says
Outstanding flavor. Love it. Marinated for 24 hours. My new favorite!
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent!!! Thanks, Greg!!
Tom Valeri says
I made this chicken tonight and then diced it and put it with some pasta in a spicy cream sauce. It was amazing!
Mike Hultquist says
That's awesome! Perfect use for it! Thanks, Tom! Glad you enjoyed it.
Ramya says
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use tofu and vegan worcestershire sauce i never had the best grilled chicken marinade before perfect for my after office meals
Mike Hultquist says
Works great for tofu as well.
Tamara says
This recipe was perfect! I used my own amounts of ingredients. I used apple cider vinegar and sriracha sauce because I had it on hand. I also used a sweet bbq sauce at the end of cooking.
My husband thought it was the best flavored grilled chicken yet!
Mike H. says
Thanks a lot, Tamara. Very pleased to hear it.
Kim says
This recipe is phenomenal, as are all of your recipes that I've tried. We've been grilling the chicken, but due to rain, we baked it last night, and it was just as delicious! Thank you for making this cook a star in the kitchen!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Kim! Glad you liked it! Adds big flavor for sure!
Jill Hill says
I am making a barbecue and need to par coom it for 10 mins before hand. Can it be cooked in the marinade for 10 mins is that ok??
Mike Hultquist says
I'm not sure I follow. Do you want to cook the marinade before marinating the chicken? Or par cook the chicken, then marinate? Here is what I would do - I would marinate the chicken, then partially cook it. Cool it right away, wrap tightly, and refrigerate until the BBQ. Also, boil the marinade to use as a glaze/sauce. When it's time to grill, finish the chicken on the grill until cooked through, using the cooked marinade as a glaze or sauce. 10 minutes boiling of the marinade should be sufficient. I hope this helps.
Kynthia says
Made this for chicken skewers, chicken, onion, mushroom and sweet pepper (bell) used Chipotle and added dried orange peel to give more of a fruit flavor. Also used mild taco sauce instead of hot sauce. Nice little bite to the marinade. But not so hot the kids won't eat it. I also used white balsamic instead of malt vinegar.
I all be dressing the skewers with kikkoman orange sauce to sweeten it up for a sweet spicy bite.
Mike Hultquist says
Great! Thanks, Kynthia!
Justin says
I make this all the time. Absolutely love it. A few small tweaks I make. I'm not big on vinegar, so I skip that. I substitute morita powder for the smoked paprika (much hotter). I've tried several different hot sauces but Tapatio is the best. I also add a teaspoon of liquid smoke. A few turns of the Trader Joe's ghost pepper grinder is all that is needed with the morita powder substitute.
Mike Hultquist says
Great tweaks, Justin!
Michele says
WOW! Best chicken marinade we have ever tasted.
Mike Hultquist says
Wonderful! Thanks, Michele!!