This Italian chicken marinade is 100% homemade with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Italian seasoning, basil, and red pepper flakes! It's easy to make in 5 minutes and only requires a handful of basic ingredients! Get ready for some juicy, tender, and flavorful Italian chicken that your family will love!
Easy Italian Chicken Marinade
It's hard to say you have a favorite marinade flavor when you really love the variety and have so many great recipes to choose from! But I do seriously love the flavor combination of basil and lemon, which just shines in this Italian chicken marinade!
This marinade is perfect for preparing your favorite grilled, pan-fried, roasted, or baked chicken recipes! Plus, it can be used on any cut of chicken, from breasts to thighs.
Jump to:
Check out all of my fantastic, tasty, and oh-so-easy chicken marinades in one place! The marinades are absolutely perfect for grilled, pan-fried, or oven-baked chicken breasts, thighs, wings, skewers, and much more!
🥘 Italian Chicken Marinade Ingredients
Six simple ingredients combine to make an incredibly tasty marinade that features traditional Italian flavors! Stick with the staple jarred garlic, bottled lemon, and dried herbs, or use their fresh counterparts for an even bigger punch of flavor!
- Olive Oil - ¼ cup of olive oil. Use EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) for the best flavor, or substitute with your preferred cooking oil.
- Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Basil - 2 tablespoons of basil. This adds its distinctive sweet but peppery taste that works so well in combination with all of the Italian marinade ingredients!
- Italian Seasoning - 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning. Use my recipe or your dried Italian seasoning in the spice rack or cabinet is fantastic in this marinade! If you want a slightly better version, the produce aisle also has an Italian herb blend offered in the freeze-dried herbs section.
- Garlic - ½ tablespoon of garlic. Fresh minced garlic or jarred minced garlic are both equally wonderful in marinades! If you don't have garlic on hand, use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
- Red Pepper Flakes - 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes for just a touch of tangy flavor without making this herb marinade spicy!
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Italian Chicken Marinade
In addition to the ingredients above, I do recommend marinating your chicken in a Ziploc or zip-top style plastic storage bag as it helps the marinade cling to the chicken best, which results in a better flavor! You will also need a small mixing bowl and some measuring utensils.
This recipe will make about ⅜ of a cup or 6 tablespoons of marinade for each 1 pound of chicken! However, you can scale up or down depending on the amount of chicken you are cooking with.
- Combine. In a small mixing bowl combine the ¼ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoon basil, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, ½ tablespoon minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes. Whisk until well combined.
- Transfer. Transfer your chicken and marinade into a Ziploc plastic storage bag and seal securely while forcing out the excess air.
- Massage the chicken. Massage the marinade into the chicken to make sure that it is evenly coated. Squish the marinade throughout the bag until all of the herbs are distributed around the chicken.
- Marinate chicken. Refrigerate and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 4 hours. Freeze for up to 3 months.
For more delicious chicken dinner ideas, check out my easy chicken breast recipes and crockpot chicken recipes! However, you can never go wrong with this incredibly easy Italian chicken marinade on chicken breasts or thighs! Enjoy!
🐔 How To Marinate Chicken
Your chicken should be marinated for at least 15 - 20 minutes before cooking. The longer you can let the chicken marinate, the more flavorful it will be!
I 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 I would marinate chicken in a citrus-based marinade.
While frozen chicken pieces can be stored in the freezer for 6 months or more, I recommend freezing marinated chicken for no more than three months. Transfer your frozen chicken to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw overnight.
The marinade will slowly seep into your chicken while it's thawing, making your chicken juicy and delicious!
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- This marinade makes ⅜ cup or 6 tablespoons of marinade for each 1 pound of chicken.
- Fresh lemon juice adds amazing flavor to this super easy marinade, add some zest for an even more delicious kick! Bottled lemon juice will work adequately for marinades, but I recommend fresh for the best flavors.
- Fresh basil is always wonderful, but the tube of basil or freeze-dried basil that can be found in the produce aisle is also great! Sometimes you can find small packs of basil in the freezer as well. Or dried herbs work in a pinch.
- If you don't have garlic on hand, use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
- If you will be grilling boneless, skinless 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 them 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 is even in thickness.
🥡 Storing
You can prepare the marinade ahead of time if you'd like! Store it in the fridge in a storage bag or airtight container for up to a week. For longer storage, you can freeze it for up to 1 year!
>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<
❓ Recipe FAQs
You can marinate chicken for at least 15-20 minutes However, if you plan ahead, I highly recommend at least marinating your chicken for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours for the best results!
Feel free to use this delicious marinade on your favorite cut of chicken, from chicken breasts to chicken thighs! Keep in mind that you will have different cooking times so make sure to have a meat thermometer on hand!
Absolutely! Although chicken can normally be frozen for up to 6 months in the freezer, I recommend only freezing marinated chicken for 3 months max. Place your chicken and marinade in a heavy-duty freezer bag before freezing and thaw it out in the fridge overnight before cooking.
🍗 Tasty Chicken Dinners
- Sous Vide Chicken Breast - This recipe will make perfectly juicy and tender chicken breasts every time!
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken - If you're looking for a practically effortless, yet delicious chicken dinner recipe, then this is the one for you!
- Chicken Fajitas - There's no need to go out to eat when you can make incredibly flavorful chicken fajitas at home!
- Ritz Chicken - This butter chicken recipe is easy to make, wonderfully crispy, and full of tasty flavor!
- Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas - These enchiladas are made with a green enchilada sauce, taco seasoning, and sour cream!
- Roasted Sasso Chicken - Make this impressive dinner the next time you are celebrating a special occasion!
Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Stay in touch with me through social media @ Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! Subscribe to the newsletter today (no spam, I promise)! Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!
📖 Recipe Card
Italian Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil (extra virgin)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon basil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ tablespoon garlic
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, basil, Italian seasoning, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a small mixing bowl, then whisk them together.
- Place the chicken and marinade to a ziploc plastic storage bag, then squeeze out the excess air while securely sealing the bag.
- Massage the marinade into the chicken by squishing the marinade throughout the bag. Make sure that the chicken is evenly coated with marinade.
- For best results, refrigerate for at least 4 hours before use. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- This marinade makes ⅜ cup or 6 tablespoons of marinade for each 1 pound of chicken.
- Fresh lemon juice adds amazing flavor to this super easy marinade, add some zest for an even more delicious kick! Bottled lemon juice will work adequately for marinades, but I recommend fresh for the best flavors.
- Fresh basil is always wonderful, but the tube of basil or freeze-dried basil that can be found in the produce aisle is also great! Sometimes you can find small packs of basil in the freezer as well. Or dried herbs work in a pinch.
- If you don't have garlic on hand, use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
- If you will be grilling boneless, skinless 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 them 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 is even in thickness.
Conny says
Best side dishes for this?
Angela Latimer says
Rice, orzo, or roasted potatoes and a side salad are my most common sides. There are plenty to pick in this collection that would pair well with the Italian chicken marinade flavor. See https://bakeitwithlove.com/what-to-serve-with-chicken/ Thanks for asking!
J says
So, no salt?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Yes, this is a marinade, no salt is necessary.