Do you always get upset when you end up with a dry and flavorless chicken? Well, I have got you covered with this life-saving marinade recipe for baked chicken. You will not need a dipping sauce to get through eating it, as this perfect marinade makes the chicken extra tender and juicy and takes the flavor to the next level.
This easy chicken marinade comes together in minutes, and guess what? You don’t have to use any dishes, since you will be adding the ingredients directly into a large sealable bag with your chicken. All of what you need for this magical marinade are budget-friendly and common pantry ingredients.
This magical recipe was one the of recipes that went viral, and everyone loved it. I’m sure it will also be your family’s all-time favorite dinner!
A Zippy Chicken Marinade Dish
Why Marinate Chicken?
A marinade is a mixture of ingredients used to soak slices of chicken before cooking, and it often consists of oil, acid, and a variety of spices. This chicken marinade is fantastic because it gives the chicken a savory flavor and makes it extra moist. Though it may be used for any cut, it works especially well with chicken breast.
Each ingredient has a magical touch in forming the marinade. The extra virgin oil keeps the chicken extra tender and juicy, the fresh lemon juice breaks down the fiber in the chicken to make it tender, the yogurt adds slight tang and tenderizes the chicken, and the veggies add a whole lot of flavor. Apart from the tenderness it produces, this marinade can be prepared in less than 30 minutes and used with any cut of chicken. Perfect for Ramadan dinners!
A picture You Can Smell
How to Serve this Authentic Marinade
If you decide to serve chicken as a main dish and want something more spicy, this marinade is a go-to choice. You are not going to be missing a sauce here, since the chicken sucks up the marinade and becomes incredibly moist and juicy.
This marinated chicken might go well with some of your favorite side dishes. You can try making a big batch of coleslaw or broccoli salad for a more healthy dinner, or you can serve it with with grilled mushrooms with a mild flavor, so that you don’t overpower your dish. But, if you would really like to wow your guests, oven-baked potato wedges are a nice complement to marinated chicken.
Tender and Balsamic Marinated Chicken
Tips for the Best Baked Chicken Marinade
The marinade can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge for 24 hours or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Use a zip-top plastic bag, bowl, or dish to combine all marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken.
Chicken breasts should be marinated for at least 30 minutes to fully absorb the flavors.
The marinade will work for any cut of chicken, but it’s particularly good for chicken breast because it adds juiciness and flavors quickly to this lean cut of chicken.
Mouthwatering and Heartwarming Meal
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The chicken breasts should all be pierced with a fork. This will ensure that the marinade completely penetrates the chicken to make it juicy.
I recommend marinating it at least 30 minutes, but preferably overnight. I have found that if I marinate the chicken for longer than 24 hours, it begins to become tough.
It can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge.
Put it in a Ziploc bag or other airtight container, label it, and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. You can also keep it for up to three months in the freezer by placing it in a freezer-safe container and labeling it with dates.
Extra Juicy and Extra Delicious
Ingredients
Let’s take a quick look at what you will need for this easy-to-make baked chicken marinade:
Veggies: To add a lot of flavor, use a large Roma tomato, a yellow onion, garlic cloves, jalapenos, and parsley
Extra virgin olive oil
Yogurt: to add slight tang and tenderizes the chicken
Pepper paste or tomato paste
Lemon juice
Seasonings: paprika, Aleppo pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, 7 spices, coriander powder, turmeric, salt, and sumac
Steps to Prep
First, blend the vegetables with yogurt, oil, and pepper paste.
Next, add the spices and mix.
Then, lay the chicken pieces on a parchment lined baking tray and spread the marinade over them. Use your hands to get the marinade into the little crevices and under the skin, making sure you don’t forget the back.
Marinate for 1 hour, then bake at 425 for 1 hour-1.5 hours and let it cook uncovered or broil until the skin crisps up.
For the leftover marinade, add it to a pot on medium heat and add water to make the desired consistency. Let it bubble then serve.
Must Try Recipes:
Mediterranean Style Chicken Salad with Creamy Yogurt Dressing
Middle Eastern Spiced Baked Chicken
Restaurant Style Butter Chicken (cheat version)
If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience. You can follow me Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
The Best Marinade for Baked Chicken
Ingredients
For the Marinade: enough for 2 chickens, or 1 chicken with sauce for serving
- 1 large roma tomato
- ½ yellow onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- Jalapeño to taste
- ¼ bunch parsley
- ¼ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 3 tablespoons yogurt
- ¼ cup pepper paste or tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon 7 spice
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons sumac
Instructions
- Blend the vegetables with yogurt, oil, and pepper paste.
- Add the spices and mix.
- Lay the chicken pieces on a parchment lined baking tray and spread the marinade over them.
- Use your hands to get the marinade into the little crevices and under the skin, making sure you don't forget the back.
- Marinate for 1 hour, then bake at 425 F for 1 hour and 30 minutes covered. Once done, let it cook uncovered or broil until the skin crisps up.
- For the leftover marinade, add it to a pot on medium heat and add water to make your desired consistency. Let it bubble then serve.
Notes
- It is better to prepare your marinade in advance and keep it in the fridge for 24 hours or the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Chicken breasts need to be marinated for at least 30 minutes to fully absorb the flavors.
53 Responses
This recipe is so simple and easy and gives an amazing tasting baked chicken! Its now my go to recipe when i make chicken, goes amazing with the Quzi rice recipe! Its become my signature dish !
This recipe is so simple and easy and gives an amazing tasting baked chicken! Its now my go to recipe when i make chicken, goes amazing with the Quzi rice recipe! Its become my signature dish !
I tried this recepi came out very authentic taste just like from restaurant. I like her recepi to try thanks girl
What is 7 spice and where can I buy it?
Its a pre mixed spice blend. You can find it on amazon or any Middle Eastern grocery store 🙂
This is the best recipe I’ve ever used to make chicken. As long as it’s followed exactly then you can’t go wrong. Flavours are immaculate and will definitely beat any takeaways. And not to mention it looks amazing great for when you have guests to impress.
Note – very nice way and simple to make also
I would rate this honestly 5 stars
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Thank you Fatimah
Can I BBQ this? Thank you!
absolutely
I’m confused how the Marinade becomes a sauce. Do we reserve half of it and cook it?
If you’re not marinating the full amount of chicken, reserve some of the marinade mixture before adding it to the chicken. You can dip as is, or cook it down on the stove with some water.
I made this for the first day of Ramadan and it was a hit! I marinated the chicken over night and it just made the flavors that much better. Highly recommended!
Absolutely delicious
This recipe is going into regular circulation! So good. I added potatoes and baked it off!
This recipe is a hit! Flavorful and hits the spot!
Wow! This marinade just took my chicken to the next level. The chicken came out so flavorful and tender. Yet again a great recipe in the books.
This is the most delectable chicken marinade ever! I made it for Iftar last night and the chicken was outstanding! My Egyptian husband and I couldn’t believe how flavorful, aromatic and delicious it tasted. I’ve shared your page and recipe with friends and they can’t wait to try it! Thank you so much❤️
I’m making it tonight for the third time. Home run every time. Outstanding recipe!
This was honestly the best chicken marinade by far. I will forever be sticking to this recipe, thank you so much!
She is not joking when she said that is it the best marinade and that you’ll do it again and again! This is the third time that I have cooked this recipe, without jalapeño for my little ones. So good so delicious!
Love this marinate. So delicious. I even use it when I grill chicken thighs. Yummy
Amazing recipe I use it all the time with chicken wings. People always compliment it!!
Amazing recipe I use it all the time with chicken wings. People always compliment it!!
Fantastic! My husband did a great job making it!
This looks so good is the cook time 1 hr or is it 1 hr and 30 mins kinda confused but I am excited to try and make this thank you
Hi, anywhere from 1 hour to an hour and a half. depends on the size of your chicken!
I made this and I can agree it truly is the best marinade thank you for sharing with us I will use this recipe for all my chicken from now on and it was easy to make.
Another brilliant dish it’s so authentic. My kids think Palestinian cuisine is by far the best and this is a real crowd pleaser. Thank you x
Hi! I apologize I may have missed this, but how much chicken should I buy for the marinade using the recipe above? I saw it said 1 chicken, but do you have any equivalents in leg / quarter form? I am the only one who eats chicken within my group so I may halve the recipe if it makes a lot.
hi! This should do 3-4 small leg quarters 🙂
I made this with chicken thighs and cut up potato’s in the oven and it was sooooooo delicious and beautiful!!! Definitely making this again 🙂
Hi! Thank you for the recipe!! Sorry if this is a silly question, for chicken breasts we also cook for 1h to 1h30? 🙂
hi! boneless breasts cook alot quicker, id say 30-45 mins but use a thermometer to be sure!
Delirious and very juicy
Instructions were easy to follow
Everyone loved this chicken. It was very tasty.
Thank you for sharing and it will be one of the saved recipes.
This is such a gorgeous, yummy recipe. I highly, highly recommend. Honestly I’ve made this a few times & skipped the marinading for 30 minutes and this recipe will give you so much flavour for relatively little effort. Love the little sauce on the side with it. Gorgeous.
Very easy marinade, but still very delicious. I use this marinade everytime I bake chicken for the family. We even pair it with mandy rice. Jazakillahu kayran sister for this delicious dish.
What does 1 chicken mean? I want to get meat to spice ratio correct. Can u tell me how many grams was the 1 chicken?
it was about 1200 🙂
keep in mind the marinade is good enough for 1200-1375g
Hi what kind of yogurt did you use?
Hello! Plain whole milk yogurt
Thank you for this recipe. What can I use instead or 7 spices, please? It’s not readily available in my area.
Mixed spices, ground all spice + cumin + cardamom + cinnamon +cloves, a pinch of each
By far the best marinade recipe I have used. Ever since I started using this marinade i cant imagine myself using any other recipe. I do tweak it a bit by adding my own spices but that base with the veggies and yogurt stays the same. My guests love my marinade chicken and soo many have asked for the recipe.
I tried this recipe many times it never fails it’s AMAZINGGGGG it’s honestly the best baked chicken recipe I tried before and if you leave some of the marinade and cook it like how she mentioned it’s addicting so so delicious !! Thank you for this recipe
I discovered this marinade about 3 years ago during Ramadan. We loved it so much, I usually make triple the quantity and use it as a dipping sauce. Ever since, I have made it for special occasions or when I have dinner parties. My kids always ask to make the Palestinian chicken and now I have my extended family hooked on it. This has become a staple in my household.
Best chicken marinade by far! I tried it for dinner the other night and will be making this so many times again, love the side sauce too!
Made this for my family today and everyone loved it! I am going to try it next time on grilled chicken! Yum
Made this in Ramadan for guests that were having iftar over. It was a hit! especially with the extra marinade as a dipping sauce. I have been craving it my entire pregnancy, will finally be making it again next week.
Great recipe, I’ve made this many times using either whole chicken, chicken legs or even boneless fillets, works great every time Alhamdulillah
Thank you so much for always providing the best recipes ❤️
This is mine and my husbands favorite way to make chicken. Mashallah it is so good ! I’ve also tried the recipe for chicken Shawarma!! I can’t wait to try more recipes everything I’ve tried has been amazing
Can I marinade overnight?
yes!