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Here’s one of those great “no work” chicken recipes that you can prep in about five minutes! The simple marinade is made with sweet-and-savory flavors of soy sauce, pineapple juice, honey, and garlic. It’s sweet, tropical, and flavorful! Whether you grill, pan fry, or broil the meat, this juicy and flavorful 5-Ingredient Marinated Chicken is a healthy dinner that’s ready in minutes!

A closeup image of a plate of grilled chicken breasts. The chicken has been marinated and has dark char marks across the surface of the chicken.
Table of Contents
  1. Simple Marinade for Everyday Chicken
  2. Ingredients for the Easiest Marinated Chicken Recipe
  3. How to Make Marinated Chicken
  4. What to Serve with 5-Ingredient Marinated Chicken
  5. Cook’s Tips and Variations for the Best Chicken Marinade Recipe
  6. More Easy Chicken Recipes
  7. 5-Ingredient Marinated Chicken Recipe

Simple Marinade for Everyday Chicken

Chicken is such a simple dinner solution because it’s relatively affordable, nutritious, and appeals to just about everyone. There are endless ways to prepare chicken and hundreds of chicken recipes to try. That said, from time to time, we all get into a chicken “rut” where we’re making the same recipe, the exact same way, over and over again. What once was a delicious and flavorful chicken dinner is boring, tired, and uninspiring.

That’s why you’re going to love today’s marinated chicken recipe! It’s an easy twist on a classic chicken dinner, but there’s NOTHING boring about it! With only five ingredients (plus some chicken), this simple marinade comes together fast. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples you likely already have on hand! The pineapple juice and the honey give the meat a subtly sweet taste, while the soy sauce and garlic add a great savory layer.

A person uses a basting brush to apply an easy chicken marinade to a piece of grilled chicken resting on a plate, garnished with fresh chopped parsley.

Ingredients for the Easiest Marinated Chicken Recipe

This 5-ingredient chicken marinade is complex and simple at the same time… and requires almost no work on your part! You only need a handful of ingredients to give your “boring” and “tired” chicken so much flavor. As always, be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for the complete list of ingredients and directions.

  • Chicken: we love this recipe with boneless skinless chicken breasts, but it would easily work with other cuts of chicken.
  • Soy Sauce: give the marinade a savory, salty flavor. (If you’re worried about salt, use low-sodium soy sauce.)
  • Cider Vinegar: acidic vinegar balances the sweet and salty flavors.
  • Pineapple Juice: gives the chicken a sweet, tropical flavor.
  • Honey: adds sweetness to the marinade.
  • Garlic: fresh minced garlic cloves add so much flavor to the simple marinade without much effort!

What are the main marinade ingredients needed for the best flavor? 

When you’re putting together a simple marinade, there are usually three main elements to get the perfect flavor: acid, fat, and seasoning. In this chicken marinade, we have cider vinegar and pineapple juice (the acids), and soy sauce and garlic (seasoning). You may think it’s missing a fat – but in this case, we don’t need it. You certainly can add olive oil to this marinade, but the combination of these simple ingredients results in perfectly flavorful, tender chicken every time.

How to Make Marinated Chicken

If you’re looking for 5-ingredient chicken marinades, this recipe is perfect for you! The ease of preparation, simple ingredients, and tropical flavors make this recipe one of my go-to marinades to change up the flavors of our plain chicken dinners.

  • Combine the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces in a bowl, plastic bag, or container with a lid.
  • Seal the chicken in the container and let the chicken marinate overnight for up to 48 hours.
  • Prepare the chicken by your preferred cooking method.
Four grilled marinated chicken breasts rest on a white plate, garnished with fresh chopped parsley. The chicken pieces have grill and char marks and are glazed with a brown sauce.

How to Cook Marinated Chicken (4 Cooking Methods)

The most important thing about cooking chicken, despite how you choose to cook it, is making sure it’s cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Use an instant read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the chicken breast to test for doneness.

  • Baked Marinated Chicken: preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Bake the marinated chicken in an oven-safe dish for 30-40 minutes until done. The cook time will vary based on the size of the chicken (thicker breasts will take longer, and thighs will cook quicker).
  • Pan-Seared Marinated Chicken: you’ll need a cast iron skillet or non-stick pan for pan-fried chicken breast. Cook the marinated chicken in a heated pan over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, flip the chicken, and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium if necessary.
  • Grilled Chicken: preheat your grill to between 425 and 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the marinated chicken for about 5 minutes per side or until it’s cooked to temperature.
  • Slow Cooker Marinated Chicken: to make juicy chicken in the slow cooker, place the marinated chicken on the bottom of the slow cooker pot in a single layer. Pour any extra marinade over the chicken, and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 3-4 hours. Slow cookers vary in temperature across brands, so adjust the cooking time as needed.

What to Serve with 5-Ingredient Marinated Chicken

We serve the chicken with good crusty bread, with pasta, in wraps, over salad, or on sandwiches. Straight off the grill, at room temp, or right out of the fridge, it’s an easy and healthy dinner that’s versatile, family-friendly, and best of all — delicious! Want side dish ideas? Try these recipes!

Cook’s Tips and Variations for the Best Chicken Marinade Recipe

  • Swap out the honey for maple syrup – if you don’t have one or the other on hand, they are great substitutes for each other.
  • Use another citrus juice for different flavors. This recipe would be great with orange juice, lime juice, or lemon juice.
  • If you have extra marinade leftover, it can easily be cooked down into a sauce to pour over your delicious meal.
  • You can use this marinade on any cut of chicken—chicken thighs, breasts, tenders, wings, or drumsticks! Different cuts of chicken have varied cooking times, so adjust your cooking time accordingly.
  • Cooking for two? You can easily scale this recipe depending on how much meat you want to cook. I would suggest using about 1 lb. of chicken and cutting the marinade ingredients in half proportionally. Marinating and cooking times will stay the same!
  • This is the perfect marinade for meal prep! You can marinate the chicken for up to 2 days before cooking it. You can also cook the chicken in advance and then serve it cold, sliced over a salad, or on sandwiches.

More Easy Chicken Recipes

5-Ingredient Marinated Chicken

5 from 1 vote
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 152 kcal
We call this simple marinated chicken "no work" chicken because it could not be any easier! Whether you choose to pan-fry, grill, or slow cook chicken, you're in for a flavorful meal with this minimal-effort marinade recipe.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ¾ cup pineapple juice
  • ½ cup cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic

Instructions

  • Place chicken in a large zip-top bag or container with a lid.
    2 lbs. boneless
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients until completely combined.
    ½ cup soy sauce, ¾ cup pineapple juice, ½ cup cider vinegar, ¼ cup honey, 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • Pour marinade over chicken, seal bag, and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.
  • When ready to cook, remove chicken from the marinade. Discard marinade.
  • Heat a nonstick pan, grill pan, or outdoor grill over medium-high heat. Coat grill or pan with about a teaspoon of oil so that the chicken doesn’t stick. Sear or grill chicken on each side until golden, crispy and cooked through (about 5 minutes per side, or until meat reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F).
  • Allow meat to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

  • Swap out the honey for maple syrup – if you don’t have one or the other on hand, they are great substitutes for each other.
  • Use another citrus juice for different flavors. This recipe would be great with orange juice, lime juice, or lemon juice.
  • If you have extra marinade leftover, it can easily be cooked down into a sauce to pour over your delicious meal.
  • You can use this marinade on any cut of chicken—chicken thighs, breasts, tenders, wings, or drumsticks! Different cuts of chicken have varied cooking times, so adjust your cooking time accordingly.
  • Cooking for two? You can easily scale this recipe depending on how much meat you want to cook. I would suggest using about 1 lb. of chicken and cutting the marinade ingredients in half proportionally. Marinating and cooking times will stay the same!
  • This is the perfect marinade for meal prep! You can marinate the chicken for up to 2 days before cooking it. You can also cook the chicken in advance and then serve it cold, sliced over a salad, or on sandwiches.

Nutrition

Serving: 4ounces of chicken and 2 tablespoons of marinadeCalories: 152kcalCarbohydrates: 6.4gProtein: 26.6gFat: 1.4gSaturated Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 361mgSugar: 4.4g
Keyword: Juicy Chicken Breasts, Marinated Chicken
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Author: The Seasoned Mom
blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

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Comments

  1. I often get into a chicken rut too…sometimes I’m just out of ideas or make the same ‘ole dish over and over again. I love this simple marinade! I have all of the ingredients in my kitchen, so I’ve got to try this next time. Sounds wonderful!

  2. I would like to serve this dish to company for dinner. Do you have any suggestions for side dishes to accompany this dish? There will be four of us.
    Thank you,

    1. Hi, Sue! That’s wonderful! It’s a perfect casual summer entertaining meal! I would serve the chicken with a few simple, fresh sides that take advantage of summer produce. Corn on the cob, a green salad, sliced fresh tomatoes, fruit salad, or a corn and bean salad like my Cowboy Caviar in this post would all be great. https://www.theseasonedmom.com/cowboy-caviar-chicken/ The Cowboy Caviar and a fruit or green salad can all be prepared in advance, which is nice when you’ve got guests coming over.

      I would also serve some sort of grains (assuming you and your guests eat carbs) — so maybe a loaf of French or Italian bread from the bakery, some dinner rolls, or a side of your favorite rice.

      Most of those ideas are simple and easy so that you can focus on the fun! 🙂

      Oh, and dessert — I would do a peach cobbler or a blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream. Or maybe a strawberry shortcake with store-bought poundcake, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Or just some cookies from the bakery with a dish of ice cream or sorbet! Enjoy!

  3. I am making this chicken tonight but only started marinating it at 10 am this morning. Definitely won’t hit the 24 hour mark. Is that going to be ok?

    1. Hi, Madison! Absolutely! That’s going to be totally fine. I think if you marinate it for even an hour or two it will be delicious. 🙂

    1. Hi, Gloria! To be safe, I would double the entire recipe for 8 adults. Cook about 4 lbs. of chicken and make twice as much marinade. You might have some leftovers, but that’s better than running out. Plus, the leftovers are delicious on salad or in sandwiches!