How To Make the Ultimate Marinade for Juicy Chicken

Step 1

Make the marinade. Place the olive oil, lemon juice, water, garlic, honey, salt, and pepper in a gallon zip-top bag and stir to combine. If using drumsticks or thighs, place in the marinade.

Step 2

Pound any chicken breasts. If using chicken breasts, place 1 or 2 in another gallon zip-top bag. Press out extra air, seal the bag, and use the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound the thickest part of the breast so that it is the same thickness as the rest of the breast.

Step 3

Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken breasts to the bag of marinade. Seal the bag and massage the chicken to coat in the marinade. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and position it so that the bag sits flat. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Step 4

Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Place on the baking sheet for easy transport to the grill.

Step 5

Grill the chicken. Heat an outdoor grill for both high direct and indirect heat. Scrape any debris from the grill grates and oil well. Place the chicken on the grill over direct heat, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Flip the chicken, cover, and cook for 3 minutes more. Move the chicken to indirect heat and cook, covered, until the thickest piece registers 165°F on a instant-read thermometer, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a clean serving platter.