Lemon Pepper Chicken Marinade

This Lemon Pepper Chicken Marinade is an easy recipe to add tangy lemon and spicy flavors to chicken breast or chicken tenderloins. Plus, this chicken marinade is also gluten-free and dairy-free.

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What’s A Lemon Pepper Chicken Marinade?

Chicken is always better marinated.

A marinade not only adds flavor to the meat but also tenderizes the meat, making your chicken juicy and melt in your mouth.

This Lemon Pepper Chicken Marinade combines the tanginess of lemon with the flavors of pepper for perfect juicy meat.

It’s similar to my Greek Chicken Marinade or my Chicken Marinade, with a zestier touch.

How To Make Lemon Pepper Chicken Marinade

It’s very easy to make a garlic lemon chicken marinade in less than 10 minutes.

Key Ingredients

Let’s see what you need.

• Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice tastes better, but you can also buy ready-made juice. Follow my tips to squeeze a lemon without a juicer.
• Olive Oil or avocado oil. Prefer an unrefined oil to keep as much flavor.
• Fresh Chopped Herbs – Italian parsley or cilantro taste amazing with chicken, but you can also use rosemary or dill.
• Cumin – it’s optional, but it makes all the difference.
• Lemon Zest from one fresh untreated lemon.

Preparation

Combine all the lemon pepper chicken marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl or glass mason jar.

Stir the jar well to combine. It takes about one minute to get the ingredients to blend.

Then add the meat to a shallow bowl or zip-lock bag and cover with the chicken marinade.

Rub the meat to evenly coat it with the chicken marinade, then zip the bag or film the bowl with sealed plastic wrap and place the dish in the refrigerator.

Marinade Timing

Over marinating meat makes the meat tough, especially when a marinade contains lemon juice.

So for the best flavor, don’t exceed 12 hours but leave it for at least 3 hours in the fridge.

Oil Choice

A marinade should use healthy high-smoke point oil to add good healthy fat to your meal.

Also, high-smoke point oils handle high temperatures better, so whether you bake, fry, or air fry the chicken, the oil won’t be bad for you and won’t create harmful smoke.

The Best Oils Are

• Avocado Oil
• Olive Oil
• Almond Oil
• Grapeseed Oil

Variations

You can use the same recipe to create a range of lemon chicken marinade flavors.

• Use rosemary as herb to make lemon rosemary chicken marinade.
• Add 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt to make a Greek chicken marinade.

Cooking Time

After marinating the chicken, you have many options for cooking the meat.

To make an easy chicken dinner, you can bake or air fry the meat – the fastest options. Otherwise, you can grill on a barbecue or skillet.

• Baked Chicken – line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slightly spray oil on the paper and place the chicken on the sheet. Bake for 25 minutes in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C), flipping the meat halfway.
• Air Fried Chicken – Air-fry the chicken directly onto the grease air fryer basket for 12-16 minutes, flipping halfway.
• Grilling Chicken – preheat a cast-iron skillet or barbecue, then add the marinated meat with kitchen tongs. Grill until the meat is brown and white in the center. The time depends on the thickness of the meat. Chicken breasts are thicker and take longer than tenderloins to cook through.

Serving

Chicken marinated in this Lemon Pepper Chicken Marinade tastes fantastic as a topping to a salad like my spinach strawberry salad or on top of a cobb salad.

It’s also a great side to grilled vegetables like smoked cauliflower or a creamy casserole like a cauliflower casserole or green bean casserole.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below I listed the answer to your most common questions about this lemon chicken marinade recipe.

Should I Marinate Chicken?

It’s optional to marinate chicken, but it helps tenderize the meat.

This lemon chicken marinade makes your chicken juicier and chewier and improves its flavors.

You can use this lemon marinade for any chicken pieces, like chicken tenders, skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or chicken drumsticks.

It’s a great marinade for

• Grilling
• Baking
• Air frying
• Roasting

Can I Freeze Marinade?

Yes, you can freeze the marinade itself in zip-lock bags or add the marinated chicken in the bags or container and freeze them together.

The freezing process stops the action of the lemon juice on the meat, so the meat will be perfect when you thaw it in the fridge the day before using it.

You can freeze it for up to 3 months.

Can I Marinade Vegetables With This Recipe?

Yes, absolutely this lemon pepper marinade goes well with summer vegetables like zucchini, eggplants, tomatoes, or cauliflower.

Can I Use Another Meat?

Yes, you can use this marinade with shrimp instead of chicken. You can also use it with beef, but make sure to cook your steak to the right level.