This Thai Chicken Marinade makes the most tender, juicy chicken that is full of authentic sweet and spicy Thai flavor. We’ve included instructions on how to marinate and grill your chicken breasts, along with our recipe for a simple peanut sauce to serve alongside.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Prep! This salad has simple ingredients, and it comes together quickly! What more do you need in a dinner recipe?!
- Versatile Use. This chicken marinade words with chicken breasts, thights, wings, or tenders.
- Meal Prep Friendly. Marinate your chicken overnight and cook the nest day for fast weeknight dinners. It’s great for grilling season but works in the oven too.
Easy Thai Chicken Marinade
This simple Thai marinated chicken is a great way to turn ordinary chicken breasts into a unique and flavorful meal. The sweet and spicy marinade is made up of fresh lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, green onions, and a touch of red pepper flakes. Just toss together with your chicken, place in the fridge overnight, and you’ll be ready to grill or bake your tender, juicy chicken the next day.
If you’re looking for some more chicken dinner ideas, try our homemade orange chicken, teriyaki chicken and our amazing basil chicken stir fry.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts – this recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts but you could absolutely substitute bone-in or boneless chicken thighs, chicken tenders, or chicken wings.
- Avocado Oil – you can also use olive oil or vegetable oil for the marinade ingredients.
- Soy Sauce – any soy sauce will work, including regular, low salt, or even tamari.
- Lime Juice – fresh lime juice tastes the best.
- Garlic – it’s best to use fresh minced garlic, but the jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Ginger Powder – this has a great ginger flavor and makes things easy, but you could also use 2 teaspoons of fresh minced ginger instead.
- Green Onions – you’ll want these to be thinly sliced.
- Red Pepper Flakes – these add just a touch of heat to the marinade. You could also substitute a dash or two of Thai sweet chili sauce.
Peanut Sauce
- Peanut Butter – while I usually use creamy peanut butter, you can definitely use crunchy if you don’t mind a sauce that isn’t completely smooth.
- Sugar – this recipe calls for granulated sugar, but brown sugar would make a tasty substitute, as would palm sugar.
- Soy Sauce – again, you can use regular soy sauce, low salt, or even tamari.
- White Wine Vinegar – this helps round out the flavors. You could substitute a bit of rice wine vinegar.
- Red Pepper Flakes – if you like things spicy, I recommend adding a pinch to this sauce.
How to Make Grilled Thai Chicken
- Marinate the chicken. In a medium bowl or other container, add the chicken and marinade ingredients. Stir until combined, cover with plastic wrap, and marinate overnight in the fridge, or for at least 20 minutes.
- Remove from the marinade and preheat the grill. Once you have marinated the chicken, remove the chicken from the marinade, discard the remaining marinade, and let the chicken come to room temperature while preheating the grill.
- Cook the chicken. Place the chicken on a preheated 350 degree grill and cook chicken on the grill for 4-7 minutes per side, or until golden on each side and the internal temperature reads 165 degrees F on a digital thermometer.
- Rest and serve. Remove chicken from the heat and place on a serving tray. Cover with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve over rice with peanut sauce and fresh lime wedges. Enjoy!
- Optional: How to make the peanut sauce. In a small pan, add the peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, and crushed red pepper flakes. Heat over medium high heat while whisking and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature before stirring in the lime juice. Serve as a dipping sauce for the chicken or thin a little with water and use as a salad dressing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should you marinate chicken?
If you are in a pinch, you can marinate the chicken for as little as 20 minutes. However, for the juiciest, most flavorful chicken, we recommend that you marinate chicken for at least 12 hours, or overnight. The longest that we recommend marinating would be 48 hours in the fridge.
Can I make the Thai Chicken Marinade ahead of time?
If you want, you can mix together the Chicken Thai Marinade ingredients the day before and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Can you use this marinade recipe for baked chicken breasts?
Absolutely! You can use this marinade recipe for any of your favorite grilled or baked chicken recipes.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve over coconut rice or quinoa with a side of fresh lime wedges.
- Drizzle with homemade peanut sauce (included in the recipe) or thin it for a salad dressing.
- Add the leftover sliced chicken to salads, wraps, or a rice bowl for easy lunches.
- Pair with roasted vegetables, lettuce wraps, or a crunchy Thai salad.
- Marinate chicken for at least 2 hours, but overnight is ideal for maximum flavor.
- Use fresh lime juice and minced garlic for best results.
- If grilling, let your chicken rest for 5-10 after cooking to redistribute the juices and keep the chicken tender and juicy.
- Always discard the marinade used on raw chicken, or you can boil it for several minutes before using it as a sauce.
Storing Instructions
- Refrigerator: store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure to discard any leftover marinade after you have used it.
- To reheat: reheat chicken on a baking sheet in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until heated through. You can also reheat a small portion in the microwave, for about 1-2 minutes on high, or until warmed through.
- Peanut Sauce: you can store leftover peanut sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
More Thai Recipes You’ll Love
Grilled Thai Chicken Recipe
This Thai Chicken recipe makes the most tender, juicy chicken that is full of authentic sweet and spicy Thai flavor. We’ve included instructions on how to marinate and grill your chicken breasts, along with our recipe for a simple peanut sauce to serve alongside.
Yields people
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, (about 6 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
Thai Marinade for Chicken
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoons ginger powder
- 3 tablespoons water
- 4 large green onions, sliced thin
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Peanut Sauce
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes, (optional)
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the chicken breasts, avocado oil, soy sauce, lime juice, minced garlic, ginger, water, green onions, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir until combined, cover with plastic wrap, and let marinate for 20 minutes-24 hours in the fridge.
- Once you have marinated the chicken, remove the chicken from the marinade, discard the remaining marinade, and let the chicken come to room temperature while preheating the grill.
- Place the chicken on a preheated 350 degree grill and cook for 4-7 minutes per side, or until golden on each side and the internal temperature reads 165 degrees F on a digital thermometer.
- Remove chicken from the heat and place on a serving tray. Cover with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Peanut Sauce Recipe
- In a small pan, add the peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, and crushed red pepper flakes. Heat over medium high heat while whisking and bring to a boil.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature before stirring in the lime juice. Serve as a dip for the chicken or drizzled over the top. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute 2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger for the ginger powder.
- To make the peanut sauce into salad dressing, just thin it down with a little water.
Nutrition
Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 936mg | Potassium: 709mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 269IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg
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More Asian-Inspired Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Baked Lemon Ginger Chicken
- Baked Lemon Chicken
- Cilantro Lime Chicken with Quinoa
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
- Simple Oven Baked Chicken Breast
- Honey Soy Chicken Thighs
- More Chicken Recipes
- More Easy Dinner Recipes
This Thai Chicken Marinade recipe is a simple way to turn ordinary chicken into a delicious Asian-inspired meal. It makes the most tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken using just a few simple ingredients.
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This really dressed my chicken up! So simple to make and so flavorful.
This recipe has quickly become a family favorite in our household, and I can’t wait to share it with friends at our next barbecue. Thank you for sharing this delicious taste of Thailand with us!