I had this recipe for Garlic Marinated Chicken hidden away within an old meal prep post, but this chicken is just SO good and SO simple that I think it deserved a post on its own. This is my favorite all-purpose quick chicken recipe that I use as an addition to all sorts of meals, so I know this is one you’ll want to save and use over and over again. Keep on reading for all the ways you can use this versatile, finger-lickin’ good chicken.
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What Does it Taste Like?
Perhaps I should call this Lemon Garlic Marinated Chicken, because this chicken is slightly tangy, super garlicky, and absolutely delicious. The natural sugars in the lemon juice caramelize beautifully in the skillet, giving it even more depth of flavor. And because lemon and garlic are such versatile flavors, you’ll find that you can pair this garlic chicken with just about anything.
How to Serve Garlic Marinated Chicken
In addition to just serving it as a main dish with a couple of sides, this chicken is great to add to other recipes. You can slice this garlic chicken up and use it for a sandwich, to top a salad, or even to top a big plate of pasta. Here are a few recipes that would benefit from being topped with this garlic marinated chicken:
- Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta
- Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad
- Lemon Pepper Zucchini
- Mediterranean White Bean Salad
- Roasted Broccoli Pasta with Lemon and Feta
- Roasted Vegetable Salad Meal Prep
- Tuscan White Bean Pasta
- Lemony Artichoke and Quinoa Salad
- Garlicky Kale and Ricotta Pizza
- Spinach and Orzo Salad
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Wraps
- Lemony White Bean Salad
- Bruschetta Pasta
Great for Meal Prep!
This chicken is absolutely perfect for meal prep! Cook up a couple chicken breasts worth on the weekend, then use the cooked and sliced chicken to add to your meal prep for the next few days. The cooked chicken can be refrigerated for about 3-4 days.
Can I Grill Garlic Marinated Chicken?
Absolutely! This chicken is great on the grill, whether you have a charcoal grill, gas grill, or even an indoor countertop grill, like a George Foreman.
Can I Use Chicken Thighs?
Yes, this recipe also works great with chicken thighs and they even require a little less prep! Because chicken thighs are already on the thin side and they don’t over cook quite as easily, you can skip filleting the thighs into two thinner pieces, like you need to do with a chicken breast. Simply marinate, then cook on each side until browned and the chicken is cooked through.
Garlic Marinated Chicken
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil ($0.52)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice ($0.16)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced ($0.26)
- 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
- 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts ($4.94)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper to a bowl or a large zip top bag. Stir the ingredients in the dish until combined.
- If using breasts, fillet each chicken breast into two thinner pieces. Place the chicken in the bag or in a shallow dish, then pour the marinade over top, making sure the chicken pieces are completely covered in marinade. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours (refrigerated), turning occasionally to maximize the chicken's contact with the marinade.
- When ready to cook, heat a large skillet over medium. Transfer the chicken from the marinade to the hot skillet and cook on each side until well browned and cooked through (about 5-7 minutes each side, depending on the size of the pieces). Cook two pieces at a time to avoid overcrowding the skillet, which can cause juices to pool and prevents browning. Discard the excess marinade.
- Transfer the cooked chicken from the skillet to a cutting board and let rest for five minutes before slicing and serving.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Garlic Marinated Chicken – Step by Step Photos
In a small bow, combine ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup lemon juice, 3 cloves minced garlic, ½ Tbsp dried oregano, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper.
If using chicken breasts, use a sharp knife to fillet two chicken breasts into two thinner pieces. If your knife skills are not strong enough to make this cut, you can cover the chicken breast with plastic and use a mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken until it’s about ½ inch thick. Then cut each breast in half to make two pieces. If using chicken thighs, there is no need to cut them into smaller pieces.
Place the chicken in a shallow dish or a zip-top bag and pour the marinade over top. Turn the chicken to make sure it all gets coated in marinade. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes up to 8 hours (refrigerated), turning the chicken occasionally to make sure it is all in contact with the marinade.
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, heat a skillet over medium. Once the skillet is hot, add two pieces of chicken at a time, and cook until browned on each side and cooked through. The chicken will already be coated in oil from the marinade, so no extra oil is needed to coat the skillet. Discard the excess marinade.
After cooking the chicken, transfer it to a cutting board and let it rest for five minutes before slicing and serving.
Enjoy that garlicky goodness!
Just leaving a second review because this is such a good recipe. I make my chicken in the foreman grill. It goes with a lot. Most recently I used it in lemon feta pasta with roasted broccoli
I made this recipe with tenderloins. Came out awesome. Have to be on low sodium so in place of salt I just added more garlic. Thanks for sharing! Will definitely make again!
I haven’t tried any of your recipes yet but I’ve copied some to try. I’m on a fixed income and a tight budget, so I look forward to your recipes. Thank you so much for sharing.
I’ve been loving your recipes but this one had the same problem as so many other chicken recipes that require cooking on a skillet! Even cutting them in half, the cooking ends up really uneven. To get the thicker portions fully cooked, you dry out the thinner parts (I use a meat thermometer). I’ll try to pound them flat or maybe bake them next time and see if that works better, but I’d appreciate any tips/tricks to make my skillet cooking efforts more successful!
Hi Kelsey. I think pounding your chicken flat would be a great place to start. Also searing the chicken it until the water is released will help keep the amount of liquid in the pan exact.
It ain’t got no taste ma’am
Something is off with the costs listed.
GARLIC MARINATED CHICKEN
$3.37 RECIPE / $0.84
Recipe cast is $3.37 But the the chicken alone is $5.37
1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts ($5.37)
Enjoying your site, thanks.
Hi, John! Thanks for catching that error! (We do all the math for each recipe by hand to reflect current prices, which means we do unintentionally make errors from time to time!) I have updated the ingredients on the recipe card to reflect the correct prices from today (Thank goodness, chicken prices are starting to go back down!) as well as the total recipe price. The correct value is $5.97 recipe / $1.49 serving.
— Best, Marion :)
I just made this and it was so good! I meal prepped it with oven roasted broccoli and mashed potatoes.
This chicken was SO tender and I only was able to marinate it for about an hour before cooking. I didn’t butterfly the breasts evenly, so they were still a little underdone but I also served them with oven roasted veggies, so I ended up finishing the chicken in the oven for about 10 minutes as it cooled. They ended up perfectly!
Thank you for another great recipe. I love your website!
Delish, I used my freak picked Oregano, I made the Greek pasta Salad. So so good thanks M in AU
Hello everyone, stop tryin to air fry everything. This was delicious btw. Next time I want to sub lemon juice for balsamic vinegar just to see how that would come out
I’m excited to try this recipe as written because I really love lemon, but today I don’t have any. Would you recommend substitution of apple cider vinegar and if so is the amount interchangeable?
Thank you.
I feel like that would change the flavor profile quite a bit, so unfortunately I can’t recommend an amount without testing it first to see how different it tastes.
Solid recipe. This goes great with the roasted broccoli pasta with lemon and feta.
Thank you for sharing this recipe…. it looks amazing
Was even better the next day on a leaf lettuce salad dressed with Italian dressing and feta. Will grill the next time to save me the mess on the stove.
This looks delicious… Trying it now!
The cauliflower salad looks amazing!
Can you tell me whether it’s best to cook this in a non-stick pan. or an aluminum pan? I’m never sure which is best.
Either will work, but non-stick is usually the easiest. So it’s really just a matter of personal preference. :)
I’m going to have to try this — I’m vegetarian, but my husband likes to add in cooked chicken to many of the pastas, salads, and soups that I make. I often buy those bags of precooked chicken strips, this would be fresher, healthier and cheaper!
Hi, would you be able to provide temperature and time for if I’d like to do this in the oven/air fryer with thighs? Thanks!
Unfortunately, I’m not experienced with air fryers so I can’t offer that advice. I really suggest doing it in a skillet, though, because the direct contact with the hot pan is what creates that nice caramelization. You won’t get that same effect with hot air in an oven.
Can you bake the chicken or air Fry rather than cook in a fry pan?
I don’t suggest it because you won’t get the same type of caramelization on the chicken that you do with the direct contact of a hot pan.
I’ve been using–and loving–this recipe since it was first posted. I always cook more chicken than needed for a single meal, as having some for another meal or two can be a lifesaver. I typically serve with roasted veggies the night I cook it. I used to do the meal prep thing, but since I’ve been stuck at home for months, I use the rest a day or two later. My husband loves it with pasta Alfredo–another of the world’s easiest recipes, and Beth has several good versions here on the site. Makes great sandwiches!
Because the lemon juice in the marinade can “cook” the chicken a bit if soaked too long, it’s not a good idea to marinate much longer than the recipe says. I usually opt for an hour or two, ie, start marinating, then prep and roast veggies (making extras of those, too), put the chicken on the grill or in the pan about the time the veggies finish up. It’s terrific after 8 hrs, too–I started before work and it was ready to cook the minute I got home, served with fast sides, like rice and a green salad or steamed green veggies–putting a meal on the table in 15-30 minutes. We like it best grilled–I can cook all of it at the same time, and opt to grill some veggies, too.
Thank you, Beth, for all you do to keep my life simple, economical, and very tasty.
Is there a recipe available on your website for the cauliflower salad pictured next to the chicken?
I’m going to be posting it probably tomorrow, so stay tuned! :)
Thank you! We live off your recipes! :-)
Thank you fir your recipemore power godbless.
Great! Can’t wait to try this. It seems marinating is the key.
Recipe for the side pictured? It looks delicious!
Same! I was wondering what that side was..
It’s coming, probably tomorrow! :)
Yum! What’s the side dish pictured with the chicken?
That recipe is coming, probably tomorrow! :)