These no-fail chicken marinades make dinnertime a breeze and are perfect for warm weather grilling!

No more boring chicken dinners! Marinating is a simple way to infuse bland chicken with big flavor, making the meat moist, tender, and juicy. Your freezer or refrigerator will work as your sous chef, marrying the flavors and storing the chicken dinners for when you’re ready to cook them.

With marinating, the options are endless, and a few pantry staples can go a long way in creating a good marinade. A marinade consists of an acid-like vinegar, mustard or lemon that is used tenderize the protein. To the acid, any combination of seasonings, spices and herbs can be used to flavor the chicken to whatever your taste buds are craving!

To keep the meat moist, you’ll be adding extra virgin olive oil. Adding the oil also makes the chicken easy to prepare. Just toss on the grill, in the oven, or in a pan, and kick back while it cooks.

These marinade recipes come in eight flavors: sweet and sour, lemon garlic, ginger teriyaki, coconut curry, chimichurri, balsamic, chipotle and honey mustard. They’re super easy to create and make for great go-to chicken marinades when you’re in a pinch.

Each of the following marinades makes enough to coat one pound of chicken. That is enough for two large boneless, skinless breasts in a 1-quart bag. For larger dinners, the quantities can be doubled.

Add the ingredients for the marinade in the bag and shake to mix. Next, place chicken in the bag, seal the top, and turn to coat the chicken. Place your marinated chicken in the refrigerator (if making within 24 hours), otherwise freeze until ready to cook. It’s that easy!

When you’re ready to cook, the chicken and marinade are ready to go. All that’s left to do is decide whether you want to grill, sauté, or bake your chicken. If you’re busy during the weekday, make these chicken marinades on a Sunday and freeze them so you have ready-to-cook dishes throughout the week.