My 3-Ingredient Chicken Breasts Are Endlessly Riffable (And Always Delicious)

Boneless skinless chicken breasts are best marinated, even if it’s just for a couple of hours. Right after I pick up my kids from school, I throw some chicken breasts into a zip-top bag, then add a fast and easy marinade. Come dinner time, they’re ready to bake, air fry, or sear in a pan.

Marinating chicken breasts transforms them from bland to flavorful, even when you use as few as three ingredients. My go-to template includes citrus juice, a seasoning blend, and a good glug of oil. You’ve got all of the necessary elements for a good marinade right there: acid to tenderize the meat, spices to contribute flavor and/or a kick of heat, and some fat to help the meat brown as it cooks.

There’s plenty of opportunity for creativity and variety when you start with this formula. I begin by squeezing whatever citrus I have on hand, then I open the spice cabinet to look for a blend that sounds good. I add olive oil when it makes sense with the flavors, or a neutral oil like canola or avocado if olive oil would clash. If the spice blend is salt-free or low salt, I add some salt, too. 

Spice It Up

Since chicken breasts are a blank canvas, they go well with just about every savory spice blend you can think of. Cajun, Italian, and tandoori seasonings are excellent. I also love the Cuban Style Citrusy Garlic Seasoning from Trader Joe’s, especially when combined with lime juice.

My other favorite is the Greek-inspired Super Gyro Seasoning from Primal Palate, which I mix with lemon juice and olive oil. Whichever blend I choose, I add a generous amount—a teaspoon per chicken breast—to make sure the quick marinade imparts plenty of flavor.

To figure out how much salt to add, taste the spice blend. A little pinch of it on your tongue will let you know what it needs. Or check the label for the sodium content—if it’s close to 400 mg per 1/4 teaspoon, then it’s basically salt with a little bit of spice, and you probably won’t need to salt the marinade further.

If your seasoning blend is under 200 mg of sodium per 1/4 teaspoon, you’ll want to add another teaspoon or so of kosher salt to the marinade. If the blend is salt-free, 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt is a good starting point.

Cooking Options for the Chicken

I usually bake my chicken breasts in the oven or air fryer. If they’re on the larger side (10 or so ounces each), they take about 30 minutes to cook through. Smaller ones (8 ounces or less) should be checked on at 20 minutes. They’ll also cook much faster if you flatten them out with a meat mallet or cut them in half crosswise to make thinner cutlets or fillets. For the speediest cooking method, flatten them to about 1/2-inch thick, then sear them in a skillet for four to five minutes per side.

Whichever way you cook your chicken, an instant-read thermometer is useful for testing their doneness. They’re fully cooked at 165ºF. You can pull thicker, larger chicken breasts out of the oven at 160ºF, and the temperature will rise a few more degrees as they rest. 

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