Juicy, incredibly flavorful grilled chicken is easier than you might think; especially when it starts with a marinade loaded with flavor from beer, garlic, and a sprinkling of herbs. This simple Beer and Garlic Chicken Marinade has become a staple in our house over the past few years.
The chicken turns out absolutely perfect; tender and juicy every time.
Beer Chicken Marinade
I used beer in a marinade for the first time when I made the Smoky Chicken and Bacon Burgers almost five years ago. (And yes, those burgers are every single bit as amazing as they sound!)
We loved the flavors so much I immediately started playing with a larger batch marinade recipe for grilled chicken.
I’m not a fan of beer myself and I don’t much like the taste or smell of it at all. I do, however, LOVE this marinade.
If you do not typically have beer in your house (and don’t want to buy a six-pack just to try a new recipe), I have a tip for you. If you’re lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe’s, they sell individual bottles of beer for less than $1. (You can thank my awesome little sister for that tip.)
We like to grill a good bit of extra chicken each time we are grilling and then keep it in the fridge for easy lunches, like the Southwest Chicken Salad pictured here. I frequently double this marinade recipe and will grill a huge batch of chicken all at once.
We’ll quite happily eat it all week by itself, over salads, and in sandwiches and wraps.
- Baked Potato, Chicken, and Broccoli Casserole
- BBQ Chicken Stuffed Potatoes
- 30 Minute Enchiladas
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Eggrolls
- BBQ Chicken Nachos
- 10 Minute Southwest Chicken Soup
- Cheesy Chicken Dip
Chicken Marinade Recipes
It’s amazing what a great marinade can do for a simple piece of chicken and I’m of the opinion that you can’t have too many awesome ways to marinate chicken. This Very Green Grilled Chicken by Kalyn’s Kitchen and Honey Buttermilk Roast Chicken by The View From Great Island both sound delicious.
Chipotle Chicken Marinade and Mojo Marinade are a couple more go-to chicken marinade recipes that I reach for frequently. Loaded with some of our favorite flavors, these chicken marinades make all the difference between just another chicken dinner and a meal that the whole family will love.
Beer Chicken Marinade Recipe
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Place the chicken in a gallon-size zip-close bag or an airtight container. Stir together the marinade ingredients and pour over the chicken. Seal and turn the bag or container to coat the pieces evenly.
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Let rest in the refrigerator for 12-36 hours. I try to marinate chicken for a minimum of 24 hours most of the time because the longer time makes a huge difference in the flavor.
Freezer Meal Instructions
Combine the marinade and chicken in a gallon-size zip-close bag and freeze them together. When you are ready to cook the chicken, thaw in the refrigerator, allowing the marinade to work its flavors throughout the meat. Once thawed, cook as directed.
Beer and Garlic Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 11 ounces dark Mexican beer
- 3 tablespoons sesame seed oil
- 5 large cloves of garlic minced, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3-4 pounds chicken I typically use 9-10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a gallon size zip-close bag or an airtight container. Stir together the marinade ingredients and pour over the chicken. Seal and turn the bag or container to coat the pieces evenly. Let rest in the refrigerator for 12-36 hours. I try to marinate chicken for a minimum of 24 hours most of the time, because the longer time makes a huge different in the flavor.
- When ready to cook the meat, let the chicken rest on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour prior to cooking. Preheat the grill to medium heat. For boneless skinless chicken thighs, cook the meat 6 minutes on each side. Then increase the heat closer to medium-high and cook an additional 4 minutes, as needed. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
{originally published 1/9/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 8/6/19}
E @ Act Fast Chef says
This looks awesome Mary. I love that you used boneless thighs in the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Jenn says
Sounds wonderful, Mary! I love using alcohol in my marinades – even those I'm not too fond of drinking 🙂
Three-Cookies says
I think beer marinate might be a step towards liking beer. Next time you marinate, drink a tablespoon, increasing dosage each time and a time will come when you will have difficulty saving beer for the marinate:)
Carrie says
Mary this chicken sounds so good! I love cooking with beer 🙂
The Blonde Duck says
Marinade makes all the difference!
Allison at Novice Life says
Ohhh this sounds great! I will give it a try. The corner store near our house always has 'loose' single beer cans for sale in their beer cooler!
The Slow Roasted Italian says
This chicken was amazing last night! Thanks for making the chicken breast version for us. I think we will be making this one soon. My man loved it!!!
Anonymous says
I don't see the chicken BREAST version. Am I missing it? I would love to try this.
Mary says
When Donna and her husband were at our house, I marinated blsl chicken breasts for them instead of the thighs. It's the same marinade and method for the breasts as for the thighs listed above. Just watch your cooking times, they might cook a minute or two quicker. I hope that helps!
Big Dude says
Nice looking plate of chicken. I keep trying to make a beer based marinade, but it never seems to make it into the plastic bag.
My Journey With Candida says
Now that sounds and looks really good.
Tricia @ saving room for dessert says
The chicken looks yummy! Juicy, seared to perfection – a great looking meal. We won't have to borrow any beer but have often wanted to try marinades with the rich dark beers. Thanks – welcome back – we missed you so!
Inside a British Mum's Kitchen says
This looks insanely good!! –
Mary x
Pam says
The marinade sounds great!
Mary says
You men are totally cracking me up today. A tablespoon a day? LOL! My marinades always make it into the bags, funny enough. I've never been tempted to drink the beers.
Marjie says
My grandmother always threw a "Miller Short" into her beef stew. She swore that it would tenderize an old shoe into great beef. I hate beer; always have, and, yet, even when I was little, my grandmother's stew was the best around. I don't have a trader joe's around, and alcohol sales in this state are major-league screwy, so I'd have to either buy a case at an "authorized distributor", or go to a restaurant, and order some food to buy a 6-pack. It's just nuts.
sportsglutton says
I haven't used beer as a marinate for quite some time. Shame on me! It is always so good and I'm digging spice combos in this recipe.
Words Of Deliciousness says
This marinade sounds wonderful. The chicken looks sooo yummy!!
Taryn (Have Kitchen, Will Feed) says
This chicken looks fantastic! Dinner on Sunday, I think.
Bo says
I'm so going to try this…I think I can spare a beer for the marinade.
Becki's Whole Life says
Yeah for Trader Joe's!
Ok, this sounds really good. I am trying this next weekend! Always looking for flavorful marinades for chicken.
nancy at good food matters says
I'm not a beer lover either, but this marinade sounds terrific. I recently had a steak dish at a restaurant where the chef made a reduction syrup from dark beer and shiitake mushrooms. It was truly amazing.
i- lostinausten says
The chicken looks really tasty & what a great marinade! I'm gonna try this recipe next week. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Chris says
This sounds like a perfect grilling marinade, since it has no sugars to burn.
Eduardo says
There is nothing but sugar in alcohol.
Jenny Fletcher says
Dark Mexican beer? I'm trying to equate this to something in the English beer spectrum and not really sure. I might just use the can of Gales HSB that has been in the fridge for ages. FYI that's a bitter real ale.
Mary says
I don't know what the equivalent would be. I even tried to figure it out via Google, but that wasn't very helpful. I've made this with all sorts of beer though and we like them all. I simply like the Negro Modelo version best of all.
DarkCelticMermaid says
Does it have to be dark Mexican beer? I have a case of Guinness I just might try that. I use it in my beef stew and it comes out amazing!
Mary says
Guiness should work fine. It will work with any beer that you like!
Cherry Mcnair says
Can I use something else besides sesame seed oil
Mary says
The sesame oil provides a lot of flavor to this recipe. I imagine that you could use a plain olive oil instead, but I haven't tried that myself. Good luck!
Tracy Runyon says
Hi, I was wondering how long you would smoke this chicken on the traeger and also what temperature and for how long on it after smoking. Thanks
Mary says
I don't own a traeger and I've never smoked this chicken. I imagine it will require the same time frames as any other chicken recipe, Tracy. I'm sure it will taste amazing that way!
Christina says
Can you fill me in about grilling this recipe. Is it cooked under a flame (in USA called broiling I think but in Oz called grilling) or is it cooked in a char grill frypan over a hotplate? Thanks but this has always stumped me!
Anonymous says
In the States and Canada, it'll be cooked outdoors on the barbecue – metal grate over gas or charcoal flame. Broiling would cook the top of the meat and dry it out while leaving the lower parts undercooked or raw.
A char grill frypan over a hotplate sounds a bit foreign to me, so I'm assuming you mean a metal grill pan placed over the stove elements. Yes, it would work – you don't get the same smoky flavour as you would grilling it outdoors, but you'll still get the chicken cooked and those nice brown grill marks. Hope this helps?
Elena says
This chicken was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
Kat says
Could this be used as a marinade before roasting a whole chicken or cooking a whole chicken in the crockpot?
Mary says
This works great as a marinade for any type of chicken!
Anonymous says
Great recipe. The chicken came out delicious. The second time I made it I substituted the beer with equal parts of tequila, fresh orange juice and lime….tasty!!
Deborah says
I'm going to take this on our glamping trip next week. Looks great. I think I'll also take some chicken skin that I have frozen, to lay over the chicken pieces and keep them from drying out. I'll take the skin off for the last 4 minutes of cooking, to get the grill marks and sear the meat. Looking forward to it – thanks for the recipe.
Sharon Hlista says
Would like to get recipe in email!
Laura Rowley says
Love love love your ideas💜
Jackie says
Is there a missing ingredient? Above the oregano it says “1 1/2 tablespoons” – but nothing after it (at least on my screen). I’d like to put the marinade together now so I was just wondering! Thanks!
Mary says
It should say: 5 large cloves of garlic, minced, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons. Meaning, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of minced garlic. I hope that helps!
Liz says
This sounds amazing, but just wondering if you could use a roasting dish and bake this in the oven as well?
Mary says
You can certainly bake this chicken and it will be delicious. Grilling is simply my personal preference.
Dina Taylor says
This looks delicious. Do you use toasted sesame oil, or regular sesame oil? Thanks for the great recipe!
Mary says
This will work with either one.
Peggy says
Can you use a light beer like Michelob Ultra or Miller? That is what we have on hand.
Mary says
This chicken will work with any beer, Peggy. Enjoy!
Jack says
Finally cooking this on the grill tonight after letting the chicken marinade for a day. We can’t wait. Thanks for recipe!
Mary Younkin says
I hope you love the chicken as much as we do, Jack!
Dorothy Miner says
This chicken BBQ recipe is better than any Fire Department BBQ… what flavor… it was WONDERFUL
Mary Younkin says
I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying the chicken so much, Dorothy!
Roy says
This recipe is so easy and we are so impressed with the flavor of the chicken, moist and juicy, usually my BarBQ chicken is dry and burnt, not this time. I cooked it on a charcoal grill and with very little oil, I didn’t have any flare ups. Thanks a million for this recipe. Roy
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy to hear this, Roy! I’m glad you’re enjoying the chicken.
Julie says
Used this on my chicken Thighs! Soooo flavorful & delicious!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you like the chicken, Julie!
Theresa says
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Marinated it about 12 hours. It was a nice change from ordinary grilled chicken. Thanks for the recipe
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you like the chicken, Theresa.