Mustard, Garlic, Lime Marinated Chicken Breasts

These Mustard, Garlic, Lime Marinated Chicken Breasts will rock your world. Tender and flavorful, you’ll want to grill this spectacular chicken all summer long!

This is seriously the BEST chicken marinade. The results are juicy and outrageously tasty! Add this recipe for the perfect marinated chicken breasts for grilling to your menu ASAP.

Mustard, Garlic, Lime Marinated Chicken Breasts

I admit I’m a bit of a food snob. I pore over the bell peppers at the market, looking for the most vibrant, unblemished option. I search out fragrant berries and open the packages one by one to find the most perfect, unmarred fruit. I’m sure the produce folks roll their eyes when they see me coming. When I added these mustard, garlic, lime marinated chicken breasts to our dinner menu, I was picky about the meat I chose.

Air chilled chicken is a must, but I also recommend looking for organic, free range and antibiotic free. After picking out the best quality chicken within your budget, using the best chicken marinade is key. My family loved this simple combination of lime, mustards, brown sugar and cider vinegar. And I loved how simple it was to throw together!

Can I Marinate Chicken?

Yes! Though a simple dusting of salt and pepper is delicious, using a marinade helps flavor your chicken and keep it moist.

First, add the thawed chicken breasts to a gallon Ziploc bag filled with the marinade. Next, remove any excess air, seal the bag and agitate it to coat the chicken thoroughly. Pop the bag into the fridge to soak up the delicious flavors for about 6 hours, flipping at least once.

This marinade mixture of cider vinegar, lime juice, Dijon and grainy mustard, garlic, brown sugar, olive oil plus salt and pepper had 6 hours to infuse into the chicken before I lit our charcoal grill.

Any longer than 6 hours and the acid in the marinade can start to break down the proteins in the chicken. It won’t be a disaster if you go over the 6 hours, but leaving your boneless chicken in the marinade for a few days is not advised. Bone in, skin on chicken breasts are a bit heartier.

Tips for Marinating Chicken

• First up, buy good quality chicken. I go to my meat market where they trim the boneless skinless chicken breasts so they’re ready to go. You can also purchase organic chicken breasts at the grocery store at the meat counter or prepackaged out of the case, but make sure to check the expiration date. Fresher is better.
• Brining or marinating chicken allows for flavors to infuse into the chicken meat by the process of osmosis. Remember high school chemistry? Or have you tried to forget?! Anyway, soaking your chicken in a flavorful marinade will help tenderize as well as add lovely nuances.

• PRO-Tip: Check your marinade for these components: Acid, like citrus juice or vinegar. Oil, not too much or your fire will flare up! Flavorful Ingredients and Aromatics, these will make your chicken stand out, like mustard, garlic, onions, shallots, herbs. Salt or salty liquids like soy, Worcestershire. These are needed for the osmosis process! Salt is a known flavor enhancer, too.

• Beef, pork and lamb can handle longer marinating time. Chicken only needs about 6 hours and seafood much less.
• Bring your chicken out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before grilling to take the chill off.  The chicken will cook more evenly if not icy cold. If using a gas grill, preheat to medium, about 425º.

• Because of the oil and bit of sugar in the marinade, your chicken can char or fire flare up easily. Indirect heat works best, especially with a charcoal fire where you can’t just turn down the heat.
• With a charcoal grill, have the coals to one side so the chicken can be cooked over the less fiery area. 
• Cook your chicken to an internal temperature of about 160º as there will be some carryover cooking time.
• Let the grilled chicken rest under foil for 5-10 minutes, then serve! Such an easy, delicious option for our evening meal!

More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love:

• Shish Tawook from Rachel Cooks
• Grilled Chicken Fajitas in Foil from Well Plated
• The Best Grilled Chicken Marinade from Chelsea’s Messy Apron
• Honey Glazed Chicken Kabobs 
• Grilled Thai Chicken
• Chicken Pinwheels
• Fruity Chicken Salad
• Chicken Scarpariello
• More Chicken Recipes

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Mustard, Garlic, Lime Marinated Chicken Breasts

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The BEST chicken marinade adapted from Allrecipes.com

• Author: Liz Berg
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
• Category: Entree, Chicken, BBQ
• Method: Grilled
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• Juice of one lime
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 6–8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Instructions

1. In a gallon zip lock bag, thoroughly mix all marinade ingredients. Place chicken in the mixture. Cover, and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator 6 hours or overnight.
2. Grill chicken till no longer pink inside. If using charcoal, use indirect heat as the oil and sugar will burn quickly. You may boil leftover marinade to serve alongside chicken.

Notes

Note: Chicken must be cooked to an internal temperature of 170 degrees for boneless products and 180 degrees for bone in chicken products.