Use this easy Cajun chicken marinade recipe to make spicy, flavorful grilled chicken! Serve with potatoes, pasta, or salad.
This Cajun chicken marinade is easy to make with spices you already have in your pantry! Simply add vegetable oil and vinegar, as well as chicken or pork.
Tonia’s Notes
My family loves Cajun seasoning and wanted me to make Cajun chicken. So, I tested several brands of Cajun seasoning to make a chicken marinade. I found that although the seasoning blends were perfect on fries, potatoes, and pasta, all of them were too salty for a marinade.
So, I came up with a blend of spices that doesn’t have salt as the primary ingredient, and now we use it to make chicken all of the time! In the summer, we eat it with corn on the cob and oven-roasted potatoes. And in the winter, we make roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes.
How To Make Cajun Chicken Marinade
Marinade Ingredients
To make Cajun chicken marinade, put the oil, vinegar, and seasonings in a bowl and whisk to combine them. If I don’t feel like washing extra dishes, I will put the marinade ingredients into a gallon-sized bag before adding the chicken and mix them together in there.
Marianate Chicken
Place the chicken breasts into a gallon-sized ziptop bag, add the Cajun chicken marinade, seal the bag, and turn to coat the chicken. Place the bag in the fridge and allow the chicken to marinate for thirty minutes.
Cook On The Grill
Preheat the grill, grease the grill grates, and cook the chicken for 12-15 minutes. You can also cook the chicken in an air fryer like this, bake it in the oven like this, or cook it on the stovetop like this.
Recipe Tips
- Make Ahead: There are a couple of ways you can prep the Cajun chicken marinade ahead of time. You can mix up the spices and store them in an airtight container until you are ready to use them. Or you can prepare the marinade and add the chicken thirty minutes before you want to cook it.
- Storage: Store leftover Cajun chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 1-2 months.
- Reheat: Thaw frozen chicken in the fridge overnight. Reheat the leftovers in the microwave, air fryer, or oven.
More Chicken Marinade Recipes
- Garlic and Herb Chicken Marinade
- Southwest Chicken Marinade
- Sweet and Spicy Chicken Marinade
- Pineapple Chicken Marinade
Cajun Chicken Marinade
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup vinegar
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Put the vegetable oil, vinegar, and spices in a bowl and stir to combine.
- Flatten the chicken breasts to an even thickness and then place them in a gallon-sized ziptop bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken, seal the bag, and turn to coat. Place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Grease the grill grates before adding the chicken. Discard the remaining marinade. Cook the chicken for 12-15 minutes, turning it over halfway through cooking or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165˚F.
