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Learn how to make oven baked chicken with the best chicken breast marinade recipe! This is my go-to marinade and method for cooking chicken in the oven – it’s so good and juicy and perfect for dinners or meal prep.
Oven Baked Marinated Chicken Breasts Recipe
It’s always so hard for me to cook chicken just perfectly so that it’s moist and tender but cooked all the way through. I’ve found that there are a few secrets to making the perfect Oven Baked Juicy Chicken Breasts and I’m going to share them with you!
Using my easy tips for making Oven Baked Chicken will result in the perfect chicken every time. It’s flavorful and easy and perfect for meals all week long. It’s simple and you probably have the ingredients already! It’s also great for meal prepping.
Chicken Breast Marinade for Baking
I absolutely love this recipe and it’s a variation of the steak marinade I always use. I know, it has a lot of ingredients, but it tastes so much better than a store-bought marinade. In a pinch we buy 30-minute marinades, but I much prefer this one.
- Chicken – I always use boneless skinless chicken breasts but this recipe also works with chicken thighs (although cook time and doneness will be different)
- Balsamic vinegar and Lemon juice – the acid in these help break down the chicken to allow it to absorb the flavor.
- Honey – a little sweetness goes a long way.
- Worcestershire sauce – I love adding this for an all day cooked flavor.
- Low-sodium soy sauce – because we’re using soy, we do not need to add salt
- Dijon mustard – you can use any kind of mustard
- Garlic, Pepper, onion powder, and Italian seasoning – I use fresh garlic but garlic powder may be used.
How to make the best marinade for chicken
- Mix marinade ingredients together in a small bowl or measuring cup. You don’t have to chop the garlic, just crack it a bit and you can leave it whole.
- Make sure your chicken breasts are even thickness. You can buy thin cut breasts or place the raw unmarinated chicken in a large gallon size bag and seal all but one inch of the zipper. Pound the thick part of the breast with a rolling pin or meat mallet so that the chicken is uniform in size. This assures that the chicken will cook evenly and not be dry at one end and raw at the other.
- Add your chicken breasts and let them marinate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Marinating time is important for your chicken! It helps the chicken absorb the flavor but also keeps it moist and tender.
- Once the chicken is done marinating, I add them to a baking dish I’ve sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. You’re going to bake them at 400°F until they’re cooked through, about 35-45 minutes. This is where an instant read thermometer comes in handy!
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When are oven baked chicken breasts done?
Your chicken breasts will be done when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F. That’s why it’s important to pound them to even thickness and have the thermometer!
Once your chicken is done, let it rest about 10 minutes before slicing. The flavor of the marinade adds so much to the chicken and it’s perfect with any side dish!
Pair this with…
Tip From Dorothy
Expert Tips
- Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or you can freeze it.
- You can use olive oil or avocado oil, or even vegetable oil.
- When the chicken is done baking, let it rest before cutting it. Just cover it with foil so it stays warm.
FAQs
This is an all-purpose marinade with soy sauce, Worcestershire, and lots of spices. The flavors go with most meals.
Depending on the thickness of the chicken, cook the boneless breasts for approximately 35-45 minutes at 400 degrees.
Chicken is done when it registers 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer.
Easy Oven Baked Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard or any kind
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 6-7 pieces)
Instructions
- Whisk oil, vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, worcestershire, honey, dijon, Italian seasoning, onion powder and pepper together. Add the garlic cloves.
- Place chicken in a large gallon size bag. Pound with a rolling pin to make the breasts even in thickness. Pour the marinade over the chicken, seal the bag, and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Take chicken out of the refrigerator and place in a baking pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray (let it come to room temperature while the oven is preheating). Discard marinade.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer place in the thickest part of the breast registers 165°F. Cook time will depend on thickness of chicken.
- To grill: preheat grill to 400°F. Spray grill with nonstick grill spray. Grill 5 minutes per side with the grill open, then close the grill, watching to make sure it doesn’t get too hot or there are no flare ups, and cook until chicken registers 165°F on a meat thermometer.
- Let meat rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Recipe Notes
- Be sure the chicken is even thicknes. Place raw chicken in a gallon size ziploc bag and pound with a rolling pin to make them even.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours for best flavor.
- Make sure the chicken is cooked to 165 degrees.
- Use the chicken as is with a side dish or use it for meal prep all week.
Does is it not ask for salt??
I don’t add salt because of the soy sauce – you can always add some but I’m always wary about it so when I use soy I skip salt until tasting.
This is a wonderful marinade and yes the acids just tenderized the chicken beautifully and it was fork tender. Thank you for this recipe. It’s a keeper for me.
I usually use bottled marinade from the store but I tried this and was amazed. Never buying marinade again!
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