citrus chicken marinade

A robustly flavored Citrus Chicken Marinade comes complete with fresh orange and lime juice. The citrus sauce has three purposes -- marinating, basting, and a finishing sauce.

Citrus Chicken Marinade

orange juice

lime juice

cilantro (or parsley)

soy sauce

honey

Dijon mustard, minced garlic

Fine sea salt & pepper

olive oil

chicken thighs ((Note 1))

For serving: we love this chicken over coconut rice

PREP: Use a microplane to zest orange(s) and lime(s) to get 1 teaspoon zest of each. Use a citrus juicer to juice oranges and limes to get 1/3 cup orange juice and 2 tablespoons lime juice. If using chicken breasts instead of thighs, see Note 1 for chicken prep.

BLEND: Add lime and orange zest and juice to a blender or food processor. Add 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, salt &amp; pepper to taste (I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Blend until smooth, about 45 seconds. Drizzle in olive oil and blend just until emulsified. Do not over-blend with oil; it can make the sauce taste metallic.

SEPARATE SAUCE: We&#39;re going to separate the sauce for three different uses. Remove 1/3 cup and place in a separate jar or container and refrigerate (this will be our finishing sauce). Remove another 3 tablespoons and place in a separate jar or container (this will be our basting sauce).

MARINATE: Pour the rest of the marinade into a large bag. Add chicken thighs or breasts to the bag. Seal the bag without air in it and knead the marinade into the chicken. Place in the fridge and marinate for 2-3 hours, flipping the bag to the other side halfway in between marinating time. Do not marinate longer than 4 hours (Note 2).

GRILL CHICKEN: Preheat grill to medium-high (400-450 degrees F.) Add chicken to a clean, well-greased grill (I grease grill grates by holding a vegetable oil-drenched paper towel with tongs and rubbing it across grates). Using tongs, pick up chicken from the bag, allowing excess marinade to drip off. Place chicken flat on the grill, and use a pastry brush to immediately brush on some of the reserved 3 tablespoons basting mixture. Close grill and cook for 4-5 minutes or until nicely caramelized. Use a sharp metal turner to scrape up and flip the chicken to the other side. Brush chicken generously with the rest of the reserved basting mixture. Close the grill and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the chicken registers 160 degrees F. (Timing will vary based on the size of the chicken and the actual heat of the grill.) Remove to a plate and cover loosely with foil to rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice. Taste and add more salt if needed.

SERVING: We love serving this chicken over coconut rice with some roasted or grilled veggies. Divide rice evenly among plates and then top with grilled sliced chicken. Drizzle the reserved 1/3 cup finishing sauce evenly over everything and enjoy!

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Looking for the BEST citrus chicken marinade recipe? This 5-ingredient citrus marinade for chicken is made with easy-to-find ingredients and yields a wonderfully juicy piece of meat, whether you pan fry, bake or grill it.

extra virgin olive oil

garlic

taco seasoning

salt

lb. chicken (breasts, thighs, etc.)

Measure the orange juice and olive oil into a large bowl or casserole dish using a liquid measuring cup. (You could also do this in a gallon-sized plastic bag with a zipper top.)

Add the minced garlic, taco seasoning and salt to the marinade. Whisk to combine the ingredients.

Place the chicken into the marinade. Make sure the chicken is immersed in the marinade.

Cover the bowl or casserole dish with plastic wrap, and transfer to the fridge.

Let the meat marinate for 1-2 hours. (Do not let it marinate for more than 3 hours. Otherwise, the texture of the chicken will become mushy.)

When ready to use, remove the chicken from the marinade. Dispose of the marinade.

Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel before seasoning with salt and pepper and cooking.

Looking for juicy chicken on the grill? Check out my Citrus Grilled Chicken recipe and tips for the best chicken on the grill!

Grilled Citrus Chicken Recipe

chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)

lemon

garlic (finely minced)

fine sea salt

black pepper

light virgin olive oil

water

Lightly tenderize chicken using the flat head of a meat mallet. Cut slits into each chicken breast about 1/2 inch apart and only cutting half way through the breasts. This will help the marinade sink in and cook quicker on the grill.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a large plastic bag along with chicken. Marinate for 10-30 minutes.

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Spray with grill approved cooking spray and place chicken directly over heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until done. Since the sizes of chicken varies greatly, so will the cooking times.

Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

If you&#x27;ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!

I can eat this grilled chicken every day and be perfectly happy! So delish!

The fresh citrus adds the absolute BEST flavor! So, so delicious!

This chicken marinade produces the juiciest chicken--either breasts or thighs-- and is oh-so delicious and simple to whip up! Made with a double-citrus blend of fresh lime and orange juice, it’s bursting with bright, zesty flavors and makes for tender chicken that can be grilled or baked.

Juicy Chicken Marinade (Citrus Orange!)

limes, lime zest and 3 tablespoons lime juice)

orange, orange zest and 4 tablespoons juice)

Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon kosher salt

garlic (minced)

chicken (6-8 ounce each boneless skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breasts)

Whisk the olive oil, lime juice and zest, orange juice and zest, honey, mustard, salt, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl.

Pour half of the lemon chicken marinade along with 2 tablespoons of water into a 1-gallon zip-top bag or baking dish. Set the remaining marinade aside to use as a drizzle once the chicken has been cooked.

Toss the chicken to coat, then press as much air out of the bag (if using) as possible, or cover with plastic wrap (if using a baking dish). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 hours, flipping occasionally.

Marinade Instructions

When ready to grill, heat a gas grill to high. Allow to preheat for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shake off any excess, and discard any remaining marinade from the bag or dish.

Grill, with the cover down, for 6-9 minutes, then flip, and grill uncovered until the internal temperature reaches 160F, about 2-6 additional minutes.

Remove to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice against the grain into ½ inch slices, and serve drizzled with remaining marinade.

Grilling Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Add the chicken and marinade to a small baking dish. If you have a large baking dish or rimmed sheet pan, omit the marinade as it will spread and possibly burn. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until or until chicken thighs register 170F or chicken breasts register 165F.

Remove to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice against the grain into ½ inch slices, or dice into pieces (if using for taco), serve, drizzled with reserved marinade, and serve.

Baking Instructions

Hi! I came across one of your recipes on Pinterest and I’m SO happy I did. I’ve made probably over a dozen main dishes and sides from your website so far with this one being the latest one, and they’re a hit every time. Your recipes are consistently affordable, quick and simple to make, and delicious. I have another dinner marinating while the side is cooking in our crockpot as I type this! Lol. Thank you! Looking forward to seeing more.

Fantastic summer recipe! I so often add double, triple, or even more citrus to marinades and recipes as I'm a big citrus flavor-hound, but I've learned RFWL recipes tend to be excellent as-written. This is one of those perfect as-is recipes! Tangy, a touch sweet, and oh so fresh for the season, not to mention simple and quick to make. In fact, I even *forgot* (I know, ahh!) to use the additional citrus marinade that I'd reserved, and it STILL hit the mark! Definitely going into my seasonal rotation. So glad I found it early in the summer- I'll be turning to this one again and again.

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Top Tags

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The most viewed citrus chicken marinade recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine