Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This balsamic chicken marinade is made using ingredients you probably have on hand. It will become a favorite for grilling, air frying, or baking in the oven!
How long it takes: 5 minutes, plus marinating time
Equipment you’ll need: small bowl
Servings: makes enough marinade for 1 to 4 pounds of meat
I recently marinated a big batch of boneless skinless chicken breasts. My parents were coming over for dinner and I had a family pack of chicken in the fridge. Although one of my standbys is this zesty Italian chicken marinade, I was looking for something a little different to serve with my pasta and spicy tomato arrabbiata sauce.
I decided on this balsamic chicken marinade. It’s super easy and makes enough for a big package of chicken. With garlic, Italian seasoning, and tangy balsamic vinegar, I knew it would go great with my pasta dish, plus I had everything I needed in my pantry which meant no last minute dashes to the grocery store.
This is one of my favorite marinades. It adds tons of flavor to plain chicken because let’s face it: boneless skinless chicken breasts need a little help. They are a healthy source of protein but they can be kinda boring.
The marinated chicken was a big hit with my family. I was hoping there would be some chicken left over for me to eat for lunch the next day but there wasn’t any left. That’s a good sign that it was a success.
Balsamic Chicken Marinade
So simple: You won’t need fancy ingredients to make balsamic chicken marinade. Not counting salt and pepper, there are just 4 ingredients: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. It takes less than five minutes to stir up and this marinade packs a lot of flavor.
Better than bottled marinades: If you’ve been buying bottled marinades or those little packets of marinade mix, you may want to reconsider. It’s way more economical to make your own and so easy! Commercial marinades are often loaded with extra salt and sugar, in addition to preservatives and “natural flavors” which really aren’t natural at all.
Can be made ahead: This easy marinade is a great one to start out with and it may become the only marinade you ever use. It’s that good! You can even let the chicken marinate overnight so it’s seasoned and ready to go when you are.
Versatile (choose your preferred cooking method): By the way, marinated chicken does not have to be grilled. If you don’t want to grill tonight, it’s great baked in the oven, air fried, or cooked in a grill pan too.
I’ll run through the basics here. The recipe card near the end of the post has measurements, instructions for making the marinade, and how to cook the chicken (grill, bake, or air fry).
Ingredient Notes
- Olive Oil: A key ingredient of marinades, olive oil helps keep boneless chicken breasts moist and tender. It also aids in browning.
- Balsamic Vinegar: Most of you are probably familiar with dark colored aged balsamic vinegar. It adds a rich tangy flavor to many dishes. However, for this chicken marinade, I prefer white balsamic vinegar. It’s a little lighter in flavor and doesn’t discolor the chicken. If all you have in your pantry is regular balsamic vinegar, no worries. It will work just fine.
- Italian Seasoning: Combined with the balsamic vinegar, this blend of dry herbs adds just the right flavor notes. A popular brand contains: marjoram, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory, and sage.
- Garlic Powder: This fine light golden powder adds a mild garlic flavor. It is pure dehydrated garlic that has been ground into a powder. If you prefer a bolder garlic flavor, mince a few cloves of fresh garlic to add instead.
- Salt & Pepper: Simple seasonings that add so much!
- Chicken: This marinade will work for any cut of chicken. It’s written for boneless skinless chicken breasts but if you prefer dark meat, marinate boneless skinless chicken thighs instead. Bone-in cuts are fine, too, including drumsticks or wings. In fact, this marinade is great for pork tenderloin or steak, too.
How To Make This Balsamic Marinade
In a small bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients listed above (look at the recipe card below for measurements).
There are two good ways to marinate meat:
- In a resealable bag: Simply place the chicken pieces inside the bag, pour in the marinade, seal the bag, and squish the marinade around so it completely coats the chicken. Put the bag in a baking dish to ensure that you don’t end up with leaks in the refrigerator which is nasty and a pain to clean up.
- In a bowl: Place the chicken in a bowl, pour the marinade on it, and stir to make sure the chicken is coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
How To Cook Marinated Chicken
The chicken can be grilled, baked, air fried, or cooked on a stovetop grill pan. There are instructions for each method on the recipe card below. Cook chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Try not to overcook boneless skinless chicken breasts. They can become rather dry.
Serving Suggestions
Pasta: Marinated chicken can be served as a main course with pasta and sauce. Garnish the chicken with a drizzle of balsamic reduction and a sprinkle of fresh parsley or oregano. Serve it with fresh tomato pasta, which features a no-cook sauce made with marinated tomatoes, creamy vodka pasta, or simple stovetop mac and cheese.
Vegetable sides: Grilled chicken and a simple cooked vegetable come together quickly for a light and. healthy dinner. We love air fryer cauliflower or air fryer green beans. Sautéed sugar snap peas are easy and cook quickly. Roasted asparagus is delicious; try air fryer asparagus, too. Like corn on the cob? Try Instant Pot corn on the cob or air fryer corn on the cob; both recipes are so easy to make! Cheese & pesto stuffed zucchini go well, too.
Salads: Lately, we’ve been loving this grilled peach salad with burrata. It’s topped with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and goes really well with balsamic marinated grilled chicken. Another salad that goes really well is this grilled vegetable salad. Add thinly sliced chicken to your favorite salad to make it a main course salad. Dress it with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
Sandwiches & Bowls: Make a sandwich with sliced chicken or add it to your favorite meal bowl. Try this quinoa bowl with roasted tomatoes, ricotta and balsamic.
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.
Generally, it’s not a great idea to cook chicken in its marinade. Marinades often contain an acid such as vinegar or citrus juice. When the marinade cooks, it may become bitter or too concentrated. The chicken may turn out soggy or too mushy.
Never reuse a marinade to baste the chicken or as a sauce to put on the chicken unless it has been cooked thoroughly to remove pathogens. It should be boiled at least 5 minutes before using.
Recipe Variations
- Try the marinade on pork or steak. It’s perfect for almost any type of meat.
- Choose your cooking method. Not in the mood to grill? No problem, this marinated chicken can be baked, air fried, or cooked on a stovetop grill pan. You’ll find instructions on the recipe card below.
- Amp up the garlic. Love garlic? Substitute minced garlic cloves for the garlic powder.
- Looking for something else? Looking for the best soy sauce marinade? Try my Asian chicken marinade or take a look at the marinade recipes listed below.
The chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours. Stir up the marinade the night before, pour it over the chicken and refrigerate.
Like to food prep? Cook up a big batch of chicken and refrigerate or freeze it for future meals.
Store leftover cooked chicken in the refrigerator or freezer. It will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Chicken can be reheated in the microwave or in your air fryer.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan #17. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week! We add a new meal plan weekly.
Have Extra Balsamic Vinegar?
Here are a few more recipes you may want to try:
- Sheet Pan Honey Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables
- Honey Balsamic Chicken Thighs
- Roasted Mushrooms with balsamic, thyme, and Dijon mustard
- Balsamic Roasted Vegetables
- Bruschetta Chicken Recipe
- Slow Cooker Pork Loin with Balsamic Glaze
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
More Marinade Recipes
Balsamic Chicken Marinade Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, white or dark (see note)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast (see note)
Instructions
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, white or dark, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Place chicken in a bowl or a zip-top bag and pour marinade over chicken. Make sure all parts of the chicken are coated with marinade. Refrigerate and let marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours before cooking.2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- When ready to cook, remove chicken from marinade, letting excess drip off. Discard marinade.
- To Grill: Grill chicken over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping once, until cooked through. Cooking time will vary depending on thickness of meat and exact grill temperature. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
- To Bake: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken in greased baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Baking time depends on thickness of chicken pieces.
- To Air Fry: Preheat air fryer at 375°F for five minutes. Place chicken in air fryer in a single layer and cook for 10 minutes. Flip, and continue to cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is done. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
- Cook chicken (all methods) until internal temperature reads 165°F on an instant read thermometer. Do not overcook.
Notes
- Makes enough marinade for 1 to 4 pounds of chicken. Choose any cut of chicken you like.
- I often use white balsamic vinegar which doesn’t discolor the chicken but traditional balsamic vinegar is fine, too, and has richer flavor.
- Nutritional information is a very rough estimate, given that much of the marinade is thrown out.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
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
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!
Just hit the button….don’t be a jerk
Anyone with half a brain would know that every recipe page has a “jump to recipe” button. I’m guessing you’re lacking in all departments…. Unfortunate, as this is one fantastic recipe!
Tried this tonight, with a little more vinegar than oil. Marinated chicken about 3 hours. Perfect flavor! Thank you for a quick, delicious recipe.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Is the carb count right for one serving ? Seems pretty high. Thank you. Looks delish !
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.
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.
So glad you liked it! That sounds like a phenomenal meal!
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!
Thanks for your input! You’re spot on!
One of the best and easiest recipes I’ve ever found. Used a giant zip lock bag to marinate for 4 hours. Used a glass baking dish. Cut large breasts crosswise into four pieces. Topped each piece with a fresh lemon slice. Baked uncovered for 30 min. at 350 F. Used high quality ingredients: Kasandrinos Olive Oil and Due Vittorie Oro Gold Balsamic Vinegar. Huge flavors. Wonderful result with a simple Greek salad. Highest recommendation.
Oh I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment, it means a lot to me!
Marinated the chicken and about to put it in the oven. The recipe doesn’t specify at what temperature to cook the chicken in the oven nor for how many minutes to cook the cutlets. Since many commentators have recommended cooking the chicken on the stovetop, I think I’ll try that!! The marinade smells delicious. I think I may add green olives and even prunes if I have them—a variation of Chicken Marbella! I’ll let you know how it turns out!!
I hope you loved it!
Making this for dinner adding feta cheese and calomota olives
Great idea! I hope you love it!
We’ve made this several times. I throw the chicken in the marinade on the day I do my shopping and we’ve grilled it anywhere from 24 to 72 hours later with great results. Thanks so much!
I’m so happy to hear that you like this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
I made this chicken recipe with dark meat on the barbecue and it was incredible. We were 11 people and everyone from my 9 month old daughter to her grandparents were licking their fingers.
So happy to hear that! Thanks Julie! I appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave a comment!