Mexican Chicken Marinade

This Mexican chicken marinade is easy to mix up and adds so much flavour to your chicken. Marinate and then grill or bake, or freeze for later!

This is my new favourite way of preparing chicken or pork chops – tossing them in a freezer bag in meal size portions for my family as soon as I buy them, adding a marinade, and freezing them immediately until I’m ready to cook them.

Using recipes like this Mexican chicken marinade has made my life so much easier this summer. 

I don’t about you, but I get a little bit sick of eating plain old grilled chicken with BBQ sauce for dinner. Easy yes….but a tad boring after a little bit. 

My husband would totally disagree with this statement. He likes nothing better then grilled chicken with BBQ sauce – simple and delicious.

But I like variety while still keeping things simple.

So freezer chicken marinades are where it’s at as far as I’m concerned. 

I have 7 chicken marinades that we all love so there’s plenty of variety, they are all quick and easy to make, and they can all be frozen for future easy meals.

You can either marinate your chicken and then cook it immediately, or you can freeze it and let it marinate while it’s defrosting before cooking it. 

I like to freeze my chicken immediately after adding the marinade, and then defrost the bag of chicken the day I want to use it, letting it marinate while it defrosts. 

I usually defrost my meat by submerging the bag of frozen meat in cold water as I find this only takes a couple of hours, but you can also defrost it in the refrigerator overnight if you prefer.

This Mexican chicken marinade is fantastic. It’s easy to mix up and adds so much flavour to the chicken. 

The chicken is great all on it’s own, is great in a taco salad, or for fajitas or nachos, or even sliced up in sandwiches the next day.

And if you’re looking for more great chicken marinades, check out these 7 chicken marinades that are all delicious and can be used immediately or frozen for later!

How long do you marinate chicken?

Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes, and I find 2 hours gives the best flavour. 

You can technically marinate chicken breasts and thighs for up to two days in the fridge, but I don’t find the flavour changes much as you increase the marinating time from 2 hours, and you may end up with mealy chicken when there’s an acidic component like lemon or lime juice in the marinade as it starts to break down the meat after a certain point. 

My recommendation is to cook it the same day you’re marinating, or to freeze it and let it marinate as it defrosts overnight in the fridge or for a couple hours in cold water.

How long should chicken be cooked?

There are several options for cooking the chicken.

You can grill it for 6-8 minutes per side, pan fry it over medium heat for 6-8 minutes per side (use a bit of olive oil in the pan), or bake it at 375 degrees F for 20-30 minutes. 

The exact cook time will really depend on the thickness of your chicken so using a meat thermometer to judge when it’s done (165 degrees F at the thickest part of the breast) is the best bet for perfectly cooked chicken.

Here are some more great Mexican recipes for you:

• Taco Pizza Rolls 
• Mexican One Pan Pasta 
• 3 Ingredient Chicken Tacos (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)
• Mexican Pasta Salad with Cajun Shrimp
• Mexican 7 Layer Dip