Balsamic Herb Chicken Marinade

Name: Balsamic Herb Chicken Marinade
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/3 cup oil (recommend: avocado or olive oil); 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar; 2 teaspoons honey; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (sub: 2 tsp dried parsley, crushed in hand); 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed in hand; 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed in hand; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1-1.5 pounds chicken breasts, tenders, or thighs

★★★★★ 5 /5 Updated: 1/31/23

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Fresh herbs and pantry staples combine to create this complex Balsamic Chicken Marinade. Grill or bake the chicken, then enjoy on its own or atop a salad.

chicken breasts in freezer bag with balsamic chicken marinade and marinade in a mason jar

Ingredients in Balsamic Chicken Marinade

Marinating chicken is THE key to infusing flavor into typically lean, bland poultry cuts. This complex marinade requires mostly pantry staples to turn that lackluster cut into something that makes your tastebuds sing.

Let’s meet the key ingredients for Balsamic chicken marinade…

ingredients for balsamic chicken marinade on a counter in individual bowls

Olive or avocado Oil – To keep things moist.
Balsamic vinegar – Acid is a must in all marinades.
Honey – Just a hint of sweetness.
Dijon mustard – Brings in a different kind of acidity.
Garlic cloves – Delicious pungent flavor.
Fresh parsley (or dried) – All the herbs add color and an herbaceous undertone.
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Salt and Pepper – Basics that balance every marinade.

How to Make and Store Balsamic Chicken Marinade

If you find that you are using this chicken marinade frequently, you could make a large batch of it (scale it up 2-3x) and store it for future use. There are two main ways to store the marinade: The refrigerator or the freezer.

balsamic chicken marinade in a mason jar

Store marinade in the refrigerator

The marinade will store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a jar to use when ready.

Store marinade in the freezer

Here is an out of the box idea: make a big batch of marinade and freeze it in small portions! If you freeze it in a mason jar, be sure to allow at least 1 inch of headspace at the top because the contents will expand.

Scaling up the recipe is a great use of time and resources too. Just one of the many reasons we love freezer meals!

chicken breasts in freezer bag with balsamic chicken marinade

When ready to use the balsamic marinade, let it thaw (if necessary) and pour it over chicken in a zip-top bag or container with a lid. Let it marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours to infuse flavor.

Use Balsamic Chicken Marinade as a Freezer Meal

Another great use of your time is prep a few freezer meals out of this marinade. Like most of our chicken freezer meals, simply combine the ingredients (the marinade & the chicken) and freeze for later. No need to let the chicken marinate before freezing either. When you want to use it, let the chicken thaw one of these safe ways.

chicken breasts in freezer bag with marinade

Then, grill, slow cook, pressure cook, or bake your marinated Balsamic Chicken. You choose your method! We’ve included instructions for how to cook boneless chicken breasts any of these ways in the recipe below.

My favorite way to use this balsamic chicken marinade is for grilled chicken on a Surf and Turf night. Try our Mediterranean Shrimp Kabobs with it! Or serve it over some Instant Pot Brown Rice for a super healthy meal!

More Chicken Marinades You Must Try

Try some of our other favorite healthy chicken marinades to mix things up:

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★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews

Balsamic Herb Chicken Marinade

Fresh herbs and pantry staples combine to create this complex chicken marinade. Grill or bake the chicken, then enjoy on its own or atop a salad. Marinade works for 1.5-2 pounds of chicken breast, tenders, or thighs.

Yield: 4–5 servings 1x

Prep: 5Total: 5

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Instructions

Make It Now:

Add the oil, vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, salt and pepper to a gallon-sized freezer bag, seal, and shake. Either seal and refrigerate until ready to use, OR add 1.5-2 pounds chicken to the bag, seal, and squish around to make sure the chicken is covered in marinade. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
Place the bag in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
Cook the chicken however you’d like (grill, slow cook, pressure cook, or bake). See tips below in the Notes.

Freeze For Later: Follow step 1. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Prepare From Frozen: Thaw, using one of these safe thawing methods, and follow Step 3. No additional marinating time needed once it is thawed!

COOKING NOTES:

How to Know If Chicken Is Done: Chicken is done when it reaches 165°F internal temperature. (A digital meat thermometer is a must to help cook chicken perfectly.)

How to Cook Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts:

Bake in Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken in a casserole dish or on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, until done.
Slow Cooker: Place chicken and marinade in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Really! That’s all it takes to get it done, otherwise you’ll overcook and dry it out.
Instant Pot: Place chicken and marinade in Instant Pot. Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes and use a quick release of the pressure when the cook time is up. (Note: It will take 10-15 minutes to come to pressure before the cook time starts.)
Grill: Pound out the chicken to about 3/4 inch thick (or cut it in half lengthwise) to help with fast and even cooking. Preheat grill to medium-high heat and clean the grates well. Grill for about 4-5 minutes per side, maybe longer depending on the thickness, until done.

Equipment

Freezer Bag Stand

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Slow Cooker

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Instant Pot

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Notes/Tips

Where We Get Our Chicken: We get our meat from ButcherBox. The chicken is organic and curated from small, trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, wild salmon, and grass-fed beef–and have used it for years ourselves.

Cuisine: American Method: Any cooking method

Rachel Tiemeyer

As co-founder of Thriving Home, Rachel dreams about creating recipes (literally) and uses her husband, her 3 kids, and even the neighbors as guinea pigs several nights a week. She believes that good food has the power to bring families and friends closer together and continues to wake up excited about her job each day, even after 10+ years!