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You are here: Home / Chicken / The Best Roast Chicken Marinade (Legs & Thighs)

The Best Roast Chicken Marinade (Legs & Thighs)

Posted by Jessica Pinney on July 26, 2018, last updated July 4, 2020

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Raw chicken in a baking dish covered in marinade with chopped onions.

I’ve been making this delicious roast chicken for years and it has become one of our dinner staples.

I have no idea where I originally learned the recipe, but over the dozens of times I’ve made it, it has been tweaked here and there and made into what I think is the absolute best marinade you can roast chicken legs & thighs in!

A raw chicken drum stick in marinade.

Janette always wants a homecooked meal when she comes home from the road, and this roast chicken marinade is one of her favorites.

I like it because there’s almost no prep time, I always have all the ingredients on hand, and there’s not much cleanup.

I get bonus points if I also make one of her favorite side dishes, our Instant Pot Twice Baked Potato Casserole.

 

You can use any kind of chicken pieces you’d like with this marinade. I do a mixture of chicken thighs and drumsticks. I’ve found that this recipe is perfect for covering about 8 pieces. You can double or half it if you need to make a larger or small batch. 

When the chicken is done baking, it’s a beautiful brown color and oh so juicy, tender, and delicious!

Brown chicken that's been marinated and cooked on a dinner plate.

Roast Chicken Marinade Ingredients

One of the best parts of this chicken marinade recipe is the simplicity of the ingredients. You likely already have everything you need!

Here are the six ingredients:

  • Olive Oil
  • Soy Sauce
  • Red Wine Vinegar
  • Brown Sugar
  • Onion
  • Garlic

A spoon holding up chicken marinade.

How To Make Roast Chicken Marinade For Legs & Thighs

Making the marinade to roast the chicken legs & thighs in is incredibly easy. Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl, then pour over chicken. You can let marinate for a few hours if you’d like, but you can also put the chicken in the oven right away.

 
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The Best Roast Chicken Marinade

Make the BEST Roast Chicken Marinade with this easy recipe. Just 6 simple ingredients! Easy weeknight dinner. 

  • Author: Jessica Pinney
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Entrée
  • Cuisine: American
How To Make The Best Roast Chicken Marinade (Recipe)
Print Recipe
★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Ingredients

8 Chicken Thighs & Drumsticks

Salt & Pepper

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

4 Tbsp Soy Sauce

4 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 Yellow or White Onion, chopped

4 Cloves of Garlic

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients except the chicken and salt & pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine.

Add the chicken pieces to a large baking dish, skin side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour marinade over the top of the chicken.

Roast for 30 minutes, then flip chicken and bake another 10 minutes, until chicken reaches 165 Degrees F internally.

Remove from baking dish and serve immediately.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 395

Did you make this recipe?

Please tag @cookingwithjanica and use #cookingwithjanica on social media. We'd love to see!

 

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  1. Kate says

    December 1, 2019 at 6:06 pm

    We use this on chicken thighs and on chicken breasts. They always turn out so juicy! Love this recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Linda says

    August 4, 2020 at 10:25 am

    That was so good!! Thanks

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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