Whether you’re whipping up a quick pasta or looking for an marinade, this All-Purpose Pesto Chicken Marinade is the perfect recipe to try out! Easy, tasty and great for lots of things!
All-Purpose Pesto Chicken Marinade, a marinade literally bursting with flavor that keeps chicken moist and leaves you wanting more!
I have a few healthy grilled chicken marinades up my sleeve that I keep making again and again. This is one of them. We just cannot get enough of this one.
I’m a huge pesto fan, there is something about the flavor that I absolutely love on pretty much anything, but when it’s on chicken, YUM!
An Italian-inspired marinade using pre-made pesto sauce. It goes together in minutes, let your chicken (or pork!!) marinade for hours then throw it on the grill.
I call this chicken marinade recipe all-purpose because it is one of those recipes you can bust out for any meal. Literally we have tried it on all the things.
Use it on its own with bone-in chicken for an amazing grilled chicken night, or you can slice it up and put it in pasta, on salads, in a chicken salad with a twist, on sandwiches… the possibilities are endless!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With easily available ingredients, this marinade comes together quickly.
- You can use it on pretty much anything.
- You can change the type of pesto that you are using to try different flavors.
Some of my other favorite recipes that use pesto include Bacon Pesto Pasta, Creamy Pesto Pasta and Cheesy Pesto Pull Apart Rolls!
Pesto itself is a really easy recipe to make, but when it comes to convenience I do like to buy jarred pesto from time to time, especially for this Pesto Chicken Marinade Recipe!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM):
Pesto
Apple cider vinegar
Garlic
Sugar
Dijon mustard
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
You probably already have most of the ingredients on hand at all times anyway. And, little did you know you could have been making this delicious Italian marinated chicken!!
Well, now that you have this recipe in your arsenal you are set for life, my friends.
HOW TO MAKE PESTO CHICKEN MARINADE:
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Place chicken in a gallon sized bag and set aside.
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In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients.
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Reserve half of the marinade and place in an air-tight container in the fridge.
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Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken, toss to coat. Place in fridge for 4-6 hours to marinate.
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Take chicken out of marinade and grill over medium heat until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Baste chicken with reserved marinade every few minutes while cooking.
If you don’t have access to an outdoor grill, no worries! You can pick up a grill pan and cook it on the stovetop. It also makes for a great baked chicken as well.
You can use this recipe on pork chops or for a pork roast too. So yummy! Like I said, this Marinade Recipe works well on all the things, so just try it on your favorite meats or veggies.
HOW TO STORE:
The chicken itself can be stored in an airtight container or ziptop bag in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days, you can rewarm in the oven or microwave until heated through.
This can also be frozen, to do this let your chicken cool completely in the refrigerator then store in a freezer safe container or bag and it should keep for up to 4 months.
To reheat let defrost in refrigerator and then heat in oven or microwave until heated through.
The marinade itself can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days with no meat in it, if you have meat in it I recommend not storing longer than 24 hours.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- The secret to a really moist chicken is first a marinade with some type of acid in it. In this recipe, we use apple cider vinegar.
- The second factor is to make sure it is not overcooked. This is especially important with white meat chicken, invest in a meat thermometer and pull the chicken off the grill at 165-degrees.
- Now, my personal favorite tip is basting the chicken while on the grill. I make a double batch of marinade so I can keep basting the chicken every few minutes. This helps to keep it moist while adding more and more layers of flavor.
- Lastly, you have to let the meat rest before cutting into it. This lets the juices rest into the meat instead of just running everywhere as soon as you cut into it. If you are worried about it getting cold, just lightly place a piece of foil on top.
- This chicken can be frozen, see my tips above.
If you want a fun and easy marinade recipe then you need to make my All-Purpose Pesto Chicken Marinade, you won’t go back!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried this ALL-PURPOSE PESTO CHICKEN MARINADE let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
All-Purpose Pesto Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- 6 pieces chicken* (I used a mix of thighs and breast)
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 10 cracks fresh black pepper
- 2 heaping tablespoons prepared pesto
Instructions
- Place chicken in a gallon sized bag and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients. Reserve half of the marinade and place in an air-tight container in the fridge. Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken, toss to coat. Place in fridge for 4-6 hours to marinate.
- Take chicken out of marinade and grill over medium heat until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Baste chicken with reserved marinade every few minutes while cooking.
Notes
- You can also use this for pork chops, vegetables, etc.
- The secret to a really moist chicken is first a marinade with some type of acid in it. In this recipe, we use apple cider vinegar.
- The second factor is to make sure it is not overcooked. This is especially important with white meat chicken, invest in a meat thermometer and pull the chicken off the grill at 165-degrees.
- Now, my personal favorite tip is basting the chicken while on the grill. I make a double batch of marinade so I can keep basting the chicken every few minutes. This helps to keep it moist while adding more and more layers of flavor.
- Lastly, you have to let the meat rest before cutting into it. This lets the juices rest into the meat instead of just running everywhere as soon as you cut into it. If you are worried about it getting cold, just lightly place a piece of foil on top.
- This chicken can be frozen, see my tips above.
Nutrition
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need to make this for dinner tonight!