Easy Grilled Chicken
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
The best marinade ever! No-fuss and packed with so much flavor. You won’t need another grilled chicken recipe again!
We are two days into summer so if you haven’t dusted off those grills, that really needs to change immediately so you can whip up the easiest grilled chicken recipe of all time.
Really, it doesn’t get any easier than this recipe, and it’s practically fool-proof.
All you need to do is marinate boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) in a Ziploc bag, let it sit in all that balsamic-lemony-herb goodness and well, that’s pretty much it.
You just throw the chicken right onto the grill, basting as needed. And if you don’t have an outdoor grill, you can easily use a cast iron grill pan.
When ready to serve, you can serve this with your choice of salad or any of these lovely side dishes along with some crusty bread.
Either way, these would be perfect for all your summer gatherings or backyard BBQs since you can easily double or even triple the recipe as needed.
Easy Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon, brown sugar, Worcestershire, garlic, thyme, oregano and rosemary; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Reserve 1/4 cup and set aside.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken and balsamic vinegar mixture; marinate for at least 1 hour to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat. Add chicken to grill and cook, flipping once and basting with reserved 1/4 cup marinade until cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 5-6 minutes per side.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
This will be my go-to marinade for chicken forever, it was really good. I meal prepped this for my lunches today, making 4 breasts. I pounded my 4-6 oz breasts thin, marinaded for about 3 hours, cooked in my grill pan on stove. I used the reserved marinade as a sauce, after I thickened it up by heating up for a few minutes in saucepan, then I had to water it down, as it was a bit too intense for me. Very easy marinade to put together.
Excellent, will make it again. The chicken had great flavor and was very tender and juicy.
Best chicken marinade! Chicken was very flavorful will be making this recipe again!
Super good!
Love it! ❤️
This is a really nice change from the usual soy sauce based marinades. We marinated it over night and the chicken was very flavourful and moist. We will be making this again.
Could these chicken breasts be baked in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 min to 165 temp with digital thermometer?
What is the best way to cook the chicken if I don’t have a grill or cast iron pan?
Would love to know what kind of indoor grill you are using for this recipe in the video 🙂
A cast iron grill pan is being used. 🙂
Oh I can’t thank you enough for this recipe!!!
It is the best!
Can I also use this marinade for salmon???
I make this recipe all the time. It really is Damn Delicious!
This is so good.
This recipe is absolutely delicious!
I make this all the time now I don’t add worchestershire or lemon juice and it is still delicious!
Rating it 5 stars coz the recipe came out to be really amazing and tasty. Keep sharing more.
So yum! I made this 100% to the recipe and it was so good. I used these chicken breasts in sandwiches and it was great. I used golden potato buns, made brown sugar bacon in the oven (basically just dipping bacon strips in brown sugar, pepper and paprika), and made a homemade honey mustard dressing and it was amazing. Topped it with provolone and served with sweet potato fries. SUPER delsih! Thank you so much!
I’m trying this tonight and am wondering if I should pound out the chicken breast. Would I need to marinate tenderized chicken breast for less time than a whole one?
Fabulous marinade – we used it on chicken thighs. Your recipes are always great!
AWESOME!!! So easy and so delicious!
Super easy to make! Love it !
This is now my go-to chicken marinade. Have used it many times! I marinated chicken wings with it for father’s day and they were delicious!
After mixing everything together, there wasn’t much taste. I added more balsamic and about a half cup of lemon juice. Result was OK.
Lol
excellent I made these as kabobs with peppers and tomatoes the entire family loved it
Did you marinate the peppers and tomatoes too?
So delicious and easy! I didn’t have rosemary, so I used 1/2 tsp dried basil. I didn’t have fresh parsley, so I used 2 tsps dried parsley flakes. I didn’t have fresh lemon, so used 3 tbsps lemon juice. I poked holes into both sides of the chicken breasts because I only had time to marinate the chicken for 25-30 minutes. Even with these changes, it still turned out amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Delicious, easy, and with ingredients most have on hand! What more could you ask for!
I can’t get enough of this recipe I’ve cooked it twice in a week. Leftover chicken is superb for a salad!!!
Really like this recipe. A best ever healthy protein recipe for any fitness freak. This recipe looks really delicious.
Would I ruin the recipe if I left the Brown Sugar out? It sounds delicious but I can’t have sugar.
Thanks!
You could use Agava nector to replace sugar. Can you have honey? That would work too. I’m sure you need something sweet to balance out the flavor in the marinade.
Not to much to say, but absolutely delicious! A definite keeper.
This is incredible. It stays so juicy!! I swapped out the balsamic for red wine vinegar instead (I ran out of balsamic and didn’t realize), and it came out delicious.
Very good recipe. Did zest the lemon and added to mixture, for more lemon taste, before squeezing. Other wise stayed with the recipe.
This is our go to chicken marinade. We’ve made it at least a dozen times, exactly as published. Thank you!
All family like it!
The single most delicious, tender, easy to prepare chicken.
Perfectly easy and tastes perfectly great!
Everyone thinks I’m a genius when I cook this.
This chicken looks delicious! Great recipe 🙂
This chicken was really good. I doubled it and had very little leftovers. The marinade was very good and left a nice glaze on the chicken. This one’s a keeper!
Does this recipe have a strong mustard taste? My husband doesn’t care for Dijon so I was curious if its a strong flavor in the finished chicken.
We really enjoyed this recipe. The sauce was delicious. Wish we had more. Will double next time. Thank you so much for sharing. Next time we will use thinner cutlets and try it that way. Definitely on our anytime menu.
Amazing!!! Best grilled chicken recipe and SO SO EASY!!! Thank you.
REALLY GOOD. ❤❤❤
This marinade has become a family favorite, even our picky 3 year old cleans her plate. Easy to whip together on a week night.
Your recipe has been ripped off by this person;
https://sodamndelish.com/best-juiciest-grilled-chicken-breast/
looks like your site name has been ripped off, too….
This was so easy to make and it delicious, and moist!
Happy to hear it 🙂
Wow, I made this today and it was absolutely incredible. I marinated the chicken all day and then cooked it as kabobs. It was tender, moist, and the flavor was outstanding. Served it with some grilled veggies that I marinated in Greek dressing. Thanks for the excellent recipe.
Great side dishes! Thanks for your feedback.
Made this according to the recipe exactly, two hour marinade, on a Weber grill with charcoal. Wonderful.
Sweet!
Wonderful idea, Just love it, can’t wait to make it for my family.
I have some marinated to grill after we return from the beach today
I am using boneless skinless thighs as I think they are tastier and more tender than the breasts.
I added a chicken stock cube to the marinade for that extra flavour. I substituted honey for the sugar.
You are all invited to my house this afternoon.
Oh what is that? You don’t know where I live,?
Oh, that is so bad for you
🙂
Haha, thank you for your feedback!
Would it make a difference if I baked the chicken in the oven rather than grilled ?
Yes, it will be different. Both baked and grilled chicken will create juicy, tender chicken but grilled chicken gives it that smoky flavor and char.
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I doubled the recipe and ended up using 3/4 of it for the chicken.
I was thinking of using some of the leftover marinade (it never came into contact with the chicken) as a salad dressing.
Is there any reason not to do this?
Thanks!
I never actually had it as a salad dressing. Let me know how it turns out!
Would this be a good chicken recipe for Chicken Alfredo?
Yes, absolutely!
Thanks for the reply! Making it tonight for my husband’s birthday dinner 🙂
Wow! Absolutely amazing. I got so many compliments. Lots of people said, “It’s a keeper!” Couldn’t agree more. Thank you 🙂
This marinade is delicious! I let the chicken breasts marinate for about four hours in fridge and then cooked them in my air fryer and it was the best best chicken I’ve ever had!! So So Good!! Thanks for the recipe, Chungah!
I cooked the chicken in a non stick grill pan on top of the stove and basted the chicken halfway through. It wasn’t dry at all. However, we just didn’t like the flavor of the marinade. Could have been the brown sugar…….
My husband is diabetic, does omitting the brown sugar change the flavor?
Yes, a little bit!
I made it. Served with baked beans & potato salad. I’m from the Caribbean (Puerto Rico) but have been living in the South (Alabama) for quite a few years so most of my meals I prepare southern style.
Just want to say thank you for the best chicken I’ve eaten. I’m really not a chicken lover, but since I’m on a fixed income I buy chicken and mostly fry it, but now I can eat chicken in a healthier and very healthy way without busting my budget. Thank you so much Chungah.
If you are using fresh herbs how do you modify he recipe? summer in Ohio so we actually have fresh herbs right now!
The ratio for dry to fresh herbs is typically 1:3. Hope that helps!
I don’t have a grill, I have a smoker. Any changes needed for this recipe? Sounds so good!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I absolutely love this marinade. I used it once on my Griddler before sharing it with my in laws on the outdoor grill. Everyone loved it. I was thinking I might experiment with 1/2 orange or lime juice for a slightly different flavor.
Is six hours too long to marinate?
Not at all! 🙂
I’ve used this on boneless, skinless chicken thighs and it’s amazing! Marinating some more right now for tonight’s dinner. It’s an easy recipe to throw together the morning you’re going to make it. This will easily be my go-to grilled chicken marinade. Out of laziness I used a teaspoon of garlic powder instead of the fresh garlic.
If I were to bake the chicken instead what would be your recommended baking time and temp?
Depending on the size of the chicken breasts, you can bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway.
In your recipe you included kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Would you please give me an average starting point to use for measuring these two ingredients?
Thank you, Joe
I would start with 1/2 tsp and go from there. Hope that helps!
Used this marinade for grilled chicken kabobs and it was amazing! My Dad said it was the best grilled chicken he ever had! Damn Delicious 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that!
I made this tonight, but unfortunately won’t be able to eat this. I marinated the chicken for six hours (directions say it can be marinated even overnight), and the lemon COOKED the chicken!! We are on a very tight budget right now, and had to throw out the chicken. So upsetting and disappointing. I won’t be trying this again, but for those who still want to make this, either marinate for 1 to 2 hours max, or add the lemon during the last hour of marinating.
Trying out this recipe but not sure what to serve it with, any recommendations? This looks sooo good, can’t wait to try it!
My absolute favorite side dish is the garlic parmesan roasted potatoes. But please feel free to check out all of my side dish recipes here.
Made this and enjoyed it marinated for three hours I can only imagine the flavor when I marinate over night thanks
What is the difference between dried and leaves in store bought herbs? I have oregano and rosemary leaves as well as grouned oregano.
These are dried herbs.
Hey, it says to use skinless chicken breasts. Can i use a whole chicken which comes with skin? And then bake it?
Yes, of course.
Hi!
was curious if i can make this minus the Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. Or can i use whole grain Dijon instead? thanks!
Yes!
I see a nutritional value chart for this recipe, was wondering how large the chicken was in this serving size. I am making this marinade tonight to grill tomorrow, really looking forward to trying it!
The nutritional information is based on an average sized chicken breast, about 8 ounces.
Delish!!!
Thank you for sharing!
Can I use this for baking? Lkm. Thx
Yes, absolutely.
Is there any substitute for brown sugar? Also this recipe wont taste sweet right? Because i want it to be tasty and not sweet
You can omit the brown sugar if you wish. And no, the recipe will not be “sweet”. The purpose of the brown sugar is to counterbalance the other ingredients/flavors.
Hi! Happened into your site and I have to say, amazing recipes! I’m trying your slow cooker cream of corn as we speak and would love to try this chicken recipe. Is there a substitute to the Worcestershire sauce?
Here is a list of possible substitutes. Hope that helps!
https://www.reference.com/food/good-substitute-worcestershire-sauce-81d025fea27a0340
I’m marinating chicken breasts as I type this. Im making dinner at my Mothers tonight my only problem…no grill. I am going to use a skillet on the stovetop. I hope it turns out.
EASY ? 12 ingredients ??? Most rushed working people don’t have time to put this together much less having them in the pantry or refrigerator. If people who don’t have these ingredients on hand aren’t “real” cooks, you’re right. They’re regular rushed people.
WANT REAL EZ ? Marinate the chicken in your favorite Italian or balsamic salad dressing with a coating of pepper and Kosher salt. Grill
WANT Easiest ? Go out to eat. Sorry, your recipe may be tasty, but it’s not practical for most people these days.
” Not practical for most people these days”….. yet you are the only one complaining and I wonder why.
If you think mixing these common pantry ingredients is too much work for you, then you don’t have to try it. Nobody is condemning you for not trying. I think you have two much time on your hand to type this kind of complaint. Most rushed people wouldn’t.
2 minutes to mix ingredients. Easy. Throw together for the next night’s meal, even easier. And it beats going out, where you might run into someone with your attitude. Plus you can proud of the meal you created.
You can mix all the marinade ingredients right in the ziptop bag, most of the ingredients are pantry staples, it took me about 3 minutes to make the marinade, another minute to salt & pepper the chicken, then in the fridge, all while having my first cuppa for the day.
Literally I think making a pb&j takes exactly the same amount of time.
This is my all time favorite marinade for chicken breasts! I have been making this weekly at my house. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Can I bake these?
Yes, absolutely.
This was absolutely delicious. I am going to try it tonight with drumsticks and thighs, probably oven-baked due to bad weather here. May not work but I am willing to risk it!
Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
How can you reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade when the recipe only calls for a 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar? Seems I am missing something
The marinade also includes additional liquid from the juice of a lemon.
Any one tried this with fetuccini alfredo?
If a marinade recipe seems like it will trip my trigger I usually make a double recipe & freeze the second batch for later. I will with this one without even trying it, the ingredients sing & just reading it makes my taste buds tingle, I can tell it will definitely be a keeper!
I do have a marinade that I keep in the freezer in a plastic container that I use only for basting while the meat is cooking and I do save & re-use it, it’s simply 2 sticks of butter, with lemon juice, & liquid smoke, I use it on Red Snapper & other fish that I smoke on the grill.
My daughter is a professional chef & she taught me to always set aside a portion to baste with and never to re-use
a marinade once I’ve marinated any meat in it. The reason she said is that whether you realize it or not some of the blood is in that marinade even if it’s not a enough for you see. You do not want to marinate a piece of beef in a marinade previously used for chicken or vice versa…cross contamination…
Chungah, you always seem to outdo yourself! Thank you for your love of cooking and your recipes, when you’ve been cooking for 70 some odd years your taste buds are really ready for new experiences and tastes. I tend to want to save the recipes from family traditions for family reunions, I love trying & experiencing new tastes. There is nothing like the younger generation to provide this! I always find something superlative here! I have not tried this one but will be doing so today. It sounds great. I always find new, tasty, healthy & interesting recipes here! BTW you have a beautiful smile! Have a blessed day everybody!
Tried to make this on my outdoor grill — (Weber propane grill) and it was good — but it made a horrible mess on the grates, with the marinade caramelizing and then sticking. I imagine it would do the same in a cast-iron grill pan. Any thoughts on preventing this?
I’m so sorry to hear about the mess! You can always line the grill with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
cooked these over lump charcoal, delicious…I used an Italian blend seasoning instead of the thyme, oregano, rosemary…marinated over night is the way to go, tender, juicy, the salt and sugar create a brine if you let it go all night. cooked about 5 min on each side over a hot fire.
Another winner! Thanks so much!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I always take my marinades and boil for a few minutes then use as a sauce on the side even over mashed potatoes:) Thanks for the new recipe I get ti add to my cook book!
Winner
Do you recommend using a lodge grill?
Yes!
It really is the best! Nice balance of flavors. Thank you so much!
Just made the marinade and I could drink the bowl it is so tasty.
I made a few changes; I used both balsamic & apple cider vinegar only because of the health benefits (mostly balsamic). Did not have dried thyme so used Italian herb mix. The rest was exactly like the recipe…can’t wait to grill the chicken tonight, I’m sure it’s going to be delicious.
I used this marinade last night for grilled chicken and vegetable kabobs and it was perfect! The chicken was so tender and flavorful and the veggies were crisp and delicious! I cut the chicken into one inch pieces and marinated for 2 hours. I set some aside and brushed it on the kabobs once they went on the grill. I turned the kabobs every few minutes, cooking for a total time of 12-15 minutes. Absolutely delish! Kids and husband loved. Wonderful summer meal. Thank you!
I made this today and it was fantastic! We love all of your recipes! Thank so much!
Just made this recipe. It was terrific. Thanks very much!
Used this marinade on boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and it was scrumptious!
This was an awesome marinade! My home of picky eaters loved it!
Youre right! This is the only grilled chicken recipe needed! I used thin cut breasts and it came
out fab!! All three kids had clean plates afterwards!!
Thanks for another great recipe!!
Has anyone tried making this a freezer recipe? Just wondering if it turned out well. Looks delicious!
Chungah, can I just tell you how obsessed I have become with your collection of recipes in the past couple of months?! EVERYTHING I have made from here have came out absolutely delicious! I’ve directed so many friends who are beginners in the kitchen, to your website, and they have loved your recipes as well. Thank you , thank you, thank you!!
As a grandma I’ve been cooking for decades. Admittedly, my old fail-safes are still good but a little tired and dated. I subscribed to your site some time ago and find myself back again and again. Your recipes and suggestions are REALLY great and keep my family enjoying fresh ideas for dinner. Thank you so much!
This marinade is perfect! My go-to for chicken from now on. Thank you!
In addition to chicken, I could imagine using this on beef and pork. I will definitely be giving this a try!
Hi Chungah. This looks great! I am hoping to use this recipe tonight. I had one quick question regarding the typical weight of the chicken breasts you use. I am actually going to be using chicken tenders which is what I have in the fridge instead, so I want to make sure I don’t need to modify how much I use.
Would you say the weight of the chicken breasts equals around 2 pounds typically?
I would estimate about 8 ounces for each half boneless, skinless chicken breast. Hope that helps!
Is there a substitute for the balsamic vinegar??
Thanks~!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
I have substituted red wine vinegar multiple times with great success. It is delicious.
You can mix all the marinade ingredients right in the ziptop bag, most of the ingredients are pantry staples, it took me about 3 minutes to make the marinade, another minute to salt & pepper the chicken, then in the fridge, all while having my first cuppa for the day.
Literally I think making a pb&j takes exactly the same amount of time.
Can anyone tell me if I could use this marinade to pour over chicken before freezing? I love those dump style recipes and think this would be a great one to add. Thanks!
Yes. I’ve done that with other recipes that have lemon and/or vinegar in them. I’ve actually had better results than marinating without freezing!
I was looking for a different marinade and found yours…I tried it; everyone loved it; it was a hit! Thank you!
Great recipe for grilled chicken! I don’t have a barbecue (condo rules) and since you cannot use balsamic dressing on a cast iron grill pan that isn’t enameled, I just cooked it a DeVault non-stick pan. I didn’t have dried rosemary and it was still great without. I chopped it up and mixed with Trader Joe’s herb salad mix, 1/2 avocado, and bragg’s salad dressing. Delicious!
This is a pretty aggressive marinade. I did read the ingredients first and tasted. Tasty but might be better suited for s robust red meat.
Loved this recipe!! I didn’t change a thing and my pickiest eater said it was delicious.
Made this last night, and followed recipe exactly, except I used 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary (didn’t have any dried). SOOOOO good! Grilled for 6 min each side. My husband is not a fan of chicken, but he LOVED this!! LOT of flavor. Served with some homegrown corn on cob and a spring greens salad mixed with sliced peaches, mango, blackberries, toasted almonds and gorgonzola cheese, all mixed with a champagne viniagrette!! A restaurant-quality meal 🙂
Made this tonight, my husband grilled it up and it was fantastic!! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Nice Recipe…..
Hi !! This looks great. . …my ONLY problem is that I constantly overcook chicken when I BBQ it. when you write “medium heat” in the recipe, what temp are you thinking? 350 on the BBQ?
Yes, 350 degrees F should work just fine.
Cook the chicken with indirect heat, not directly over the heat source.
We had this over the weekend and its now our go-to marinade recipe and we are looking forward to trying it on game meat. In response to Eddie, my husband put this on the upper rack on our grill and it worked perfect. Super juice and not overdone on the outside.
This easy simple marinade for chicken breast is self explain if you read it right !!!
The picture looks very appealing & beautiful done .
This Recipe “sounds” Wonderful, and I will be trying it out very soon!! Please note that the first paragraph of the Recipe actually says to “Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade, and Set Aside”. And, if you’re worried about using lemon juice in the actual marinade, I would suggest waiting to squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the chicken just before Serving.
I was literally searching through “marinated grilled chicken” recipes on Pinterest right before stumbling upon this gem of a post! Whipping up this marinade to use on the lonely chicken breasts currently in my fridge 🙂
This looks fantastic! Will be trying it this weekend! 🙂
I am pinning my way through all your recipes… 🙂
Please read Chungah’s recipe more closely. She writes: “Reserve 1/4 cup [marinade] and set aside.” Further in the recipe she instructs to baste the chicken with the reserved marinade. She is instructing the cook to use marinade that never came in contact with the meat, thus safe to use.
I am always up for a good chicken recipe. Especially if it’s easy 🙂
These chicken breasts look perfect…look at those grill marks! Fantastic job 🙂
I think the marinade sounds delicious as is. Just reserve some marinade before placing the chicken in the bag. Use that for basting.
Wow this looks amazing, I am definately going to give this a try this week. Thankyou for sharing 🙂
I always have a concern when using lemon in a marinade for a long period as it cooks the meat. Also I do not like to reuse the marinade that the meat has sat in as a base. May I have your opinion on these two concerns? Thank You!
You can omit the lemon in its entirety to suit your preferences.
I used this marinade last night at my husband’s birthday party and it was awesome! Thanks
Will this recipe work with dark chicken cutlets?
If so, what’s the recommended grill time?
Thank You!
Yes, absolutely. Cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of the chicken. As always, please use your best judgment.
Mix the ingredients for the marinade, reserve 1/3 cup, then put in the chicken in the remaining marinade. The reserved amount had never come in contact with the chicken until it is basting the chicken on the grill.
I agree that reusing marinade is not a good idea. I’ve always just set aside a small amount for basting prior to marinading the meat. I’ve also read that if you put it in a sauce pan and boil for one minute that should kill anything that could make you sick.
If the reserved marinade bothers you to use, I suggest to cook them for a few minutes in a pot and use it the cooked one in basting the grilled chicken.
Just my 2 cents!
If you don’t want to use the reserved marinade to baste with then you will have to reserve it BEFORE marinating the chicken. That seems like a no brainer.
You reserve the 1/4 c. of marinade before you put the chicken in, so you are not reusing it.
What’s a marinade?
A marinade refers to the action of soaking food in a flavorful liquid. You can read more about it here:
http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/cooking-class-marinating
Is this a joke?
hell NO its not a joke, and if you’ve never tried it, you have been eating some tasteless meat since you were a we lad. It. Will. Change. Your. LIFE!!
he meant the “is this a marinade” comment – obviously
Jeanette, if you read the directions correctly, they say to use the reserved marinade to baste the chicken. That means the 1/4 cup that you were supposed to take out of the whisked marinade before you marinade the chicken.
Since you aren’t leaving the chicken in the marinade for an extended period, you only get the flavor of the lemon, not the cooking. Also with the marinade, I’ve always reserved it and just boil it to reduce by 1/2 and use it as a basting liquid. Boiling the marinade kills any bacteria and by reducing maximizes flavor
The recipe dictates to reserve some marinade before adding the chicken to it, not to reuse after meat has been in it.
You are perfectly using the marinade to baste the chicken- just keep in fridge till using it. The meat pieces in the marinade are the same age etc that the chicken was when you put on the grill. You should never reuse marinade for another batch of meat like a week later or something. It will be rancid
I made this as stated in the recipe and grilled the beast for 20 minutes. They were delicious!