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Home » Recipes » Chicken

3-Ingredient Chicken Marinade (no soy sauce)

Published: Mar 25, 2024 Last Updated: Dec 2024 by Lindsay This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and enjoy. 7 Comments

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5 from 74 ratings
Easy Grilled Chicken Thighs Recipe
Easy Grilled Chicken Thighs Recipe
Basic Chicken Marinade

Super simple basic chicken marinade with Worcestershire sauce that we use for everything! This is my favorite kid-friendly chicken recipe, and it couldn't be easier: three ingredients, cook the chicken however you'd like, done! We use this easy chicken marinade for grilling, and it's also a delicious way to make seared chicken breasts or broiled chicken thighs indoors. Mainly: yum. I serve this with roasted home fries and oyster mushrooms rockefeller (trust) to make an easy dinner!

Sliced grilled chicken thighs on a black cutting board.

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Maple marinated chicken, HELLO.

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  • Recipe Notes
  • Ingredients
  • Step by Step Instructions
  • Serving Suggestions
  • Make-Ahead Tips
  • Recipe
  • More Easy Chicken Recipes

Recipe Notes

We've been messing around with a collection of "regular" recipes that are 1. easy to make and 2. our kids will eat, and we've struck gold with this one.

We make some kind of grilled chicken recipe at least every week, and grilling is easy because it gets the spattering OUT OF THE HOUSE. I've messed around with a few easy chicken marinade recipes, but in the end it was always: something tangy, something savory, something sweet. The combo of just these three ingredients, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar give us everything we need for tons of flavor.

The great part about this marinade is that you can make a ton of it and keep it in the fridge, then use little bits anytime you want a quick chicken marinade! The sugar from the syrup gives this a maple glazed chicken feel with very little effort, and this is truly one of the most popular recipes we make all the time at home.

Sidebar, if you're having say a GRILLED MOMENT with lots of outside foods, may I suggest bacon wrapped grilled shrimp? Please make them asap. Trust. ALSO, if you have leftovers, use them on a kale cobb salad with pesto dressing - you won't regret it.

Ingredients

Glass bowl of raw chicken in marinade.

This marinade SERIOUSLY has just three ingredients. No water, no salt, no extras.

  • Worcestershire Sauce is the secret weapon because it has a few ingredients in one. It gives a super savory flavor to anything (see: marinated tofu), and deepens the umami flavor of the grilled chicken.
  • Maple Syrup adds sweetness and balances out the stronger Worcestershire flavor. You can use honey if you prefer.
  • Apple Cider Vinegar gives a "omg YUM" tang that is found in the best marinades. It doesn't make the chicken itself tangy, but it adds tons of flavor and depth to the dish.
  • Boneless Skinless Chicken is my preferred protein for this marinade - it cooks quickly so the sugar in the marinade doesn't burn too much, and chicken thighs in particular hold these flavors really well and stay nice and juicy on the grill.

Step by Step Instructions

Seriously, this is SO simple.

Whisk the ingredients together, add chicken. Let sit for as long as you can - I often start this around lunchtime to give 4 or so hours for the chicken to marinate, but even 20 minutes is enough for lots of flavor here.

Grilled charred chicken thighs on a black cutting board.

When you're ready to cook, pick a heat source. I've grilled this maple glazed chicken, seared it in a nonstick skillet and cast iron skillet, broiled the pieces, and honestly it all works. However YOU feel comfortable cooking chicken is how you should cook this.

Take the chicken out of the marinade and sprinkle it with salt on both sides. (ok fine this is a 4th ingredient)

**Note that the recipe doesn't have any oil. That works fine on a grill, but if you're cooking this inside I would drizzle some olive oil or use some cooking spray in the pan.

Cook the chicken until it's just cooked through, then let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving however you'd like.

Serving Suggestions

We serve this over salad a lot, but I also love it with broiled green beans and mashed potatoes for a classic square dinner meal, OR with crispy smashed potatoes because anything that resembles a french fry goes down a little easier, right?

Sliced grilled chicken with a large chef's knife on a black cutting board.

Make-Ahead Tips

For meal prep, we make a double or triple batch of chicken, cook it all, and use it on salads or in wraps for cold lunches throughout the week. I don't freeze already cooked meat (unless it's in a stew or curry or similar) because it gets a weird texture to me when it's thawed. Some people freeze grilled chicken, though!

Our kids love this, so having extra in the fridge is nice for a "throw food on plate, eat, you monster" kid friendly chicken recipe. Maybe it's just my kids, but "waiting politely until 5:30" is honestly not a skill we possess every day.

Could I use this on other types of protein? Um, yes yes yes! Same deal, cook the protein however you like; this would be delicious on pork chops, tofu, shrimp - lots of things!

White bowl with salad, grilled chicken, and tomatoes.

Aaaaaand that's it! Basic chicken marinade, to have and to hold, love of my life. Honestly I've made some marinades with a gazillion ingredients, and sometimes those are fun to play with, but this particular combination of these 3 ingredients has been so delicious for us all summer. Besides the salt right before cooking, I don't think this is missing anything.

Plus: When this is cooked and charred the syrup gets all sticky, and if we call this maple glazed chicken it is DEFINITELY a fall recipe, right? v basic.

Enjoy this! It's a favorite around here.

(PS! If you're like me and gathering a stash of kid friendly recipes with chicken, my easy baked chicken tenders recipe are super duper easy and delicious winners!)

Recipe

Close up pieces of sliced grilled marinated chicken.

3-Ingredient Chicken Marinade

Lindsay Howerton-Hastings
Easy and delicious basic chicken marinade that works with any kind of chicken you like! The sweet + tangy + savory combo makes this the perfect kid-friendly chicken recipe, and charred on the grill adds even more flavor. Memorize this recipe!
5 from 74 ratings
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour hr
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Course Main
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • Nonstick Skillet
  • Glass Mixing Bowl
  • Cutting Board
  • Measuring Cups And Spoons

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • Whisk together the syrup, vinegar, and worcestershire sauce. Add the chicken and let marinate, 20 minutes or up to 4 hours.
  • When ready to cook, preheat a grill or grill pan for direct-heat grilling (medium-high or so).
  • Grill or sear the chicken for about 7 minutes on each side until charred and cooked through.
  • Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving with your favorite dinner.

Notes

We grill our chicken when the weather allows to cut down on dishes, but this chicken marinade works for searing inside, a grill pan, or even broiling. Depending on your preferred cooking method, the time will vary, but aim to cook the chicken until it's juuuuuust done (165F if you're using a meat thermometer) and then remove from the heat so the chicken doesn't dry out.
This recipe doesn't contain oil, so if you cook this indoors use some oil or cooking spray to cook your chicken. I recommend a cast iron skillet for good searing indoors.
Serving suggestion: Your favorite side dishes! I love grilled chicken with baked potatoes.
Variation: This marinade works beautifully on chicken, steak, pork, and tofu! It is truly all-purpose and is delightful on any protein you enjoy.
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

This recipe was originally published in September 2020 and has been updated with more clear instructions.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karen

    March 09, 2023 at 6:31 pm

    5 stars
    Wow - for 3 ingredients, this is quite amazing! This will be my next go-to when I am in dinner time panic mode. The entire family loved it and devoured their entire meal. Will make again soon .

    Reply
  2. Lisa

    March 07, 2023 at 8:49 pm

    5 stars
    Looks delicious.

    Reply
  3. Amy Liu Dong

    March 07, 2023 at 12:46 pm

    5 stars
    This looks so delicious and I love how easy to make this recipe.
    My family enjoys eating this dish!

    Reply
  4. Angela

    March 06, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    5 stars
    I love this easy marinade. I always have these ingredients on hand.

    Reply
  5. Jessica Formicola

    March 06, 2023 at 2:21 pm

    5 stars
    This is my new go to chicken marinade!

    Reply
  6. Julianne

    September 23, 2020 at 1:03 pm

    I can't wait to try this!!

    Reply
    • Lindsay

      September 23, 2020 at 2:59 pm

      You'll love it! It's excellent for meal prep salads and wraps, v adult.

      Reply
5 from 74 votes (69 ratings without comment)

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Image of Lindsay Howerton-Hastings smiling sitting on dark gray couch wearing chambray blue shirt.

Hi! I'm Lindsay. I'm a maternal mental health therapist, a recipe developer, food writer, and taker of all kinds of pictures. Thank you so much for being here! This blog is about how to take care of yourself and your people without taking anything too seriously.

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Basic Chicken Marinade
Easy Grilled Chicken Thighs Recipe
 

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