This Grilled Chicken Marinade is the perfect mix of sweet, savory and garlicky deliciousness. With a homemade marinade of pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar and garlic creates a meal that is sure to impress your family and friends.
Sometimes plain grilled chicken can be a little boring. That’s where this homemade marinade comes in. You can whip it up in minutes and enjoy a delicious grilled chicken dish perfect for a weeknight dinner or weekend family gathering.
Check out all the other Summer Grill Recipes for even more delicious ideas!
Making the marinade is simple and it only takes 15 minutes! The pineapple juice tenderizes the chicken while the brown sugar caramelizes on the grill, giving the chicken a beautiful color and flavor.
Once you marinate the chicken, simply grill it on high heat for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Serve with a side of vegetables and rice for a complete meal that is both satisfying and nutritious.
Looking for more easy grilling recipes ? Try my chicken kabobs with pineapple, homemade barbecue sauce and my grilled barbecue chicken legs and thighs...yum!
Table of Contents
- 👩🍳Recipe Notes
- 🛒Helpful Kitchen Tools
- 📋Ingredients
- 💡 Substitutions and Variations
- Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1️⃣Make the Marinade
- 2️⃣Grilling Instructions
- 3️⃣Prepare the Sauce
- 4️⃣Serving Tips
- Before You Begin!
- 🍶Storage Tips
- ❄️Freezing Tips
- Thawing and Reheating Tips
- ➡️Top Recipe Tip
- 🌟Try these recipes next...
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 💬 Comments
👩🍳Recipe Notes
Keep the following in mind when grilling chicken:
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Make sure the grill grates are clean...you don't want last night's steak all over the chicken!
- You don't need to make the chicken breasts thin for this recipe, but do pound them to get them to the same thickness so they cook evenly.
- Try to marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes before grilling. If you can marinade it for longer, that's even better.
- Once the chicken is on the grill, don't move it too much.
- Try not to overcook the chicken. It should take about 5 to 7 minutes per side...depending on the thickness of the meat.
- Make sure you use a meat thermometer...don't guess. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
- Let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing or serving. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in juicier chicken.
🛒Helpful Kitchen Tools
More InformationMore InformationMore InformationMore Information
📋Ingredients
Here's a quick overview of the ingredients for this recipe. Find the exact amounts and click the Instacart button to easily add them to your cart – all in the printable recipe card below!
- Pineapple juice
- Teriyaki sauce
- Red onion
- Olive oil
- Brown sugar
- Chopped cilantro
- Chopped garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
💡 Substitutions and Variations
- If you don't have pineapple juice, you can use other tropical fruits like orange, mango or papaya juice.
- You can substitute brown sugar with honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar. Keep in mind that these substitutes may be sweeter than brown sugar, so you may not need as much.
- If you don't have cilantro, you can use parsley or even basil. These herbs have a similar flavor that can complement the other ingredients in the marinade.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1️⃣Make the Marinade
- Add all the ingredients for the marinade in a blender and pulse until combined.
- Place the chicken in a plastic bag or casserole dish and pour half of the marinade over your chicken.
- Place the remaining marinade in a storage container or mason jar.
- Place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate for a few hours or overnight.
2️⃣Grilling Instructions
- Place the chicken on the hot grill and cook until the juices run clear and the internal temperature is 165°F.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and place on a clean platter.
- Cover the chicken with aluminum foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
3️⃣Prepare the Sauce
- While the chicken is resting, take the other half of the marinade and place it in a small saucepan.
- Bring it to a boil on top of the stove.
- Once the marinade has reduced and thickened, remove from the heat and set aside.
4️⃣Serving Tips
- Slice the chicken and drizzle the thickened marinade on top.
- This grilled chicken goes great with cilantro lime rice or maybe Coconut Rice.
- If your family enjoys potatoes, try my son's favorite Twice Baked Potatoes.
- You could keep it very healthy by serving it sliced thin over a tossed salad.
- Garlic Bread is always a great side dish for my family!
Before You Begin!
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🍶Storage Tips
- If you have any leftovers, you can make chicken quesadillas for dinner another night of the week.
- Make sure you store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Chicken properly stored will last up to 5 days.
❄️Freezing Tips
- Allow the chicken to cool down to room temperature.
- Place the chicken in an airtight container or freezer bag. Make sure you label the container.
- Place the container in the freezer and allow it to freeze completely, which usually takes 2-3 hours.
- Frozen grilled chicken can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thawing and Reheating Tips
- When you're ready to enjoy the chicken again or reuse it for another recipe, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat it in the oven.
➡️Top Recipe Tip
- Do not overcook the chicken. Use an internal thermometer to check the temperature reaches 165°F.
- Do not reuse any leftover marinade that has come in contact with the raw chicken!
Indirect heat is better suited for boneless skinless chicken breasts. Indirect grilling involves placing the chicken on a cooler part of the grill, away from the heat source. This allows the chicken to cook slowly and evenly without burning, resulting in tender and juicy meat.
Yes, it's a good idea to oil the grill grates before adding chicken to prevent it from sticking. Sticking can cause the chicken skin to tear and can leave a lot of meat behind on the grates.
🌟Try these recipes next...
- Try a few of my other chicken cutlet recipes to help you get dinner on the table fast this week!
- You might also enjoy this recipe for Grilled boneless skinless chicken thighs!
📖 Recipe Card
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Marinade for Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 6 ounce can pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- ⅓ cup teriyaki sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Using a food processor, combine all the ingredients together.
- Place the chicken in a plastic bag or casserole dish and pour half of the marinade over your chicken.
- Place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate for a few hours or overnight.
- Place the remaining marinade in a storage container or mason jar.
- Place the chicken on your hot grill and cook until the juices run clear. Remove the chicken from the grill and place on a clean platter. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
- While the chicken is resting, take the reserved marinade and place in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil on top of your stove.
- Once the marinade has reduced and thickened nicely, remove from the heat and set aside.
- Slice the chicken and drizzle the thickened marinade on top.
Notes
This recipe has been updated since it first appeared in 2013 with new photos, information and a new printable recipe card that includes nutritional information. I hope you enjoy the updates as much as I enjoyed working on them!
Joy Loves to Cook says
The recipe card is actually missing half of the ingredients and the quantity of each of those ingredients. It sounds great, but would like to have amounts. Thank you.
Lois says
Everything has been updated! Hope you enjoy the recipe! Thank you for your help.
eileen says
Would you have a recipe for teriyaki sauce? I really do not like the bottled ones
Thank You
Erlene - My Pinterventures says
Thanks for sharing your chicken marinade on Merry Monday. I'll be featuring it as one of my grilled chicken recipes.
Made In a Day says
What a yummy sounding marinade! Thanks for the recipe! Pinned!Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday! Hope to see ya next week!
Kim
Devi McDonald says
Yum! So trying this one soon!!
Devi @ Diddles & Dumplings
http://www.diddlesanddumplings.com
Joy says
Oooo, Lois, this sounds really good! It has all my favorites: pineapple juice, teriyaki, cilatro, garlic...YUM!
Love, Joy
Yesterfood
Chatty Crone says
That looked great - I pinned it. Thanks. sandie