Fall freezer chicken marinades in labeled freezer bags ready for easy make-ahead family dinners

Fall Freezer Chicken Marinades: 8 Easy Make-Ahead Chicken Recipes

Fall Freezer Chicken Marinades: 8 Easy Make-Ahead Chicken Recipes

There is a certain point every fall when I remember that dinner happens every single night. Every. Single. Night. It's one of the hardest things about being an adult and having family when you have certain food standards. You have to cook almost every single day. And with a family of our varying size, school schedules, sports, work and everything else happening around here, the 5:00 question of "what are we having for dinner?" gets old really fast.

Which is why I love the idea of freezer chicken marinades. The concept is ridiculously simple: put chicken and marinade ingredients into a freezer bag, label it, freeze it flat and you've essentially done the annoying part of dinner ahead of time. And once I started thinking about fall chicken marinades, I realized this is basically what our Rocky Mountain Olive Oil pantry was made for.

Infused and fused olive oils give you herbs, garlic, citrus, smoke and chile without a pile of extra ingredients. Balsamic vinegar brings acidity, fruit and sweetness. Colorado honey and hot honey add sweetness and caramelization. Our Colorado Collection seasonings bring another layer of flavor without opening six spice jars.

So instead of giving you one chicken marinade, I put together eight. These are cozy, easy fall freezer chicken marinades designed for the nights when you need dinner to require considerably less thought.

Fall freezer chicken marinades in labeled freezer bags prepared with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey and seasonings for easy make-ahead dinners.


What Is a Freezer Chicken Marinade?

A freezer chicken marinade is simply raw chicken combined with a marinade and frozen together in a freezer-safe bag or container. As the chicken thaws later, it sits in all of that flavor, which means dinner is already halfway done. For most of these recipes, I use about 1½ to 2 pounds of boneless chicken breasts or thighs. Add everything to a freezer-safe bag, remove as much air as possible, seal it, gently move everything around to coat the chicken and freeze the bag flat. That's it. On the day you want to cook it, thaw the chicken safely in the refrigerator and then grill, bake, roast or cook it however you normally cook marinated chicken.


A Simple Chicken Marinade Formula

You absolutely do not have to follow a complicated recipe to make a good chicken marinade. My basic formula is:

  • 1½ to 2 pounds chicken
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons honey, if you want additional sweetness
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons seasoning

From there, start playing. Garlic olive oil + apple balsamic + rosemary? Fall. Chipotle olive oil + maple balsamic + hot honey? Very fall. Tuscan herbs + fig balsamic + garlic? Dinner. Once you understand the basic formula, your pantry starts looking like a choose-your-own-adventure book.


1. Apple Rosemary Fall Chicken Marinade

This might be the most "September in Colorado" combination of the bunch. Gravenstein Apple White Balsamic Vinegar brings bright apple flavor and gentle sweetness, while Rosemary Fused Olive Oil gives the chicken a savory, woodsy flavor that feels made for cooler weather.

Add to the freezer bag:

  • 1½ to 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
  • ¼ cup Rocky Mountain Olive Oil Rosemary Fused Olive Oil
  • ¼ cup Rocky Mountain Olive Oil Gravenstein Apple White Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • A few grinds of black pepper

Freeze flat.

I would serve this one with roasted sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts or a big fall salad with apples, pecans and goat cheese.

Apple rosemary chicken made with Rosemary Fused Olive Oil and Gravenstein Apple White Balsamic, an easy fall freezer chicken marinade.


2. Maple Garlic Chicken Marinade

If you want the freezer marinade I suspect my kids would be happiest to see come out for dinner, it's probably this one. Sweet, savory, garlicky and ridiculously easy. The Maple Dark Balsamic is made in Modena, Italy and brings that warm maple sweetness that works especially well with roasted vegetables and fall cooking.

Add to the freezer bag:

Freeze flat. 

Serve the chicken with mashed potatoes, roasted carrots or rice and whatever vegetable is currently threatening to go bad in your refrigerator. Trust me, I know all about getting creative with sides to prevent things from going bad inside or outside of the fridge. 

Maple garlic marinated chicken with Garlic Infused Olive Oil, Maple Dark Balsamic and Garlic Infused Honey for an easy fall dinner.


3. Smoky Chipotle Maple Hot Honey Chicken

This is the one for people who want sweet, smoky and spicy all at once. And I am absolutely one of those people. Chipotle Fused Olive Oil brings smoky chile flavor, Maple Balsamic adds sweetness and Habanero Infused Honey gives you that sweet-heat finish.

Add to the freezer bag:

Freeze flat.

This would be fantastic sliced into rice bowls, tucked into tacos, served with roasted corn or eaten straight off the cutting board while you're supposedly "getting dinner ready." Not that I've ever done that.

Smoky chipotle maple hot honey chicken made with Chipotle Fused Olive Oil, Maple Balsamic and Habanero Infused Honey.


4. Tuscan Herb Fig Balsamic Chicken

This combination is already very much in our wheelhouse. Tuscan Herb Infused Olive Oil is one of those bottles I think belongs in practically every kitchen because it already brings oregano, rosemary, marjoram and garlic to the party. Pair that with rich Black Mission Fig Balsamic and you've got a marinade that tastes considerably more complicated than it actually is.

Add to the freezer bag:

  • 1½ to 2 pounds chicken
  • ¼ cup Rocky Mountain Olive Oil Tuscan Herb Infused Olive Oil
  • ¼ cup Rocky Mountain Olive Oil Black Mission Fig Dark Balsamic Vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper

Freeze flat.

This one belongs next to roasted potatoes, green beans, pasta or a simple salad and bread. It's also closely related to our longtime Fig Balsamic Chicken recipe, so if you already love that one, make this bag first.

Tuscan herb fig balsamic chicken marinade made with infused olive oil and Black Mission Fig Balsamic for an easy freezer meal.


5. Garlic Honey Balsamic Chicken

This is your "I have no idea what everyone wants for dinner" marinade. It isn't spicy. It isn't overly sweet. It isn't aggressively anything. It's just really good chicken. The Garlic Infused Honey is especially fun here because you get sweetness and savory garlic flavor from one ingredient. I also love using our Garlic Infused Honey when I get sick. 

Freeze flat.

Make extra chicken and use the leftovers for sandwiches, wraps, grain bowls or salads the next day.


6. Harissa Raspberry Hot Honey Chicken

Now we're getting a little bolder. Harissa Infused Olive Oil brings smoky chile, garlic, cumin, coriander and caraway flavors. Raspberry balsamic gives you tart fruit. Hot honey pulls everything together with sweetness and heat.

Add to the freezer bag:

Freeze flat.

That's basically the whole recipe. Serve it with couscous, rice, roasted carrots or a simple cucumber salad. And if you're someone who thinks fruit doesn't belong in savory food, I respectfully ask you to try raspberry balsamic with spicy chicken before filing your complaint.

Harissa raspberry hot honey chicken made with Harissa Infused Olive Oil, raspberry balsamic and spicy infused honey.


7. Apple Chipotle Chicken

This one is smoky, fruity and really good for fall meal-prep bowls. Our Red Rocks Blend is smoky and paprika-forward with mild heat, so it reinforces the chipotle without turning dinner into a dare.

Add to the freezer bag:

Freeze flat.

Serve this chicken with roasted squash, rice, black beans or sweet potatoes. It also makes really good leftovers.


8. Sweet & Spicy Cayenne Balsamic Chicken

This one has some kick. Our Cayenne Chili Pepper Fused Olive Oil is made by crushing fresh cayenne peppers with olives, so the chile flavor is actually fused right into the oil. Pair it with a sweeter balsamic and honey and you get a really easy sweet-heat marinade.

Add to the freezer bag:

Freeze flat.

I'd cook this one on the grill while we can still pretend Colorado isn't about to completely change seasons on us, but it's equally good baked or roasted.

Homemade fall freezer chicken marinades being prepared with infused olive oils, balsamic vinegars, honey and Colorado seasonings.


How to Make Freezer Chicken Marinades

If you want to make all eight at once, set everything out assembly-line style. Label your freezer bags before filling them. Trust me on this. 

  • >>> add the chicken
  • >>> pour the olive oil, balsamic and honey directly into each bag
  • >>> add your seasonings
  • >>> seal the bags and gently move everything around until the chicken is coated
  • >>> remove as much air as practical.
  • >>> lay the bags flat in the freezer until frozen.

Once they're solid, you can stack them or stand them upright like files. That last part is especially satisfying.


How Do You Cook Chicken From a Freezer Marinade?

The easiest method is to move one bag from the freezer to the refrigerator the day before you plan to cook it and let it thaw safely there. Once thawed, remove the chicken from the marinade and cook it using your preferred method. For the oven, grill, skillet or air fryer, cooking time will depend on the cut and thickness of your chicken, so use temperature rather than appearance to determine when it's done. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.

Discard marinade that has been in contact with raw chicken rather than using it as a finishing sauce. If you want extra sauce for serving, mix up a fresh batch separately before it ever touches the raw chicken.


Can You Freeze Chicken in Marinade?

Yes. Freezing chicken in marinade is an easy way to combine meal prep and marinating into one step. The important part is handling raw chicken properly: keep it cold while you're working, freeze it promptly and thaw it safely in the refrigerator. And here's something worth remembering: a marinade adds flavor, but it doesn't make raw poultry safe to eat. Chicken still needs to be properly cooked.


How Long Can Chicken Stay in Marinade?

Once thawed in the refrigerator, don't forget about it in the back of the fridge. For poultry being actively marinated in the refrigerator, USDA food-safety guidance recommends keeping it refrigerated and generally limiting marinating to no more than two days. Which, frankly, is another reason I like freezer marinades. They aren't eight containers of raw chicken sitting in my refrigerator waiting for me to remember what my plan was.


Dark Balsamic or White Balsamic for Chicken Marinades?

Both. White balsamic is wonderful when you want brighter flavors like apple, citrus, pear or herbs. I especially like it for lighter chicken dishes, salads and grain bowls. Dark balsamic gives you a deeper, richer flavor that's wonderful with garlic, fig, maple, berries, mushrooms and smoky flavors.

The bigger question isn't "Which kind of balsamic can I use?" It's "What do I want dinner to taste like?"


Why Olive Oil Works So Well in Chicken Marinades

Olive oil provides the fat component of a marinade and helps distribute all of those herbs and seasonings over the surface of the chicken. But using infused or fused olive oil means the olive oil can do double duty. Instead of starting with plain oil and then measuring garlic, herbs, chile or other flavorings, you can begin with Garlic, Tuscan Herb, Rosemary, Harissa, Chipotle or Cayenne olive oil and build the rest of the marinade around it.

That's exactly why I love these products for weeknight cooking. They make simple food interesting without making dinner complicated.


Turn Your Olive Oil and Balsamic Collection Into a Marinade Bar

You also don't have to make these exact eight combinations. This is where it gets fun. Choose an olive oil. Choose a balsamic. Add honey or hot honey if the combination needs sweetness. Add a seasoning. Congratulations. You have dinner.

Some combinations I'd try next:

  • Garlic Olive Oil + Blackberry Ginger Dark Balsamic + Garlic Infused Honey
  • Wild Mushroom & Sage Olive Oil + Maple Dark Balsamic
  • Rosemary Fused Olive Oil + Cranberry Pear White Balsamic
  • Harissa Olive Oil + Pomegranate Dark Balsamic + Habanero Infused Honey
  • Tuscan Herb Olive Oil + Neapolitan Herb Dark Balsamic
  • Cilantro & Roasted Onion Olive Oil + Honey Ginger White Balsamic
  • Chipotle Olive Oil + Pineapple White Balsamic + Habanero Infused Honey
  • Garlic Olive Oil + Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic + Herb Delight Seasoning

And suddenly freezer meal prep doesn't mean eating the same chicken or a bunch of preservatives five nights in a row.

Infused olive oils, balsamic vinegars, honey and seasonings used to create easy homemade chicken marinade combinations.


What to Serve With Fall Marinated Chicken

This is the other reason freezer chicken works so well for our family. I don't need to plan an entire elaborate meal. Cook the chicken and add one or two things. Roasted sweet potatoes. Brussels sprouts. Rice. Mashed potatoes. A salad. Roasted squash. Green beans. Pasta. Crusty bread. Whatever vegetables need to be eaten. Done.

And if schedules mean everybody is eating at slightly different times—which certainly never happens in a house full of kids—marinated chicken also reheats well and can be turned into bowls, wraps and salads.


The Best Fall Chicken Marinade Might Already Be in Your Pantry

That's really the point of this whole thing. Good cooking doesn't always need more ingredients. Sometimes it needs better ingredients that already have flavor built into them.

A bottle of infused olive oil, a great balsamic vinegar, a spoonful of Colorado honey and a seasoning blend can give you dozens of different chicken marinades without filling your refrigerator door with bottled sauces. Make three bags. Make eight. Or don't measure much of anything and make one with whatever combination sounds good. Just write what you did on the bag. Because three weeks from now, "brownish chicken — probably good?" isn't nearly as helpful as you think it will be.

Happy fall cooking.

xoxo,
Andi

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