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Whether you bake, grill or roast, My Easy Lemon and Herb Chicken Marinade means you need never serve dry chicken ever again!
Marinades are wonderful for helping to keep chicken moist and tasty. I marinate poultry for at least a couple of hours before I cook it, longer if I have time. Having said that, even a half hour in a marinade will improve the flavour and texture of your chicken. I just pop the chicken pieces in a ziplock bag, pour the marinade in, seal and pop the bag on a plate in the fridge. It’s the work of moments.
As always I like to share the history of the recipe and some tips for making it, but if you prefer to go straight there, simply use the Jump to Recipe button at the top of the post.
Looking for more family favourite chicken recipes?
Easy Lemon and Herb Chicken Marinade – a Family Recipe
Updated February 2026.
My Easy Lemon and Herb Chicken Marinade is loosely based on a marinade developed by my late Dad. He adored cooking, particularly in the summer, when he would spend hours out on the deck barbecuing delicious meals for family and friends. He wrote down a few of his recipes but I couldn’t find this one, so I made it up from memory. I think it’s pretty close.
Full of flavour, my Easy Lemon and Herb Chicken Marinade makes for delicious chicken meals, whether you are serving the meat hot with a side dish or cold in a sandwich or salad. I always make extra so there are leftovers as the cold chicken tastes great too.
Tips for Making Lemon and Herb Chicken Marinade
You can use fresh or dried herbs in this recipe, although I prefer to use dried because my Dad always did. We weren’t all that into smokey flavours in our family, hence the ordinary paprika. Prefer a smokier taste? Switch it out for the smoked variety.
You can use this Easy Lemon and Herb Chicken Marinade for all kinds of chicken pieces but my favourites are ‘chicken supremes‘ or ‘supreme of chicken’. They are boneless chicken breasts but with the wing bone still attached. For some reason, cooking them like this seems to make the chicken taste better. However, chicken breasts work really well with this marinade too.
You can marinade and cook the chicken with the skin on or off, depending on your preference.
If you are on a low sodium diet, do feel free to omit the salt. It will alter the flavour slightly but the chicken will still be delicious!
How To Cook The Chicken
This recipe is fabulous for grilling chicken as the marinade helps it resist drying out even in the fierce heat of the barbecue.
If I’m baking or roasting the chicken indoors, I like to use a cast iron braising pan. I have owned this Le Creuset cast iron casserole for over a decade and generally use it a couple of times each week. (affiliate link) I really love Le Creuset pans because they cook brilliantly and they last forever.
I also have a larger a Dutch oven style casserole that my late mother-in-law bought me 35 years ago that is still going strong (affiliate link). That’s the thing I love about Le Creuset cast iron pans. They may be expensive, but they can become real heirlooms.
Of course, if you prefer, you can cook the chicken on a foil lined baking sheet.
How To Serve
You can enjoy this chicken with rice or potatoes and vegetables. Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate for use in sandwiches and salads.
Perfect for summer barbecues or cooking indoors all year round, my My Easy Lemon and Herb Chicken Marinade is mild enough to make cold chicken suitable for use in all your favourite recipes but flavourful enough to be served hot on its own with any side dish. It could make you look at chicken in a whole new way!
Easy Lemon and Herb Chicken Marinade – Printable Recipe
Easy Lemon and Herb Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup mild olive oil
- ⅓ cup lemon juice about 2 to 3 lemons, depending on the size
- the grated rind of 1 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried chives
- a generous pinch of salt this can be omitted if you are on a low sodium diet
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 heaped teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- In a large pitcher, mix together the oil and lemon juice.
- Add the garlic, basil, chives, salt, pepper and paprika.
- Whisk well.
- Pour over chicken pieces and marinate for at least a half an hour, preferably at least two hours or up to 12 hours before cooking.
- Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade.
- You can use the remaining marinade to brush on the chicken before cooking but you should discard any that is left after that point for food safety reasons.
- Bake, broil or grill until the chicken is completely cooked with no pink remaining inside. (Internal temperature of the meat should be 165°F.)
- Serve hot or cool quickly and refrigerate for later use.
did you make this recipe?
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More Chicken Recipes The Whole Family Will Love
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I love a lemon and herb marinade for chicken, this is my kind of comfort food.
Thank you, Janette!
This sounds like the perfect chicken marinade. My mom made a similar marinade that even as picky eaters we loved the chicken. Delicious!
Thank you, Joanne 🙂
This chicken looks so fresh and so flavorful! I love it!!
Thank you, Dan 🙂
What a lovely and simple chicken recipe, April!
Thank you, Nancy 🙂
April, I love your chicken marinade…so easy to make and full of summer flavor! I imagine it would also be fantastic with fish and seafood!
Thank you, Linda! I’m sure it would be delicious with fish and seafood 🙂
Easy yet flavorful. It does not have to be difficult to be good and you showed that.
Thank you so much, Peter 🙂
Your chicken looks mouth watering indeed April! Pinned and shared!
Thank you so much, Joanne, and thank you for sharing too 🙂
These are exactly the kinds of flavors we love to use on summer time grilled chicken. thanks!
I’m glad you like them, Christine 🙂
Hi April, thanks so much for sharing this yummy marinade at our Cooking & Crafting with J & J party!
I’m really glad you like it, Julie 🙂 Thank you for hosting!
Yummy! Nothing is as comforting as a house filled with the aroma of a good roasting chicken! Yours sounds so delicious. I love the presentation too, April! Pinning!
Thank you, Hadia, and thank you for pinning too!
I totally pinned this! It sounds so amazing!
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Thank you so much, Jess! I’m really glad you like it 🙂
I am always looking for new ways to cook up chicken. This one sounds great April!
Thank you, Angela!
This chicken sounds fantastic and I love the simplicity of it too. I bet this would be perfect on the grill!
Thank you so much, Cindy! It really is delicious on the grill 🙂
I love chicken marinade. Looks like a great recipe to try. Thanks!
Thank you, Del 🙂
I love that this is so simple but also versatile and delicious!
Thank you, Justine. It really is one of my go to recipes!
Oh yum! Lemon-Garlic is my favorite way to prep chicken, and your marinade sounds perfect – I can’t wait to give this try!
Thank you, Lynda 🙂
This is a great Lemon and Herb Chicken Marinade! Hope you are having a great weekend and thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
Thank you, Miz Helen 🙂