How long can chicken be marinated?

Chicken is a dish that many of us usually work with in our homes, since it is usually cheap, healthy and versatile.

Of all the great ways to prepare chicken, there’s nothing like marinating and grilling it. There’s something about customizing the marinade and grilling that chicken that makes your mouth water just thinking about it.

And many of us have thought, at some point, that perhaps the flavors would be even more intense if we left the chicken a little longer.

But how long can chicken be marinated?

You can marinate raw chicken for up to two days if you store it properly in the fridge. However, marinating for a long time is not always ideal, as different marinades require different durations and acidic ingredients can cause the chicken to break down or become tough.

Maybe you reserved some chicken to marinate and then life has passed so you ended up ordering a pizza. Maybe you’re just trying to prepare a few meals in advance for your busy schedule.

In this guide, we will talk about the different factors that affect chicken marinating time. Different types of chicken marinate differently, and different types of sauces and ingredients can also make a difference.

Complete Guide to Marinating Chicken

Many people will tell you to marinate chicken overnight. They say that it is the best way for the flavors to really permeate. The truth is that you can get a good impregnation of the marinade in only about 2 hours of marinating.

That doesn’t mean you can’t marinate longer. It just means that if you forgot to marinate it earlier, a couple of hours will do just fine. What you have to consider is how the marinade will affect the chicken.

Although you can marinate most options for up to two days, there are some exceptions. For example, if you use something acidic (lime juice, vinegar, etc.) in the marinade, that can make the chicken tougher the longer it’s marinated.

As we progress through this guide, we’ll keep several such tips in mind.

We will cover different types of chicken (thighs, wings, legs, etc.) and different types of marinades and how they can affect your time.

How long can chicken wings be marinated?

Before we get started, here’s a quick reference chart that breaks down the different types of chicken pieces and how long they should marinate. The time indicated in the table is the maximum recommended for marinating.

Different times vary due to the size of the items and the types of sauces they are typically marinated with. Now, let’s talk about them individually.

Chicken wings are often marinated in sauces that tend to be acidic. Although this is not always the case, it is quite common. Chicken wings are also quite small.

It is recommended to marinate chicken wings for less than 24 hours. Over time, the sauces can break down the tender meat of the wings. This will cause the good meat to go to waste or even ruin the wings completely.

There are many different types of marinades. Here are some options you can try or see on a local menu:

• honey barbecue
• Buffalo
• honey mustard
• garlic honey
• Spicy
• parmesan garlic
• sweet chili sauce
• honey garlic
• chipotle

These are just some examples. There are tons of different marinade recipes out there, and you really can’t go wrong with any of them, no matter what your favorite flavors are.

Most marinades can be effective within 30 minutes to 2 hours. When it comes to chicken wings, the less time they marinate, the better. 

How long can you marinate chicken thighs?

Chicken thighs are another fairly small piece of meat. Thighs can be purchased bone-in or bone-in, but this aspect does not make a significant difference to the recommended marinating time.

Chicken thighs are usually a fairly tender piece of meat, much more tender than chicken breasts. For this reason, you should not marinate chicken thighs for long periods of time.

We recommend that you marinate the chicken thighs for 24 hours or less, in the fridge.

Did you know that you could probably marinate chicken thighs for just 15 minutes and it would work just fine? We usually recommend between 30 minutes and 2 hours, but you can reduce the time if you are in a hurry.

Like wings, chicken thighs deteriorate over time if marinated in an acidic sauce, so be careful not to marinate them too long to avoid turning them into a mushy mess.

How long can chicken thighs be marinated?

Chicken thighs are perhaps one of the most sensitive parts of the chicken when it comes to marinating. You will realize that it is not very common to find marinated thighs.

You will hear much more about breading or seasoning than marinating.

Don’t let this dissuade you. You can marinate the thighs, but keep in mind that you should not marinate them for a long time. We recommend 30 minutes to 2 hours for best results.

When you marinate chicken thighs, you should never marinate them for more than 12 hours. Chicken thighs are dark meat. The longer they marinate, the more that meat will degrade and potentially fall apart.

We recommend that you do not make a previous marinade for your thighs. Instead, marinate them a few hours or even minutes before you’re ready to start cooking them. This will give you the best results in the end.

How long can you marinate chicken breasts?

Chicken breasts are perhaps one of the easiest chicken parts to work with when it comes to marinating. You don’t have a bone to work with, and the meat isn’t as tender as other parts of the chicken, so it’s less likely to fall apart under a marinade.

The thing to keep in mind when marinating chicken breasts is that some marinades toughen the chicken, while other marinades are designed to soften the chicken, in a sense.

You will need to consider the ingredients in the marinade and how they may affect the chicken. Later we will talk about some specific ingredients of the marinade. Just keep this concept in mind when planning the marinating process.

In general, chicken breasts can marinate for up to 2 days, in the fridge. In the case of chicken breasts, we recommend marinating them for at least 2 hours.

Marinating will help make the breasts more tender, but marinating too long can also be harmful.

The marinade to watch out for most is anything that is acid based. These are the types of marinades that could make your chicken tough if used for an extended period of time.

How long can chicken tenderloins be marinated?

Chicken tenderloins are usually quite small and thin. They are the same type of meat as chicken breasts, but they have many differences, especially in size and shape.

Chicken tenderloins should be treated similarly to thighs in terms of marinating times.

It is common to marinate or bread the sirloins, but the time in which you must marinate them is quite short. We recommend that you leave them to marinate for at least 30 minutes so that the flavors permeate.

However, we recommend that you do not exceed 12 hours of marinating when it comes to chicken tenderloins. Actually, for the best quality, we recommend that you try to keep it below 8 hours.

Allowing the marinade to sit for a couple of hours will help tenderize the tenderloins and also make them juicier and more flavorful.

If you let them marinate for too long, you could have problems with the meat becoming tough in some areas.

Again, since this is a fairly fine form of chicken meat, you don’t want the quality of the meat to deteriorate or fall apart. The key is to have tasty chicken without any adverse effects from the process.

Now, let’s talk about some specific ingredients for the marinade.

Marinate with different ingredients

We’ve talked about the most common parts of chicken that you’re likely to try to sauce or marinate.

Now we are going to talk about some of the most common types of ingredients that you can add to your marinade and break down how long you should use each one.

Before you begin, here’s a quick reference chart that shares the most common sauce ingredients and the recommended time to marinate chicken with them for best results.

This is not an exhaustive list, but rather a list of some of the more common things that can go into a marinade. Additives like sauces, herbs, and oils don’t affect time as much.

How long can chicken be marinated in lemon or lime juice?

Lemon or lime juice is perhaps one of the most acidic ingredients when it comes to marinades.

The effect is a bold, robust flavor when mixed with other parts of a marinade, but it can be quite harsh on your chicken if marinated for too long.

We also want to point out that if you use lemon or lime juice, you should never use metal as a container. You can use plastic, but metal can cause a negative reaction with the acid in the lemon juice.

When marinating with lemon juice, we recommend that you do not do it for more than 2 hours. That’s really your sweet spot with this, but you could work with 30 minutes to 2 hours and have good results.

After 2 hours, you will see that the lemon juice will affect the texture of the meat. It can break down the chicken and also make it tough in places.

Lemon juice can have a really flavorful effect, but it’s important not to marinate for too long.

Remember that it is perhaps one of the most delicate ingredients to marinate.

How long can chicken be marinated in yogurt?

Yogurt is an interesting ingredient that you may or may not have heard of for marinating. It is very delicious and makes the chicken creamy and juicy in one go.

Yogurt contains lactic acid, so many people are concerned that its acidic content will negatively affect chicken.

The good news is that lactic acid is less likely to cause an acid reaction in your chicken. It will not make it soft or hard, but it will make it tender and juicy.

You can marinate with yogurt in a quick marinade for as little as 15 minutes.

You can also marinate with yogurt for up to 24 hours without adverse effects on the chicken. Yogurt is one of the easiest ingredients to work as a marinade.

You can mix the yogurt with some spices, and your chicken will be totally infused with creamy and juicy flavors. Don’t worry, it won’t taste milky when done either.

We recommend using Greek yogurt, but you can actually use any kind you like.

How long can you marinate chicken in buttermilk?

Buttermilk is another marinade ingredient that can trick you. Buttermilk has some acid in it, which is what makes it buttermilk. The problem with buttermilk is that you actually want to marinate the chicken longer.

You obviously don’t want to over-marinate the chicken, but at the same time you want to give the buttermilk time to really do its job. Buttermilk is widely used for breaded and fried chicken, but it can also be used in other marinade options and is perfect for grilled chicken.

With the buttermilk, the chicken will be tender and flavorful, and oh so juicy. Buttermilk can be used in combination with other ingredients and spices, and it really works to bring in and hold those flavors.

With buttermilk you won’t have a milky taste, but it does give the chicken a robust flavor and a perfectly tender texture.

We recommend that you marinate the chicken in buttermilk for at least 12 hours. You can marinate in buttermilk for up to 48 hours without having to worry about any negative results on your chicken.

The best time to work is 12 to 24 hours with a buttermilk marinade.

How long can chicken be marinated in Italian dressing?

Italian dressing is a common marinade option because it is simple and convenient. You don’t have to mix up a marinade or worry about a ton of seasoning, and you get it right in the bottle.

You simply pour the dressing and your chicken is already marinated.

Italian dressing tends to be acidic, so you’ll need to be careful with the marinating time. We always recommend marinating for at least 2 hours, although you can do a quick marinade if you need to.

Italian dressing is a tricky marinade because the acid in it can cause the chicken to become mushy or tough. In this case, it’s more likely to make your chicken too tough in places if you marinate it for too long.

We recommend marinating in Italian seasoning for 2-12 hours. We don’t recommend going over 12 hours, as that’s when you might start to see some negative effects on your chicken that won’t be as delicious.

How long can chicken be marinated in vinegar?

Vinegar is used in many marinade recipes. You may not think vinegar tastes good, but when used to make a marinade, it does delicious things to your chicken.

The flavor will be extraordinary and your chicken will be nice and tender.

With vinegar, you can mix almost any other sauce, spice, or herb to get your chicken the exact flavor you want. Vinegar is used as a base to mix up your own marinade.

Vinegar is also considered acidic, so you’ll need to be careful not to marinate the chicken for too long.

When marinating with vinegar, we recommend a minimum of 1 hour. Note that you can do a quick marinade and it will work just fine, but the best results are achieved with at least an hour of marinating.

Since vinegar is quite acidic, we recommend that you do not marinate the chicken in the mixture for more than 12 hours.

You want to mix and coat the chicken with the mixture and then refrigerate it in the marinade for up to 12 hours before cooking.

As with other acidic ingredients, if you marinate too long, the quality of the chicken will start to decline. With the vinegar, your chicken could become too tough to be really palatable.

You can start the marinade in the morning and prepare the chicken for dinner, but remember not to leave it too long if you can help it.

How long can chicken marinate in the fridge?

We always recommend marinating chicken in the fridge. Chicken will marinate faster and better in the fridge and is much safer.

You don’t want the chicken to get hot or even come to room temperature while it’s marinating. This can create the perfect environment for bad bacteria to breed.

If you marinate it at room temperature, it should only be for 30 minutes or less. We prefer the fridge because it actually has a better overall effect for the chicken and the marinade.

Depending on the chicken and the marinade itself, you can marinate in the fridge for up to 2 hours.

Related questions:

We hope you found this extensive guide to marinating chicken informative and helpful. We invite you to review the following question and answer section for additional information.

Can frozen chicken be marinated?

If you’re more interested in saving marinating time than lengthening it, you may be wondering if you can take the chicken straight out of the freezer and into the marinade.

In that case, we’ve written a separate guide for whether or not you should marinate frozen chicken here.

How to marinate chicken faster?

You will see that many of the sauces and marinades discussed here recommend a minimum of 1-2 hours of marinating. The good news is that most marinades actually work in as little as 15 minutes.

The best types of marinade for shorter times use vinegar, lemon juice, or Italian seasoning as the base of the marinade.

This is because these ingredients tend to soak up much faster, giving you flavorful, tender chicken in less time.

We normally recommend marinating for 30 minutes for a quick marinade, but remember you can marinate for 15 minutes if you’re really short on time.

How can you tell if marinated chicken is bad?

Underneath the marinade, you should be able to make out the color of the chicken. Spoiled chicken begins to turn a dull gray color.

This is one of the best indicators. You can also check if there is something slimy or bad smells.

Can it marinate overnight?

You can marinate the chicken overnight and potentially up to 2 days. Remember to check the recommended times to know what to expect and how long to marinate the chicken depending on the recipe or ingredients used.