Herb Marinated Chicken

Herb Marinated Chicken: This is hands-down the best chicken marinade you will come across. Not only is it easy, it’s absolutely delicious and a perfect way to use any herbs you have in the garden. I’m using a secret ingredient in this recipe which is mayonnaise. If you have never marinated with mayo before, you are seriously missing out. Mayo locks in the moisture and takes any of my chicken recipes to the next level. Being Bulgarian, my family loves to marinate with anything creamy such as yogurt, sour cream, or mayo. Most times we use yogurt in my family to lighten things up, but you are more than welcome to use mayo or sour cream as a substitute. If you’re not a fan of either or, you can definitely leave it out as it will be delicious regardless. This recipe is perfect for lunch, dinner, or meal prep. The longer the chicken sits in this marinade, the more tender and juicier it will be. Trust me, you have to make it as it will be your new favourite way to marinate from now on. This recipe makes 12 skinless boneless chicken thighs so feel free to adjust accordingly. I know a lot of other cultures do the same so please let me know in the comments what your favourite way to marinate is and if you have a secret ingredient to cook with in your culture as well.

Herb marinated chicken by the modern nonna herb marinated chicken

Herb Marinated Chicken

Themodernnonnathemodernnonna
This recipe is perfect for lunch, dinner, or meal prep. The longer the chicken sits in this marinade, the more tender and juicier it will be. Trust me, you have to make it as it will be your new favourite way to marinate from now on. This recipe makes 12 skinless boneless chicken thighs so feel free to adjust accordingly.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs — any cut of meat works
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise
  • handful of fresh basil parsley, and oregano — use any herbs you like
  • 4 peeled garlic cloves
  • juice of one lemon — 1/4 cup
  • 1/4-1/3 cup of good quality olive oil — take a look at the consistency when blending
  • 2 yellow potatoes cut in wedges — or any you like

Instructions
 

  • In a food processor or a blender, add a small handful of any herbs you like. I used basil, parsley, and fresh oregano. Add four whole peeled garlic cloves, lemon juice and olive oil. Food process for 30 seconds or until a loose consistency. You can start off with a quarter cup of olive oil and add more through the spout if needed.
  • Add the chicken to a bowl or a dish and season with salt and pepper. Add the mayo and pour the herb mixture on top. With clean hands massage the chicken really well and let it sit for at least an hour to overnight in the fridge.
  • Once you are ready to cook the chicken simply add it to a hot grill. If you have any of the marinade left over, I like to pour it on top of 1 to 2 yellow potatoes separately in a small dish ( or foil tray ) and cook them along side the chicken as well. I cook the chicken on the barbeque on medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes turning it over a few times with the barbeque lid open but you are more than welcome to bake it as well.
  • Please keep an eye on it as the cook time will vary based on the size and thickness of the meat. Use an instant read thermometer if you are not sure and make sure it reads 165F.
  • Enjoy with salad on the side or any other sides you like.

Notes

You can use this marinade for chicken, pork, seafood and even tofu. It’s absolutely incredible and so versatile. This marinade is also great for vegetables like potatoes as well.
You can bake the chicken in the oven uncovered at 400F until it reaches 165F which usually takes anywhere from 25-35 minutes depending on the size. Feel free to use bone in, skin on, but the cook time will increase so keep an eye on them. If you use skin on thighs, you can crisp up the skin in the oven the last few minutes of the bake time by putting the oven on broil which is the top broiler only.
Feel free to use chicken thighs for this recipe but please note that white meat cooks a lot faster than dark meat and requires less time so keep an eye on it and take it out sooner so it’s not dry.
The longer you let the marinate sit with the meat, the better it will be. I recommend overnight in the fridge or a minimum of one hour at least.
I used Vegenaise but you can use any mayo you like, sour cream, or even yogurt. If you don’t want to use anything at all, you are more than welcome to leave it out. A touch of buttermilk is also an option so feel free to improvise.
If you don’t have any leftover marinade you don’t need to make the potatoes on the side but I always have some leftover so I don’t want to waste it and I cook the potatoes alongside the chicken.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
If you love one of my recipes, please leave a review. It would mean so much to me if you did. Thank you for being here and bringing me into your kitchen.

4 Responses

  1. 5 stars
    Outstanding! Just used on planked salmon with only a 20 minute marinate time and my mouth is still watering. Cannot wait for the leftovers tonight! PS. I even forgot salt and pepper-That’s how great this is

  2. Just whipped up a batch for some chicken pieces. It smells so good. Wish i had doubled the recipe.
    When you say extra marinade for the potatoes do you mean the marinade that was with the chicken?

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