3-Ingredient Chicken Marinade (no soy sauce)

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.

Maple marinated chicken, HELLO.

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

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.

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?

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!

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!)