Get dinner prepped in minutes! This quick and easy Asian Chicken Marinade adds amazing flavor to chicken breast for a fantastic main dish that comes together in short order.
Want to save this post?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I’ll send you budget recipes and money-saving tips every week!
Ready for a takeout-fakeout? Looking for a quick and easy meal that is packed with flavor? Can’t stand the heat and want to get outta the kitchen?
This Asian Chicken Marinade recipe fits that bill perfectly. With the sesame, garlic-infused flavors you associate with your favorite Asian takeout dishes, this simple chicken marinade mixes up in minutes. Best yet, you can grill the marinated chicken for a mess-free dinner al fresco.
Asian Chicken Marinade
I find that chicken marinades are one of my favorite chicken freezer meals. Not only are they simple to prepare, but they bring a lot of variety to the humble chicken breast.
Stock up next time you see a sale on chicken and mix up a few bags of this Asian Chicken Marinade. The cooked chicken is delicious on Asian Bowls, in salads, and as the starring player next to rice and cooked veggies.
How do you marinate chicken?
The process of marinating chicken adds a ton of flavor, and thankfully, it’s a simple process:
- Place the marinade and the chicken pieces in a ziptop freezer bag on a tray or in a covered dish.
- Place the marinating chicken in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours.
- To cook, remove the chicken from the marinade and cook on the grill, in a skillet, or bake in the oven.
If you use a dish and the chicken is not completely submerged in the marinade, plan on turning it once of twice so both sides of the chicken are infused with flavor.
If you use a freezer bag, place it on a tray to catch any drips and to prevent cross contamination.
How do you freeze chicken in marinade?
Ziptop freezer bags are best for freezing chicken in marinades. They allow you to encase the chicken in the liquid without much air.
Be sure to label the bag with the recipe name and date prior to adding cold ingredients to the bag. Cold bags are harder to write on.
Once you’ve prepared the marinade and placed it in a ziptop freezer bag, place it on a tray in the freezer. The tray will help the package to freeze flat instead of slipping through and getting stuck in between the freezer racks.
Can you still use chicken marinade?
Chicken marinade is a one-time use item since the marinade will contain uncooked juices from the chicken pieces. However, if you’d like to use the marinade as a sauce, it must be boiled first to kill any bacteria.
You will cook the marinade just as you are cooking the chicken.
As the juices of a roast chicken incorporate into delicious gravy, a marinade can become a delicious sauce.
To use marinade as a sauce:
- Place the leftover marinade in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil.
- Boil the sauce for one minute, then turn off the heat.
- Once it has cooled down to taste, taste the sauce for proper seasoning. Some marinades are very high in acids which can make for a very tart sauce.
- Consider adding water, chicken stock, or juice to the liquid to adjust the flavoring to your tastes.
Do I need to make a sauce for this chicken?
You can make a sauce for this chicken if you want, but it’s absolutely delicious on its own.
How much does it cost to make a homemade Asian chicken marinade?
Making homemade is usually cheaper and tastier. But it’s always good to crunch the numbers and double check. Here’s what it costs to make this marinade when shopping non-sale prices at a mid-range grocery store in Southern California.
- rice vinegar – $0.54 ($2.29/12.7 oz)
- soy sauce – $0.30 ($1.99/10 oz)
- honey – $0.16 ($8.49/40 oz)
- garlic – $0.04 ($0.48/clove)
- red pepper flakes – $0.07 ($1.25/42 g)
- oil – $0.08 ($1.99/48 oz)
- sesame oil $0.36 ($3.99/5.5 oz)
The total cost of one batch of marinade is $1.55 for 1 cup of marinade.
It’s a good price, but not a great one. At your typical grocery store, Asian ingredients such as rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil, the higher priced items in this recipe, are not offered at great prices.
How can I save more on this recipe?
To lower the price to a more comfortable range, be sure to shop at ALDI, Trader Joe’s, or an Asian market to get better pricing on those higher priced items. In doing so, you can cut the cost of this recipe down to about a dollar.
If you prepare this recipe, be sure to share a picture on social media and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!
Asian Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine.6 tablespoon rice vinegar, 3 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ¼ cup neutral oil, 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- Transfer the marinade to a ziptop freezer bag. Add the chicken pieces and store in the refrigerator on a tray to catch the drips.
- Allow the chicken to marinate for 2 to 24 hours.
- When ready to serve, remove the chicken from the marinade and cook on a hot grill.
- Discard the marinade or boil it in a saucepan to use as a sauce. (See post note.)
Robb
I literally have nearly the exact recipe as a dipping sauce for egg rolls and fried wonton. Omit neutral oil, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp chili oil, 6 tbsp soy, 3 tbsp rice vin, 1 tbsp honey, 2 clvs garlic and garnish with a green onion.
Jean
I was a little concerned that there was so little sweet and so much vinegar/soy sauce but it was delicious. However, I made some mistakes I want others to avoid:
Since it’s winter, I cooked in the oven, 375 for an hour, then turned it off to rest. I had poured the marinade over the chicken and let it reduce as it cooked. This was a mistake because the chicken was skin on, and all that grease commingled with the sauce. Next time I will just bake the chicken on a rack and boil the marinade for the sauce. It was still good, just than I like (it already had the veg oil and the sesame oil).
Served with Trader Joe’s udon noodle salad with peanut sauce, a nice simple side dish that included the starch and vegetables. Very easy.
Amber B.
This recipe is one of my favorites and I love how simple it is.
Michelle
Never review things, but I have used this recipe SO many times. I use tamari and love that it’s clean and easy! Tastes sooooo delicious and makes for the most tender juicy sesame grilled chicken thighs. Whole family loves!
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for making this an exception, Michelle! Love to hear that it’s a go-to. Thank you!
Debbie
The chicken is marinating at this moment. The marinade is delicious.
Can’t wait to cook it.
Jossie Patterson
Could I marinate it overnight and bake or cook on stovetop/wok?
Jessica Fisher
Yep! Will be delicious.
lm
If I bake marinated chicken tenderloins, what temperature should the oven be set to and for how long should the tenderloins bake?
Jessica Fisher
350 degree oven, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they reach an internal temp of 150, then rest for 5 minutes, covered. Baking time will really depend on the size of the tenderloins. I follow the Serious Eats guideline for not overcooking chicken.
Anna S
One of my favorite marinades!!! So far I’ve used it with chicken, shrimp and pork but chicken is my go to. I usually grill kebabs with veggies and baste them with the leftover marinade and they come out perfect every time. Works great with drumsticks too!
Jessica Fisher
Sounds great!
Mary Swensen
Very good!! Made this last night on the grill and served with a cold sesame noodle salad. Thank you for recipe.
Stephanie
Jessica, Your 5 minute Asian Chicken Marinade is a 5 star! I was short on time when I started making dinner so I sliced the chicken to bite size portions and marinated 1 hour. I removed the chicken from the marinade and seared both sides of the meat. I then served it over an Asian Salad. So good. I did make one tweak, and that was adding a 1/2 teaspoon of minced fresh ginger. You rocked this one. Even my husband said this was a keeper! Thank you for sharing it with us. Do you have a good sweet and sour sauce recipe?
Jessica Fisher
Yay! I’m so glad you like it. My sweet and sour is in the GCE cookbook: pineapple sauce on page 169.
LaToya
Can I add ginger to this?
Jessica Fisher
That would be a great addition. I use it in my asian sauces all the time. Super yum!
Kylie
Excellent recipe and I loved all of the helpful tips you included! I will definitely be making this dish again. Thank you for sharing!
Jessica Fisher
Yay! Thanks for letting me know!
Clarice
Very good marinade! I cooked chicken in this and added it to stir fry noodles. I cooked it in a cast iron skillet with the marinade. While cooking the vinegar smelled strong, but it did not overpower the chicken. Both my fiance and I loved this chicken and I will definitely use this recipe again.
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So glad it was a win for you. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback.