Keto Chicken Marinade (Breasts or Thighs) - Savory Tooth (2024)

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• ▢ 1 to 1.5 pounds chicken breasts, thighs, or other cuts (Note 1)

Marinade:

• ▢ 1/4 cup olive oil
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (Note 2)
• ▢ 5 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• Prep Chicken: If moist, pat chicken dry with paper towels to avoid diluting marinade. Optionally, use fork to pierce chicken on all sides to increase marinade coverage. Place chicken in resealable bag or shallow dish (Note 3).

• Prep Marinade: Stir all marinade ingredients in bowl until well-mixed. Pour marinade over chicken in resealable bag or shallow dish, arranging chicken so it's coated with marinade on all sides.

• Marinate & Cook: Seal bag (squeezing out air) or cover dish, and marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours (Note 4). Cook marinated chicken with preferred method, such as baking (Note 5) or grilling (Note 6).

PHOTOS

NOTES & TIPS

(2) Lemon Juice. This can be substituted with your favorite vinegar, such as balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar.

(3) Resealable Bag vs. Dish. I prefer using a resealable bag instead of a dish for holding the chicken and marinade. A bag can easily mold to the shape of the chicken and provide better marinade coverage, whereas a dish often means that one side of the chicken isn’t fully exposed to the marinade. A resealable bag also means less cleanup.

(4) Marinating Time. Avoid marinating longer than 24 hours. This marinade’s acidic component (lemon juice) can break down the meat’s muscle fibers such that the meat’s texture becomes mushy.

(5) Baking. Make baked chicken by following this Baked One-Pot Chicken Recipe (shown in photos on this page), which re-purposes the marinade to form a flavorful sauce that goes on top of the chicken. The chicken is baked alongside vegetables like tomatoes, onions, and zucchini for a complete meal. It takes about 45 minutes at 400 F for baking whole boneless and skinless chicken breasts.

(6) Grilling. Using a preheated grill, it takes about 10 minutes (flipping halfway) for chicken breasts until you get nice sear marks and it’s cooked through. This is great for summer cookouts, and you can use the grilled chicken for fajitas, kabobs, salads, and casseroles. Serve with side dishes like strawberry salad, low carb fried zucchini coins, or a quick coleslaw.

(7) Nutrition. The calculation includes both the chicken and the marinade ingredients listed in the recipe. This recipe is suitable for a variety of diets, including low carb, keto, and paleo. Most of the carbs comes from the lemon juice and garlic, and to a lesser extent, spices like oregano and thyme.