It’s not hyberbole. This really is the best marinade recipe I’ve ever used. It’s also a recipe for chicken fajitas, but I love the marinade so much I often use it on its own.
This gets raves. The herbs are right, the acids are right and the chicken is moist and delectable whether it’s grilled outdoors or in, with a grill pan, contact grill or the broiler. I’ve done it all those ways and it never disappoints, but I admit my favorite is over charcoal with the added flavor only charcoal imparts. I like this chicken as a main course or sliced and used in salads.
Which reminds me. I’ve never understood the American practice of marinating meat and poultry in bottled salad dressing. I really don’t want my food to taste like a salad unless it is a salad. If speed and convenience are the reasons, this goes together in about two minutes. If the lack of a good marinade recipe is the reason, problem solved.
I got this in the long-ago days of Usenet, which I believe still exists in some form in the labrynth of Google. I added basic directions — it was just a list of ingredients — and the red pepper flakes, which are traditional, but other than that it was perfect as is. The lack of salt is not a typo; it’s in the Worcestershire sauce.
Chicken fajitas with marinade
Marinade
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup/2 ounces white wine vinegar
1/4 cup/2 ounces fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Fajitas
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
1/2 cup picante sauce
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup chopped green chiles
For the marinade: Combine ingredients in a bowl or resealable bag. Add chicken, turning to coat, and refrigerate 4 hours or more. Discard marinade and grill chicken by whichever method you choose.
For fajitas: Slice chicken into 1/2″ strips. Serve in warmed tortillas with sauce, yogurt and chiles.
Makes 8 fajitas.
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This is the best chicken marinade and I have added this to our monthly menu. I make a menu for each week and buy the items for our menu. The chicken marinade is so good and the chicken so tender and tasty. I doadd some lite soy sauce and lemon pepper to the recipe. I have cooked the chicken on the outdoor grill and the indoor grill, the frypan and then on the elictric grill and in the oven. The chicken always comes out so good.
Thanks
I’m so happy to hear that, Ben, thanks. It was love at first bite here. I’ll have to try it your way; sounds delicious!
That does seem like an amazing recipe I want to try it soon.
I think you’ll like it. Thanks for stopping by.
Wow, this chicken marinade is incredible! I marinated chicken with the skin on for 5 hours and then baked in the oven for about 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. My husband has been tired of chicken dishes lately and it’s often hard to impress him with a new flavor. He LOVED this one and it was the easiest one I’ve made by far. I can’t wait to try it with pork. Just excellent…thank you for sharing it!!!
Hi, Carol. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave such a lovely comment. I’m so happy to hear it. Chicken does get tiring, doesn’t it? And I love your idea of using it with pork.
I’m not given to hyperbole but it really is an amazing little recipe. I’ve never served it to anyone who didn’t rave. It’s honestly one of the best on this blog. If you haven’t tried the Spice-Rubbed Caribbean Chicken, you and your husband would probably like that too.
Thanks again for the feedback. I appreciate it more than you know.
My wife and I are trying it for the first time tonight! I came home from work and looked up a quick chicken recipe and here I am. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thanks a lot!
Hi, Jeremy and welcome! I’m glad you found this; the search engines seem to like this recipe as much as people do.
Please do let me know how you and your wife like it. Thanks!
The marinade was amazing! I only let it sit for 30 minutes or so. We’re having it again tonight=0)
Thanks for letting me know, Jeremy, and I’m delighted to hear it. I’ll probably make it over the weekend myself. It never gets old.
Great recipe! My husband and daughter (she came over for dinner) absolutely loved it. I will be using this recipe from now on for chicken fajitas!!!!
I’m delighted to hear that, Marnie. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know!
i made this thursday night, it was so good! we love to reserve some before we marinade and use as a dipping sauce when we eat. Made with rice and mixed veggies, was sooo good!! great recipe!
Thank you so much for coming back to let me know, Jennifer. I really appreciate it. I’ve thought of using some reserved marinade as a drizzle or dipping sauce but never remember to put some aside. I have to make a note to myself now to do that!
I’m planning on making this for a camping trip this weekend. Is it OK to marinate for 2 days or is that too long?
Hi, Kim. That’s a great question and thank you for asking it. I do think 2 days is too long, especially for white meat; the acids in the marinade will begin to cook it.
Here’s what I would do instead: a few days before you leave, put the chicken and marinade in a resealable freezer bag and freeze it/them totally solid. When you leave, pop the bag(s) into your cooler or fridge (if you have an RV — I am not a camper at all, so forgive my haziness about how you keep things cold) and as the chicken thaws safely and slowly it will marinate and be ready and waiting when it’s time to cook them.
I often do that with beef I find on sale and plan to marinate, then let it all thaw in the fridge in the bag. It works really well.
Have a great trip and please visit From Scratch again!
‘Just ran across this recipe and it sounds delightful. I was thinking of using it as the main entree for a dinner I’m hosting tomorrow night; however, I’m concerned about how spicy this may be??? We have a mixed crowd and some can’t tolerate spicy food. Flavorful-spicy is fine but hot-spicy is not. Can you give me an idea of how hot this is — maybe on a salsa scale of mild, medium or hot? Even if it won’t work for the dinner party, we’ll def try another time for us. Many thanks!
Hi, Mel. My apologies for the delay in replying, but I moved quite recently, 3 stories of stuff, and I’ve been swamped.
But to answer your question belatedly, I’d call it flavorful but not really hot. The red pepper flakes are the only heat and they’re left behind in the liquid after marinating. You could leave them out, of course. This particular marinade really is about flavor.
Let me know how it works out for you!
The marinade in the bag trick I will have to try! What a wonderful idea! Now I can get meat out of the freezer, put it in the microwave for it’s 3 minute defrost, then into the refrigerator to marinate! (stuff doesn’t thaw well in there without the microwave step, I guess we keep it too cold!) On another note, my 8 yo is doing an elimination diet that requires no msg(among other things!), so that means no Worcestershire sauce. Will this marinade taste good without it?
Hi, Jennifer. Glad to help! Here’s an even easier trick: if you know the chicken will be marinated, put it with the marinade in a freezer bag, freeze, then a day before you need it, put the bag in the fridge and let it defrost slowly. It will marinate at the same time.
Lea & Perrin’s Worcestershire sauce does not list MSG in the ingredients, but it does have HFCS. You can leave it out. It’ll still be good! Thanks for the question.