This incredibly easy honey garlic chicken marinade delivers big flavor with few ingredients to make your chicken dinner anything but boring. Just simple, common pantry items like honey, olive oil, soy sauce, and garlic is all it takes to find your next family favorite go-to dinner.
Use this marinade for grilled, air fryer, baked or instant pot chicken.
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One of the easiest dinners when you're in a crunch is to quickly cook up some chicken. This amazing marinade will take that last-minute meal to a chicken dinner with rave reviews.
With a hint of Asian flavors, this marinade is sweet, salty, tangy, and savory all in one for a truly satisfying and addictive way to serve chicken. Your family will love this super easy marinade and it's sure to be a new family favorite.
🥘 Ingredients
This marinade only takes minutes to whip up and gets your chicken well on its way to being part of a hearty dinner. Just 4 pantry staples plus salt and pepper combine to make an out-of-this world marinade.
- Honey - I love honey! SO MUCH so that I want to add beehives to the back property this year 🙂 Measuring tip - use the same measuring tablespoon for the oil first, then measure out your honey. Using the oil-coated tablespoon will keep the honey from sticking.
- Soy Sauce - adds that salty, savory element for the wonderful umami flavor of this marinade. Reduced sodium or liquid aminos will work too.
- Olive Oil - helps to distribute your marinade and keep the chicken moist through the cooking process.
- Garlic - is a great addition for that distinctive somewhat earthy flavor. The contrast with honey is amazing. Use 1 tablespoon of fresh, minced garlic or substitute 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Salt & Pepper - are the basics that will highlight and heighten all of the flavor profiles of the marinade ingredients.
🔪 How To Make Honey Garlic Chicken Marinade
After you've gathered up your chicken breasts or chicken thighs, plus the simple ingredients, you'll also need a plastic storage bag. Using the ziploc type zip-top bags allows the marinade to stay in contact with, or 'cling', to the chicken for best marinating results.
- In a small bowl, combine the honey, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Place your chicken and the honey garlic marinade in a plastic storage bag, then squeeze out any excess air while sealing the bag securely.
- Massage the marinade into the chicken by squishing the marinade throughout the storage bag until the chicken is well-coated.
- Transfer the sealed chicken to your refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. Freeze for up to 3 months.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- If you will be grilling whole chicken breasts, it is best to flatten the chicken breasts for quick and even cooking. Place your chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic cling film and pound with a meat mallet or tenderizer ( the flat side ). Start at the center of the chicken breast and work your way toward the edges. Continue until the chicken breast is even in thickness.
🍗 Marinating the Chicken
- Your chicken needs to marinate for at least 15 - 20 minutes before cooking. The longer you can let the chicken marinate, the more flavorful the resulting chicken will be!
- I would usually recommend at least 4 hours, or overnight ( 8 - 24 hours ) for optimal marinating. However, you can marinate the chicken for up to 2 days refrigerated. This is the maximum amount of time that I would marinate chicken in a soy sauce-based marinade.
🥡 Storing
Frozen chicken pieces can usually be stored in the freezer for 6 months or more. However, I recommend freezing your marinated chicken for a maximum of three months.
Allow the frozen marinated chicken to thaw while refrigerated overnight. The marinade will slowly seep into your chicken while it thaws, making it just delicious!
Check out all of my tasty and easy chicken marinades in one place. Each marinade is absolutely perfect for grilled, pan-fried, or oven-baked chicken breasts, thighs, chicken wings, kabobs, and more!
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📖 Recipe Card
Honey Garlic Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- ¼ teaspoon each, salt & pepper
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the honey, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Place the chicken and the marinade into a ziploc plastic storage bag, then squeeze out the air while sealing securely.
- Massage the marinade into the chicken by squishing the marinade throughout the bag until the chicken is thoroughly coated.
- For best results refrigerate for at least 4 hours before use. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
If you will be grilling whole chicken breasts, it is best to flatten the chicken breasts for quick and even cooking. Place your chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic cling film and pound with a meat mallet or tenderizer ( the flat side ). Start at the center of the chicken breast and work your way toward the edges.
Bea Katana says
We made this last night with boneless chicken thighs. It was good, but to my taste missing essential components, acid or heat or both. Gochujang or Sriracha are two possibilites, diced pineapple, another.
Julia says
TOTALLY AGREE! Made according to directions, taste tested before putting on chicken & immediately realized it's w/o a doubt missing acid & heat! Added lemon juice & CRP! Zinged it right up!
Marlene Fontanetta says
Can you air fry the chicken using this recipe?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Yes, you can air fry marinated chicken. Just be sure to dab as much excess liquid off as possible before cooking. Enjoy!
Jay Kenney says
How can you add a sauce to drizzle over the top of rice ? That has a similar taste ?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Hi Jay, you would want to make a small second batch and simmer it down, reduce the liquid a little and that will also concentrate the flavor!
Jay says
Do you use regular soy or all purpose?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Soy sauce includes "regular", "all-purpose", "normal", and/or "standard". These are soy sauce bottles that are labeled 'soy sauce' and not "light soy sauce" or "dark soy sauce". Thanks for asking!
Jay Kenney says
This was amazing thanks for sharing!!!!
Alisha says
How long and what temp do you cook this chicken recipe at with boneless chicken thighs
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
I prefer to cook my chicken at a higher temperature in the oven, say 400F for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of your portions. Once the thickest piece of chicken temps at 165F you're good to go!