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Grilled Lemon & Herb marinated chicken thighs shown on a white speckled plate atop a light blue surface. The chicken is garnished with fresh herbs & lemon wedges.

Simple Lemon Herb Marinade

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  • Author: Jess Larson
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 Minutes
  • Total Time: 10 Minutes
  • Yield: 3/4 cup marinade 1x
  • Category: Sauces & Condiments
  • Method: No-Cook, Grilling & Smoking
  • Cuisine: Italian, American
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

Fresh herbs, bright lemon, & loads of garlic lovers come together in this Simple Lemon Herb marinade recipe! Made in 5 minutes or less with just 5 ingredients, this simple lemon and herb marinade can be used for grilled lemon chicken, steak, pork, lamb or your summer veggies of choice!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pounds meat or veggies of choice
  • 2 large, juicy lemons, zested & juiced
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ cup finely chopped hardy fresh herbs, such as oregano, rosemary or thyme
  • kosher salt & ground black pepper or crushed red chili flakes, to seasonLemon herb marinade ingredients arranged on a light blue surface: lemon juice, lemon zest featured on a microplane, garlic, olive oil, fresh herbs including rosemary, thyme, & oregano, salt, & pepper.

Instructions

  1. Mix the lemon herb marinade: Add the lemon zest & juice, garlic, olive oil, & chopped fresh herbs to a bowl or jar. season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes as desired. Whisk or shake to combine.Lemon herb marinade shown in a small ball jar, sitting atop a light blue surface with sprigs of fresh rosemary & thyme in the foreground & in the background.
  2. Marinate: Pour the marinade over your meat or veggies of choice. Marinate for at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour.Chicken thighs in a large glass mixing bowl, marinating in Lemon Herb marinade. The bowl sits atop a light blue surface.
  3. Grill as desired. Enjoy!
    Grilled Lemon & Herb marinated chicken thighs shown on a white speckled plate atop a light blue surface. The chicken is garnished with fresh herbs & lemon wedges.


Notes

  • Suggested marinating times: Since this lemon garlic marinade is so acidic (it has a lot of lemon juice in it!), you don’t want to marinate too, too long. In most cases, the 20 minutes it takes to preheat the grill is plenty, though marinating times vary based on the type of protein you’re using. Having tested this simple lemon and herb grilling marinade on a variety of different proteins with a variety of different marinating times, here’s what I suggest:
    • Seafood – At least 20 minutes & no more than 30 minutes.
    • Chicken & Pork – At least 20 minutes & no more than 1 hour.
    • Beef – at least 20 minutes & up to 12 hours.
    • Veggies – at least 20 minutes & up to 12 hours.
  • 10-Minute Meal Prep: If you’d like to marinate something later in the week, I suggest making the marinade in advance, whenever you’re meal prepping for the week. Store it in a jar or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days – the flavors meld together even more as the marinade sits. When you’re ready to start marinating (refer to the suggested marinating times above), simply give it the marinade a shake & pour it over whatever meat or veggies you’re using it on – easy!