Keto Chicken Marinade Recipes for Grilling: The Ultimate Guide

Grilled chicken is a summertime staple, offering a healthy and delicious meal option with minimal cleanup. Marinating chicken before grilling not only infuses it with flavor but also helps to keep it moist and tender. For those following a ketogenic diet, finding suitable marinade recipes is essential. This guide provides a variety of keto-friendly chicken marinade recipes perfect for grilling, along with tips and tricks to ensure juicy and flavorful results every time.

Why Marinate Chicken for Grilling?

Marinating chicken offers several benefits:

• Flavor Infusion: Marinades penetrate the chicken, imparting deep and complex flavors.
• Moisture Retention: Marinades help to lock in moisture, preventing the chicken from drying out during grilling.
• Tenderization: Acidic ingredients in marinades, such as lemon juice or vinegar, help to tenderize the meat.

Chicken breast and tenderloins have a high propensity for drying out and not having a ton of flavor on their own, so marinating them is especially beneficial. Darker meat, like chicken thighs and legs, tend to hold up pretty well with retaining their natural juices as they cook.

Key Ingredients for Keto Chicken Marinades

Creating a delicious keto chicken marinade involves combining the right balance of flavors and ingredients. Here are some essential components:

• Oil: Opt for oils with high smoking points, such as avocado oil or olive oil. These oils can withstand the high heat of grilling.
• Acid: Acids like lemon juice, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar help tenderize the chicken and add a tangy flavor.
• Aromatics: Garlic, herbs, and spices enhance the flavor profile of the marinade.
• Salt: Salt is crucial for drawing out moisture and allowing the chicken to absorb the flavors of the marinade.

General Tips for Marinating Chicken

• Marinating Time: Marinate chicken for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the flavors to fully penetrate the meat.
• Storage: Use a plastic gallon storage bag or a bowl with a lid to marinate the chicken, ensuring it is completely coated with the marinade.
• Safety: Always marinate chicken in the refrigerator to prevent bacterial growth.
• Discard Used Marinade: Never reuse marinade that has been in contact with raw chicken.

Keto Chicken Marinade Recipes for Grilling

Lemon Garlic Chicken Marinade

Lemon and garlic are a classic flavor pairing that works exceptionally well with chicken. This marinade is simple, zesty, and refreshing.

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Ingredients:

• Lemon Juice - Fresh lemon juice is the best. If you have a lemon, roll it around on the counter applying some pressure before juicing it. This helps to break up the fiber and cells that hold all the tart juices.
• Garlic - I love garlic, but I don’t love peeling and mincing garlic and having garlic smelling fingers. The beauty of this recipe is that you can just use your knife to smash the garlic clove on the cutting board, this will pop it right out of its skin. You then just toss it into the blender. No need to finely mince this one.
• Oil - Whenever I grill, I try to opt for a higher smoking temperature oil. Some oils hold up to high heat better than others. Olive oil will work, but I like to use avocado oil in this recipe.
• Salt - Marinating adds a lot of flavor to chicken, it also gives you the opportunity to season it well.

Instructions:

1. Simply add the four ingredients to a blender.
2. Pour the marinade into a plastic storage bag or bowl with a lid.

Spicy Keto Chicken Marinade

For those who enjoy a bit of heat, this spicy marinade adds a flavorful kick to grilled chicken.

Ingredients:

• Cumin
• Paprika
• Chili powder

Instructions:

1. Add the spices to the lemon garlic marinade.
2. Pour the marinade into a plastic storage bag or bowl with a lid.

Balsamic Chicken Marinade

Swapping out the lemon juice for balsamic vinegar adds a rich, tangy flavor to the chicken.

Ingredients:

• Balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

1. Replace the lemon juice with balsamic vinegar in the lemon garlic marinade.
2. Pour the marinade into a plastic storage bag or bowl with a lid.

Keto BBQ Chicken Marinade

This marinade combines the flavors of barbecue sauce with keto-friendly ingredients.

Ingredients:

• Golden Monkfruit - BBQ sauces use brown sugar, so I'm using a low carb version from Besti.
• Worcestershire sauce - Pronouncing this is easy for me as I’m British! There is a difference in the sauce produced in the UK and the version for the USA, with the USA version having much more sugar in it.

Instructions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Place the chicken breasts in either a zip lock bag or sealable container and add the marinade.
3. Give it a little shake and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Easy Low Carb Chicken Marinade

This marinade uses ingredients that you might already have in your cupboard.

Instructions:

1. Combine all of the marinade ingredients until smooth and mixed thoroughly.
2. Place the chicken breasts into a large sealing plastic bag.
3. Pour 2/3 of the marinade into the bag, coating the chicken.
4. Place the remaining marinade into a container to save for basting later while cooking.
5. Place in the fridge SKIN SIDE DOWN and let marinate anywhere from 2-24 hours.

Keto Grilled Chicken Marinade

This marinade is herby, zesty, and a little tangy.

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Instructions:

1. Whisk all the ingredients together, then pour the marinade into a Ziploc bag.
2. After salting your chicken, place it in the Ziploc bag and marinate for at least 2 hours. For even more flavor, marinate overnight.

Simple Keto Chicken Marinade

This easy low carb and sugar free chicken marinade is one of the best ways I know to elevate chicken!

Ingredients:

• Avocado Oil - I use avocado oil in a lot of my recipes because it is excellent for high-heat cooking, and it is keto-friendly.
• Coconut Aminos - Coconut aminos, which is made from the sap of coconut trees is a keto-friendly alternative to soy sauce.
• Smoked Paprika - I am wild for Spanish smoked paprika. It is a bit spicy and adds a smoky kick to foods.

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl whisk together the avocado oil, coconut aminos, dijon mustard, minced garlic, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
2. Place chicken in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over.

Six Keto Chicken Marinade Recipes

These six marinades are freezer friendly and come together in 5 minutes flat.

Instructions:

1. All marinades except chimichurri Whisk ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Pour over 1 1/2 lbs of chicken in a bowl or in a ziploc bag.
3. Refrigerate and let marinate at least 3 hours before cooking. Grill, pan-fry, air-fry, or bake!
4. Chicken and marinades can all be frozen for up to several months. Be sure to thaw completely before cooking.

Chimichurri Marinade

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Proceed as instructed for other marinades.

Grilling Marinated Chicken: Step-by-Step

1. Preheat the grill: Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. For gas grills, turn the burners to medium and preheat for 10 minutes.
2. Prepare the chicken: Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the used marinade.
3. Grill the chicken: Place the chicken on the grill and let it sear, getting nice dark lines on one side, watching closely. Then flip it, watch for lines on the second side, and then turn the grill down to low.
4. Cook the chicken: Cook the chicken for about 5-7 minutes each side, depending upon the thickness of the chicken.
5. Check for doneness: Use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
6. Rest the chicken: Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Grilling Bone-in, Skin-on Chicken Thighs

1. Heat your grill over medium-high heat.
2. Add the chicken to the grill, skin side up, and discard any remaining marinade.
3. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip.
4. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, then flip again.
5. Continue this pattern, flipping back and forth, until they have been cooking for 25 minutes or reach an internal temperature of 175.
6. Remove the chicken from the grill and let them rest for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Grilling Boneless Chicken Thighs

1. Grill boneless chicken thighs on medium heat for 7-10 mins on each side until they reach 165 F.

Alternative Cooking Methods

If grilling isn't an option, marinated chicken can also be cooked in the oven, pan-fried, or air-fried.

Baking

1. Preheat your oven to 400.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
3. Place the marinated chicken thighs on the sheet.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes for bone-in, skin-on, or 25-30 minutes for boneless.
5. Keep an eye on them - the internal temp should be at least 165 degrees.
6. Remove from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

Grilled keto chicken can be served in a variety of ways:

• Salads: Serve grilled chicken on top of a Spinach Salad with Grilled Grapes and Brie Cheese. You can omit the grapes or sub strawberries to make this keto friendly.
• Sides: Pair with low-carb sides like Mediterranean Low-Carb Broccoli Salad or Keto Broccoli Salad.
• Fries: Keto French Fries don’t disappoint. I make them with rutabaga to help keep the carb count low. Besides, once they’re cooked, the fries turn starchy and taste similar to sweet potato fries!

Turning Marinade into a Sauce

To create a delicious sauce from the marinade:

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1. Once blended, pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to simmer.
2. Add a teaspoon of dijon mustard, some ground black pepper, and a half teaspoon of onion powder and whisk.
3. Let simmer for 2 minutes pour over your chicken or veggies.
4. If you are serving this as a dressing for a salad, allow it to cool first or it will wilt your lettuce.

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