12 Quick Marinades That Make Boneless Chicken Breasts So Much Better

updated Oct 3, 2023

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Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are a great go-to dinner option for so many reasons. They’re cheap, easy to cook, and filled with lean protein. But, if we’re being honest, they aren’t always that tasty. Often they’re dry, rubbery, and lacking flavor.

One way to get around this? Marinades. Not only do they help tenderize chicken breasts and make sure they don’t dry out, they also infuse the chicken with flavor and spice so it’s something you’ll actually look forward to eating.

From an herby pesto to a tangy yogurt marinade, we rounded up 12 of our favorite go-to marinades to make boneless, skinless chicken breasts taste amazing (really!). Some of the recipes specify how to cook the chicken (grilling, baking, etc.), but you can pretty much cook them however you like after they’re done marinading. And if you need a quick refresher on how to quickly cook chicken breasts, we’ve got you covered.

Quick Chicken Breasts Marinades

1 / 12

Easy Garlic & Herb Marinade for Tofu, Chicken, or Pork

With just the right balance of tart lemon and pungent garlic, this is a bold-flavored marinade for tofu, chicken, or pork.

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2 / 12

Ultimate Marinade for Juicy Chicken

This lemony chicken marinade will leave you with juicy chicken hot off the grill.

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3 / 12

3-Ingredient Yogurt Marinated Chicken

A simple 3-ingredient yogurt marinade that makes for flavorful, juicy chicken.

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4 / 12

Magic Summer Sauce

A quick and easy 3-ingredient sauce that's a perfect condiment for grilled chicken, steak, and vegetables.

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5 / 12

Italian Salad Dressing

This recipe is technically a dressing. But it is also one of our absolute favorite marinades for chicken breasts! In fact, we’ve been singing the praises of using Italian dressing as a quick chicken marinade for quite some time now! Trust us on this.

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6 / 12

Fajita Marinade

Here's the only fajita marinade you'll ever need, made with freshly-squeezed lime juice, sliced onion and bell pepper, and flavor-packed dried spices.

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7 / 12

Korean BBQ Marinade

This recipe calls for Asian pear juice to help tenderize the chicken and add a touch of sweetness. You can find it in the international section of some speciality grocery stores, or make it by puréeing Asian pears and extracting their juice. If necessary, you can skip it. The marinade will be only a little less delicious.

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8 / 12

Easy Jalapeño Grilled Chicken

Flavored with tart lime and the fiery heat of jalapenos, these easy grilled chicken breasts are a summer stunner.

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9 / 12

Spicy Lemongrass Blender Marinade

This versatile marinade is made with lemongrass, chile-garlic sauce, fresh ginger, shallots, and lime juice.

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10 / 12

Citrus-Chile Blender Marinade

This easy marinade is made with orange and lime juices, canned chipotle peppers, onion, and garlic.

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11 / 12

Vietnamese Inspired Blender Marinade

This salty-sweet-sour marinade, which is directly inspired by the Vietnamese sauce nuoc cham, tastes great with beef and pork.

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12 / 12

Tamarind-Yogurt Blender Marinade

This easy, tangy blender marinade, which tastes great on lamb chops, is made with tamarind paste, yogurt, garam masala, shallot, and garlic.

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