Triple Citrus Chicken Marinade

Published July 12, 2019. Updated August 21, 2019

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A bright and flavorful chicken marinade made with a trio of fresh citrus! Because why just use one when you can use three? It includes orange, lemon and lime which is perfect for creating a vibrant grilled chicken marinade!

Marinated chicken on a serving plate with a side of asparagus, yellow squash, sweet potatoes and citrus slices.

Chicken Marinade Recipe with Triple Citrus

Every summer it’s all about those chicken marinades right? Because who likes bland and boring chicken without some extra flavor?

This marinade is incredibly easy to make! Don’t be intimated by that list of ingredients, you can see in the ingredients photo below it’s actually not much and you probably have a lot of what you’ll need already.

Thanks to using all that fresh citrus, both juice and zest, you get a deliciously summery marinade you’ll want to make time and time again.

You’ll love that it’s not overwhelming like some of those vinegar based chicken marinades can be. The splash of citrus is a nice welcome touch that always enhances the flavors of chicken.

Another fun way to use this marinade is to make grilled chicken skewers, instead of using whole chicken pieces cut into 1-inch cubes, marinate then thread onto skewers and grill.

Just be sure to plan ahead with this recipe because you’ll want to let the chicken soak for at least one hour to absorb that flavor.

Row of marinated grilled chicken on a white serving plate.

What Ingredients go into Triple Citrus Chicken Marinade?

  • Oranges, lemon and limes – this is the perfect trio of flavor. Sweet orange and tart and tangy lemon and lime.
  • Olive oil – this helps keep the exterior of the chicken from drying out.
  • Shallot and garlic – these add fresh background flavor.
  • Rosemary – I like to use fresh here but dried will work too if that’s what you have.
  • Dijon mustard – this adds one more light hint of flavor, it also helps emulsify the marinade.
  • Honey – I like to use just a little to balance out the tartness and also help brown the chicken.
  • Salt and pepper – feel free to adjust the amounts to taste.

What Type of Chicken to Use?

  • This recipe works great with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. Preferably around 6 oz. for breasts or 4 – 5 oz. for thighs.
  • It makes enough marinade for up to 2 lbs of chicken.
  • Preferably pound thicker parts of chicken breasts to even out there thickness so they cook more evenly.

Chicken marinade ingredients.

How to Make This Easy Chicken Marinade:

  • In a mixing bowl whisk together all ingredients (except chicken) until well blended.

Showing how to make citrus chicken marinade. Ingredients in a glass mixing bowl with whisk to the side.

  • Place chicken in a gallon size resealable bag or dish (use glass, ceramic, plastic or nonreactive metal such as stainless steel).
  • Pour marinade over chicken. Transfer to refrigerator and let rest at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.

Chicken marinade in a glass mixing bowl. Made with citrus, olive oil, herbs, garlic and red onion.

How Long to Marinate Chicken?

Chicken should marinate, refrigerated, at least 1 hour to allow exterior of chicken to soak up those flavors, but don’t marinate longer than 6 hours or acidity in the marinade can make the chicken mushy.

Chicken breasts in marinade in a resealable bag.

How to Grill Marinated Chicken Breasts or Thighs:

  • Preheat a gas grill over medium to medium-high heat. Clean grill grates.
  • Grill chicken on preheated grill until cooked through, about 4 – 7 minutes per side. (Chicken breasts will be faster than thighs).

How to Tell When Chicken is Done Grilling?

  • Chicken should have those nice char marks on the exterior and once done it will have shrunk in size. It should feel firm and no longer bouncy or rubbery.
  • Always take the temperature with a digital food thermometer. Center of thickest portion should be 165 degrees and should no longer be pink. This is the most efficient and safest way to test chicken for doneness (be sure thermometer is accurate to begin with as well).

Three chicken breasts on a grill.

Can I Make this Marinade in Advance?

No. Since it has fresh unpasteurized juice it won’t keep long and it’s best to make it the day you’re going to use it.

Can I Reuse Chicken Marinade?

No, never. It can harbor bacteria and cause food born illness. Instead just double up on the recipe if you need more chicken marinated. Or if you would like some extra marinade to serve with the chicken then just set some of the marinade aside and refrigerate then serve with the chicken once cooked (you can also thicken marinades up with a little bit of cornstarch on the stovetop if using as a sauce).

Overhead image of chicken breasts coated with marinade on a serving platter.

What Should I Serve with Marinated Grilled Chicken?

More Delicious Chicken Recipes to Try!

Sliced chicken breasts

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Chicken Marinade Triple Citrus
5 from 12 votes

Triple Citrus Chicken Marinade

A bright and flavorful chicken marinade made with a trio of fresh citrus! Because why just use one when you can use three? It's made with orange, lemon and lime which is perfect for creating a vibrant grilled chicken marinade! This is easy to make and perfect for summer.
Servings: 4 -5
Prep10 minutes
Ready in: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Marinade

Instructions

  • In a mixing bowl whisk together all ingredients except chicken until well combined.
  • Place chicken in a gallon size resealable bag or dish.
  • Pour marinade over chicken. Transfer to refrigerator and let rest at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.
  • Preheat a grill over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and cook on grill until center registers 165 degrees in center of thickest portion, turning once halfway through cooking (reduce grill temperature as needed if chicken is browning too quickly).
  • Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired.

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36 Comments

  • Sharon

    Made as per recipe and used the chicken in our favorite chicken and fruit salad. The chicken was very tasty and moist. I will definitely be making this again.

  • Adrienne

    This recipe looks fantastic – I’m excited to try it! I have chicken drumsticks that I would like to grill using this marinade. Would any adjustments need to be made to the marinade recipe and/or the grilling directions? Any guidance is appreciated! :)

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      They take longer to cook and by then the honey may burn. You could try cooking over a lower temp and just increasing cook time. Marinating would be the same.

      • Adrienne

        Thank you so much for the suggestion! I will try that and let you all know how it goes (fingers crossed it’s not an epic fail ;p).

  • Erin

    Fantastic recipe. Marinated boneless thighs for an hour and cooked them in a skillet. Turned out great. Even my husband (who hates lemon) loved it and asked for it to be added to our meal rotation. Next time, I’ll try drumsticks baked in the oven.

  • Nancy A Cervenak

    I use this marinade for both bone-in skin on and boneless, skinless chicken breasts. (Love it with the bone-in chicken best). Then I cook it in my air fryer. 375 for 25-30 minutes, depending onsize/thickness, flipping it halfway through until 165 internal temperature. I usually want it a little crispier, so I increase the temperature to 400 for about 3-5 minutes. It’s so juicy and tender!

  • Beth Sinclair

    Our family absolutely loves this recipe! We use it all of the time. We often double the recipe and make extra so we can enjoy it the next day on a salad or in a grain bowl for lunch or dinner. I love the brightness of all of the citrus. The flavors are really well balanced. We usually sub in fresh oregano or thyme for the rosemary. I think basil would also be great.

  • Deanne

    This marinade sounds delicious…I love all the fresh citrus it uses!! I’m thinking I might use this with shrimp, to make shrimp tacos. How long do you suggest I marinate the shrimp? And, BTW, I’m loving all the recipes I’m finding on your site. I’ve already added several to my weekly meal plans!

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      I wouldn’t marinate in shrimp longer than 30 minutes or it will start to “cook” the shrimp. I’m so glad you’ve been adding my recipes to your meal plan Deanne!

    • Sharon

      I was wondering if I could make a double batch of chicken in marinade (in 2 ziploc bags) and freeze one bag for later use?