6 delicious and easy keto chicken marinade recipes. All of them are freezer friendly and come together in 5 minutes flat. Perfect for grilling, baking, or roasting.

Winner winner, chicken dinner. In fact, I’ve got 6 fabulous chicken dinner recipes right here, for your dining pleasure.

Chicken is one of the easiest and most inexpensive meals, and there are so many delicious ways to prepare it. I have quite a few keto chicken recipes, and there’s no shortage of ideas in my head for more.

But this time, I decided to do something fun for you. I created SIX different low carb chicken marinades that you can use for easy keto meal prep. You simply whip them up, pop your chicken in them, and you can freeze for several months.

So the next time you’re stuck wondering what to do for dinner, it’s all ready and waiting for you!

Marinating chicken brings out the flavor

While chicken can be easy and delicious when prepared well, it can also be dry and boring if you don’t plan ahead.

Marinating chicken in mixes that include oil, salt, aromatics, and something a bit acidic helps tenderize the chicken and make it more juicy and flavorful.

And there are about as many ideas for chicken marinades as there are chickens in the world! You can go spicy or sweet, tangy or mild. So many great options.

Whatever you do, don’t skip the salt. Salt helps penetrate the flesh and allows the chicken to soak in the flavors and juices. If you’ve ever brined your chicken, you will know just how important this is.

Keto Chicken Marinades

I chose to do 6 of my favorite flavors for chicken, each one a little different from the others. I went with a classic lemon garlic, one with a bit of a Mexican flair, an Italian vinaigrette style, as well as Indian, Thai, and Argentinian.

I chose these particular flavors because they are all freezer friendly, allowing you to prep your chicken in advance and freezer for a future use.

These can be used with any kind of chicken you like best. I prefer chicken thighs, but I did some with boneless skinless thighs, and some with bone-in, skin-on.

All of these recipes are made for about 4 servings of chicken, which is about 1 1/2 lbs of meat. You can scale them all up or down, as you need.

How to freeze marinated chicken

A few pointers before you dive into these keto marinade recipes:

Make sure you use fresh chicken, not frozen. Frozen chicken is great in many cases, but you would have to thaw to marinate it and then re-freeze, which can deteriorate the quality of the meat.

Use heavy duty freezer bags. These are best because they are easy and fit well into any freezer. But they also help you avoid freezer burn.

Remove as much air as possible. Once your chicken and marinade are both in the bag, toss them around a little to make sure the chicken is well coated. Then press out as much air as possible before sealing.

Let sit in the fridge for two hours. This allows the marinade to start penetrating the meat before you freeze.

How to cook marinated chicken

Here’s the best part with these keto chicken marinade recipes: you can cook the chicken any way you want after thawing.

Grilling, baking, broiling, air-frying, pan-frying – whatever your little heart desires. All six of these delicious chicken marinades are incredibly versatile.

All you need to do is thaw your chicken in the bag in your refrigerator. Then chose your cooking method and you’re on your way!

Do keep in mind that bone-in chicken will take longer to cook through properly than boneless and skinless. And if you love crispy skin, I recommend the air fryer.

How’s that for easy keto meal prep?

5 from 5 votes

Print

Keto Friendly Chicken Marinade

Prep Time

5 mins

Total Time

5 mins

 

6 delicious and easy keto chicken marinade recipes. All of them are freezer friendly and come together in 5 minutes flat. Perfect for grilling, baking, or roasting.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken marinade recipe, keto chicken marinade

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 21 kcal

Ingredients

Lemon Garlic Marinade

• 2 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Chipotle Lime Marinade

• 1 tbsp freshly grated lime zest (about 1 lime)
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp chipotle powder
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp peper

Italian Herb Marinade

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Tandoori Marinade

• 1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt
• 1 tbsp tandoori seasoning
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Thai Green Curry

• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 1/2 tbsp thai green chili paste
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp salt

Chimichurri

• 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped red onion
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

All marinades except chimichurri

1. Whisk ingredients together in a bowl. Pour over 1 1/2 lbs of chicken in a bowl or in a ziploc bag.

2. Refrigerate and let marinate at least 3 hours before cooking. Grill, pan-fry, air-fry, or bake!

3. 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. Proceed as instructed for other marinades.

Recipe Notes

A note about the nutritional information for these marinades: it is difficult to determine how much of each marinade sticks to the chicken and thus impacts the nutrition. I assume that only about half will do so. I have given the nutritional info of the highest carb recipe (tandoori marinade). All others will be negligible in carbs and other nutrients. 

Nutrition Facts

Keto Friendly Chicken Marinade

Amount Per Serving (1 serving = 1/4 of recipe)

Calories 21 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g6%

Carbohydrates 1g0%

Protein 0.5g1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.