Homemade Lemon Pepper Marinade
This easy recipe for Lemon Pepper Marinade is super simple yet loaded with fresh, vibrant flavor. This zesty marinade is perfect for chicken or shrimp and can also be used as a delicious, tangy salad dressing!
Making homemade marinade is so much tastier and less expensive than the bottled stuff. With just a handful of basic ingredients, you can quickly throw together this simple yet flavorful marinade. The bold and bright flavor combinations are a perfect pairing for salads or your favorite proteins.
Lemon pepper grilled chicken is my favorite healthy way to prepare chicken breasts. Marinating chicken in this lemon pepper marinade infuses flavor and tenderizes the meat. Preparing plain, boring chicken breast this way takes grilled chicken to a whole new level.
This zesty lemon pepper marinade also doubles as a delicious and flavorful salad dressing.
It tastes great drizzled over mixed greens or arugula with grilled chicken and a good quality feta cheese. The combo reminds me of my favorite Greek salad, Lahano Salata.
Whether you use it as a marinade or a salad dressing, be sure to make extra because this marinade will go quick!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Better tasting and better for you than store-bought!
- Quick, easy, and delicious. This marinade takes seconds to mix up.
- Good on everything! This marinade adds incredible lemon pepper flavor to grilled chicken, shrimp, fish, etc.
- This marinade can also be used as a tasty salad dressing.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Lemon Juice & Lemon Zest – Using fresh lemons adds vibrant, fresh-tasting lemon flavor. The citric acid also helps tenderize.
- Garlic Cloves (mashed) – add savory flavors and aromas.
- EVOO – helps cut some of the sour taste from the lemon, so the lemon flavor isn’t overpowering.
- Tabasco Sauce – adds a hint of heat!
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning – like Lawry’s or McCormick.
How To Make Lemon Pepper Marinade
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk. Pour into a large sealable bag and add your protein of choice (great with chicken, shrimp, and fish). Marinate in the refrigerator for two hours. If using for shrimp, only marinate for 30 minutes. I love this marinade for grilled chicken and shrimp. It’s easy to throw together and adds so much flavor!
Lemon Pepper Grilled Chicken
To use lemon pepper marinade for grilled chicken, follow these simple steps:
Make marinade. In a small bowl, add all marinade ingredients. Whisk well to combine.
Marinate the chicken. In a gallon-size resealable bag, add chicken and marinade. Toss everything to coat and then place in the fridge for at least an hour (or overnight).
Grill chicken. Once marinated, place chicken on a preheated grill and grill (flipping a couple of times) until chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (about 15 to 18 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken).
Optional. Baste with additional marinade while grilling and before serving for an even bigger pop of lemon pepper flavor.
Recipe Tips
- Feel free to add additional herbs and spices to this marinade. Freshly chopped parsley and/or dill go great with bold lemon flavors.
- Pork, chicken, and beef are best if left to marinate overnight. Vegetables and seafood only need about an hour.
- Once stored, the leftover lemon pepper marinade will separate. Simply give the container a good shake and it should be good to go again.
- Be sure to discard any marinade that came in contact with raw meat.
- Use green Tabasco for great flavor without the heat.
Ways To Use It
This marinade comes in handy whenever you want to add a burst of great flavor to foods like vegetables, fish and shrimp, pork, beef, and of course, chicken. Use it to baste your chicken while grilling or drizzle a bit over freshly grilled chicken.
Try these delicious lemon pepper chicken wings with lemon pepper marinade!
As a salad dressing, lemon pepper marinade takes salads to the next level. A tablespoon or so drizzled on crisp-fresh salad greens adds SO much flavor. The salads listed below go great with this dressing. Sub lemon pepper marinade for the dressing listed in the recipe and enjoy!
Storing & Freezing
Storing – Lemon pepper marinade that has NOT come in contact with any raw chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Shake or stir well before each use.
You could also freeze the raw chicken in the marinade to be grilled later. Simply mix the marinade in a freezer bag, add chicken, seal the bag, give everything a quick toss and then freeze for up to 9 months.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, you can marinate chicken for too long. Chicken can be left to marinate in the fridge for up to 2 days before it starts to get mushy.
There are several tasty lemon pepper blends on grocery store shelves. Lawry’s and McCormick are readily found in major grocers. They both have a fragrant blend of citrus, herbs, and spices that add great flavor to food.
In just an hour, a high-quality marinade will infuse a lot of flavor. For the best texture, marinate chicken for 6 hours or overnight.
More Marinade & Seasoning Recipes
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Lemon Pepper Marinade (or Salad Dressing)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
- 3 garlic cloves mashed
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- few drops tabasco sauce
- 2 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk.
- Pour into a large sealable bag and add your meat.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for two hours. If using for shrimp, only marinate for 30 minutes. I love this marinade for grilled chicken and shrimp. It’s easy to throw together and adds so much flavor!
Notes
- Feel free to add additional herbs and spices to this marinade. Freshly chopped parsley and/or dill go great with bold lemon flavors.
- Pork, chicken, and beef are best if left to marinate overnight. Vegetables and seafood only need about an hour.
- Once stored, the leftover lemon pepper marinade will separate. Simply give the container a good shake and it should be good to go again.
- Be sure to discard any marinade that came in contact with raw meat.
- Use green Tabasco for great flavor without the heat.
Nutrition
*This post was originally published June 24, 2013 and has been updated throughout.
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I’ve made this marinade for chicken breasts at least 100 times or more (not exaggerating) and it is absolutely delicious and always a huge compliment and request every time! Thank you for a simple marinade that never fails!
Love to hear this Madeline! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! I’m so glad that you love the recipe!!