Easy Lemon Chicken Marinade with Basil

closeup of sliced grilled chicken with basil leaves

Easy Lemon Chicken Marinade with Basil

Make the best Lemon Chicken Marinade in just a few minutes with simple, healthy, ingredients. It's great for grilling, pan frying and oven baking. With olive oil, lemon & basil the chicken comes out juicy, tender and flavor packed.

Course Main Course

Cuisine European

Diet Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Lactose

Prep Time 4 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Marinating time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings

Calories 170kcal

Author Emmeline Kemperyd

Cost $4

Equipment

Plastic bags
Measuring spoons*
Citrus zester*
Citrus juicer* (optional)
Mixing bowl*

Ingredients

1 lb chicken

Marinade

1 lemon juice and zest
20 basil leaves roughly shredded
2 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place all ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and mix.
Bring out two plastic bags and place one in the other. Place the chicken in the inner bag and pour over the marinade. Close the bags with a knot and massage the chicken gently through the bags to distribute the marinade evenly. Place in a bowl in the fridge and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour, turning once halfway.
Grill, oven bake or pan sear the chicken until cooked all the way through. Cook time will vary with size and cooking method. See notes for approximate cook times.

Video

Notes

Nutritional information assumes half the marinade is actually consumed.

Cook times below are approximate and will depend on how thick your chicken is and your cooking temperature. Always make sure your chicken is cooked through before consuming. Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).

Approximate cook times - grill

Chicken thighs (boneless): 5-6 minutes per side

Chicken thighs (with bone): 6-8 minutes per side

Chicken breasts: 5-7 minutes per side

Approximate cook times - oven at 350°F (175˚C)

Chicken thigh filets: 20-25 minutes

Chicken thighs (bone-in): 30-35 minutes

Chicken breasts: 25-30 minutes

Approximate cook times - pan

Chicken thigh filets: 5-6 minutes per side

Chicken thighs (bone-in): 6-8 minutes per side

Chicken breasts: 5-7 minutes per side

Ingredient notes & substiutions

Fresh basil can be swapped for dried basil. Use 1 tablespoon instead of 20 leaves.
Black pepper: fresh ground is best
Olive oil can be swapped for a neutral type of vegetable oil
Chicken: this marinade works for all cuts of chicken. Some of my favorites are boneless chicken thighs, chicken breasts, kebabs and minced chicken.

Tips & tricks

Marinate in a plastic bag - it's the best way to spread the marinade evenly, and also makes it easy to turn your meat while marinating
Turn your meat at least once while marinating, to spread the flavors around
Marinate for longer for more flavor - but don't marinate for more than a couple of hours, or the chicken can go mushy
Reduce the amount of salt if marinating longer than 1 hour
Bring chicken to room temperature before cooking to shorten cook time and help the chicken cook more evenly
Use a meat thermometer when cooking, to get the temperature just right
Let the cooked chicken rest for a few minutes before serving - wrap in aluminium foil or tent with it to retain the heat
Serve the chicken hot or cold - it's delicious both ways, and cold it's great in salads and wraps
Freeze marinated chicken to cook it later. Massage chicken with the marinade, then freeze immediately. Thaw by placing the bag in cold water for a few hours before cooking.
Discard used chicken marinade as it will be mingled with raw chicken juices
Leftover, unused, chicken marinade can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days

Nutrition