This all-purpose marinade recipe is so easy to make using just 5 ingredients and is ready in under 5 minutes. It tastes absolutely scrumptious on basically everything, from grilled chicken to burgers to veggies.

With summer here, many of us are marinating meat and grilling out on a regular basis. Burgers, chicken, chops, steaks, fish, veggies, you name it, a good marinade can make the meal. There are two marinades often used in my neck of the woods that aren’t readily available everywhere else. These are Dale’s Sauce and Moore’s Marinade, which are both made in Alabama. They are the key ingredient in many of the meats I cook as well as my steak sandwiches.

Here is my homemade all-purpose marinade recipe that can be whipped up in the time it takes for you to gather the ingredients from your pantry. It isn’t spot on the same as what you get in the store, but you’ll find it similar enough and equally delicious on EVERYTHING. 

A general marinade is generally good on all things. This can also be made right when you need it or ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. I sure do hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Recipe Ingredients

• Apple cider vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Liquid smoke
• Ground ginger
• Garlic powder

How to Make All Purpose Marinade

Place your soy sauce in a bowl or large jar.

I like to use this jar because it has measurements on the side and you can just put the lid on and shake it away when you get all of your ingredients in. You can also easily store it in the fridge in this.

Add your water…

Then the garlic powder…

Ground ginger…

And apple cider vinegar.

If you have it, add a wee bit of liquid smoke too.

There ya go! Now put your lid on…

And give it a good shake.

Wasn’t this easy?

Cooking with All Purpose Marinade

Now put some type of meat in a baking dish. Today I’m going to use skinless boneless chicken breast.

Pour the marinade all over the chicken. Let the chicken breasts marinate for at least 30 minutes.

After your meat is done marinating, cook or grill it however you normally would.

In this instance, I covered my baking dish in foil and baked it at 350 for 30 minutes (or until the chicken was done in the center).

Today I’m serving my marinated chicken with mashed potato, fresh green beans, and homemade biscuits.

Storage

Store the all purpose marinade in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Recipe Notes

• If you can’t find liquid smoke, feel free to leave that out. I don’t want you to go fretting all over because it will be just fine without it. Liquid smoke is an all-natural way to give your meat a wee bit of smoky grilled flavor.
• You can totally substitute the garlic powder for 1 minced garlic clove if you like.
• For spice, add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
• Here are some suggested marinating times:
  • Most meat (chicken, beef, lamb, and pork) can marinate from 30 minutes up to 2 days.
  • Vegetables can marinate from 30 minutes up to 5 days.
  • Seafood should marinate for no longer than an hour.

Recipe FAQs

Can I marinate frozen chicken?

Yes you can. Either marinate the chicken as it thaws in the fridge overnight. Alternatively, place the fresh chicken in a freezer bag with the marinade and place it in the freezer. Then the marinade will do its thing while the meat is defrosting in the fridge.

What do I marinate in all purpose marinade?

You can marinate basically any meat or vegetable in this all purpose marinade recipe. Here are some suggestions to start:

• Steak kabobs or chicken kabobs, both baked in the oven.
• Steak or steak sandwiches.
• Grilled fish like salmon.
• Grilled chicken tenders (no grill needed). Basically, any type of poultry will work, like chicken drumsticks, chicken wings, and chicken thighs.
• Your favorite veggies, like potato, cauliflower, onion, and sweet potato.
• Grilled pork chops or pork tenderloin.

 

A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining,

the breeze is blowing,

the birds are singing,

and the lawn mower is broken.

– James Dent