Balsamic Chicken Marinade Recipe – with video
Posted: 09/06/2017
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This balsamic chicken marinade is made using ingredients you probably have on hand. It will become a favorite for both grilling and baking in the oven!
I know the “interwebs” are full of pumpkin spice everything at this point, but we’re still keeping the grill going strong. If you’re not, make sure to bookmark this one for next grilling season, OR try it in your oven or a nice hot skillet on the stove. Have an air fryer? This marinated chicken is so good air fried.
I made this recently for a Labor Day family barbeque. One of the reasons I chose to make this marinade and not one of my usual ones (like this Greek marinade or my personal favorite shish tawook marinade), is because I was embarking on Whole 30. I must be out of my mind, right? NO POPCORN FOR 30 DAYS. Guys, I can do this. Right?
One question I keep getting from people when I tell them I’m doing Whole 30 is “WHY?”
And I get it. Beans are a friend of mine. Whole grains, too. And I don’t think dairy is the devil, obviously (I actually think it’s pretty great) — you’ll see a wealth of cheese, milk and butter here on Rachel Cooks.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with eating these foods. My diet isn’t overly sugary to begin with and I really only drink alcohol if we go out for dinner on the weekends or have guests over. So that part of it will be easy.
Well, not easy, but not impossible. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. I am writing this on day 1 though, so check back in 10 days and see if I still say it’s “easy.”
One of the main reasons I want to do Whole 30 is to retrain my brain in terms of food. So often if we’ve had a stressful bedtime with the kids, I come downstairs and I tell myself that I “need” a bowl of popcorn. No, I do not! I’m not hungry, I’m just stress eating. Or eating it because I like to unwind and watch TV with a bowl of butter-laden popcorn.
So, my mom is going to babysit my air popper (she threatened to sell it — what a meanie!) and I’m going to stay away from purchasing a new air popper on Amazon Prime.
I also want to see how I feel with the absence of these foods in my life. I’m pretty stubborn and strong-willed so it’s more a test of me than anything else. I want to put myself to the test and see how I fare with this exercise of willpower and discipline. Anyone done it? I know you’re out there! I’d love to hear your tips — could you leave them and any favorite Whole 30 recipes in the comment section?
Anyways, verrrrry long story short, I was hoping there would be some of this chicken leftover for me to eat once I started Whole 30, so I didn’t want to use yogurt in the marinade like I normally do. But there wasn’t any left. That’s a good sign that it was a success and I’ll definitely be making this balsamic chicken marinade time and time again.
PS: This site is not turning into all Whole 30 recipes for the next 30 days, or ever. I have lots of great content to share with you while I’m enjoying all my meat and vegetables. Don’t you worry! However, if you are looking for Whole30 inspiration, check out my list of easy Whole30 recipes. The recipes on this list are delicious wholesome eating whether you’re on Whole30 or not.
If you don’t want to grill this, it would be great broiled, baked, air fried, or cooked in a grill pan too. It would be absolutely fantastic on top of a salad or pasta.
The balsamic chicken marinade is very simple — without salt and pepper, it’s only 4 ingredients. You whisk together olive oil (I know you have some of that!), balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Add some salt and pepper and it’s chicken marinade perfection.
Tip: If you prefer, you can use a couple of cloves of minced garlic. I have family members who are sensitive to garlic so I often opt for garlic powder. Both will work great in this recipe!
I’d recommend marinating this chicken for at least 2 hours, but you can leave it in the marinade (in the fridge, of course!) for up to 24 hours.
Love balsamic vinegar?
So do I! Here’s a few more recipes you may want to try:
- Honey Balsamic Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
- Roasted Mushrooms with Balsamic, Thyme, and Dijon Mustard
- Balsamic Roasted Vegetables
- Bruschetta Chicken Recipe
- Slow Cooker Pork Loin with Balsamic Glaze
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
A marinade made with ingredients you probably have on hand, it's going to become a favorite for both grilling and baking in the oven!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1-4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
Instructions
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Place chicken in a bowl or a zip-top bag and pour marinade over chicken. Move chicken around to make sure it's all coated with marinade. Place in fridge and let marinate for at least 2 hours up to 24 hours before grilling.
- Cook until internal temperature reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant read thermometer.
Notes
- I like to use white balsamic vinegar so I don’t discolor the chicken, but traditional balsamic vinegar will work too. Note: This is my favorite thermometer!
- Nutritional information is a very rough estimate, given that much of the marinade is thrown out.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 118kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 51mg, Sodium: 98mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Rob Lee says
By the time they get done talking about it with their word salad I would probably be starve to death when I got to the ingredients
Rachel Gurk says
Hi Rob,
Thank goodness you still had time to leave this comment before you starved to death! You’ll notice there’s a “jump to recipe” button at the top of every blog post that will quickly bring you to the recipe with one click. If that’s too much of a hardship, you might want to consider buying a cookbook rather than spending your time writing unkind comments to content creators who spend hours and hours (and lots of money!) creating free recipes for people like you.
Have a nice day!
Kimberly says
Tried this tonight, with a little more vinegar than oil. Marinated chicken about 3 hours. Perfect flavor! Thank you for a quick, delicious recipe.
Rachel Gurk says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Patricia Ryan says
Is the carb count right for one serving ? Seems pretty high. Thank you. Looks delish !
Rachel Gurk says
It’s super tricky to calculate nutritional information on a marinade since so much of it is discarded. It’s definitely just a rough estimate, so take it with a grain of salt, or consult with a dietitian.
Caitlyn says
Favorite balsamic marinade so far! Thank you! I put this over zucchini noodles with honey glazed bacon. Delicious!
I also appreciate the note, because I too prefer the white to keep it looking… more like chicken, lol.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! That sounds like a phenomenal meal!
D Mathews says
Saw a comment in which someone didn’t know at what temperature this should bake or for how long. Anyone that’s puttered around a kitchen should now that the default oven temp for nearly any purpose is 350 F. ..unless a slow roast or a high temp flash is needed. Also…at that temp the fallback time is about 30 min. unless it’s a roast or something cut quite thin. So 350 F for 30 min is a universal standard. It has to do with the temp threshold needed to break down proteins, etc. So it’s Bio Chemistry and Physics!
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks for your input! You’re spot on!