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7 Chicken Marinades

With these 7 flavourful chicken marinades, chicken breast will never be boring again.
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Western
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 5
Calories 77kcal

Ingredients

Nutmeg Orange Chicken Marinade {Gluten-Free, Paleo, Whole 30}

  • 125 ml (1/2 cup) smooth orange juice
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground all spice
  • A pinch of ground cloves optional
  • Salt

Herb Chicken Marinade {Gluten-Free, Keto, Paleo, Whole 30}

  • 125 ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp Herbes de Provence (or dried mixed herbs)
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground garlic
  • Salt
  • Ground black pepper

Thai Red Curry Chicken Marinade {Gluten-Free}

  • 125 ml (1/2 cup) coconut milk
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Thai red Curry or to taste
  • 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • Pinch of chilli flakes

Mexican Chicken Breast Marinade {Gluten-Free, Keto, Paleo, Whole 30}

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp chicken stock
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp chipotle paste
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • Salt

Sweet Chilli Chicken Marinade {Gluten-Free}

  • 125 ml (1/2 cup) sweet chilli sauce
  • 2-3 tbsp tamari soy sauce or plain soy sauce if not gluten-free

Pesto Chicken Breast Marinade {Gluten-Free, Keto}

  • 180 ml (3/4 cup) pesto (note if pesto is thick then thin with a few tbsp of olive oil or chicken stock)

Honey Chipotle Chicken Marinade {Gluten-Free, Paleo}

  • 4 tbsp Honey
  • 4 tbsp chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp smoked chipotle paste
  • 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice or to taste
  • Salt

Instructions

How to Cook Marinated Chicken in the Oven

  • Preheat oven to fan-assisted 180C / 200C / 400F / gas 6.
  • Add chicken to a baking pan in a single layer.
  • Bake for 25-30 mins (begin to check at 25 mins) until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle and the internal temperature has reached at least 74C (165 F).
  • Let chicken breasts rest for at least 5 mins before serving.

How to Cook Marinated Chicken in an Instant Pot

  • Add 1 cup of chicken broth into the instant pot insert, place the trivet inside, before adding the chicken fillets on top of the trivet.
  • Cover your Instant Pot and set the valve to the SEALING position.
  • Select the manual setting (or poultry setting), make sure the pressure is set to high and set the timer to 5 mins.
  • Let the steam release naturally for about 8 mins (10 mins for thicker chicken breasts) before quick releasing then opening.
  • Make sure the internal temperature has reached at least 74C (165 F).
  • Let chicken breasts rest for at least 5 mins before serving.

How to Cook Marinated Chicken on the Grill/Grill Pan/BBQ

  • Heat grill to high heat.
  • Grill chicken breasts for 3-4 mins on each side until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle and the internal temperature has reached at least 74C (165 F).
  • Let chicken breasts rest for at least 5 mins before serving.

How to Cook Marinated Chicken in a Slow Cooker

  • Add both chicken breasts to a slow cooker bowl, then add marinade on top.
  • Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hrs or 3-4 hrs on high.
  • Make sure the internal temperature has reached at least 74C (165 F).
  • Let chicken breasts rest for at least 5 mins before serving.

Notes

Cook/prep/total time provided for grill only and assumes that you marinate the chicken for 30 mins.
Nutrition facts provided for Nutmeg Orange Marinade only (chicken not included).
How to Use these Chicken Marinades
Marinate your chicken in Ziploc (or equivalent) bags – I highly recommend freezer bags even if you don’t freeze your chicken marinades. The freezer bags are sturdier and less likely to rip.
Each chicken marinade recipe will make enough to marinate 4 chicken breasts (approximately 0.7 kg/1.5 lbs) so halve or multiply up as needed.
You can marinate in the fridge or freezer. 

How to Cook Marinated Chicken: Tips

No matter which method you use, always check the internal temperature of your chicken breasts to make sure they’re safe to eat (meat is done when the internal temperature reaches at least 74C (165 F)).
The standard chicken marinade recipe provides enough marinade for 4 chicken breasts (approximately 0.7kg/1.5 lbs), so the cook times below are for that quantity.
After you remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, discard the remaining marinade
Weight Watchers Points in Chicken Marinades
From my research, I found that most people assign 1 point to marinades without sweetener and 2 points to marinades with sweetener. This might be an over-calculation, but it's better to err on the side of too many than too few. So......
  • Nutmeg Orange Marinade: 2 points/serving
  • Herb Marinade: 1 point/serving
  • Thai Red Curry Marinade: 2 points/serving
  • Mexican Marinade: 1 point/serving
  • Sweet Chilli Marinade: 2 points/serving
  • Pesto Marinade: 1 point/serving
  • Honey Chipotle Marinade: 2 points/serving
This points value applies to both Freestyle and PointsPlus. And remember, on Freestyle, the chicken breast itself is a 'free' food.

Nutrition

Calories: 77kcal | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Iron: 0.1mg