Explore this easy balsamic marinade for chicken, steak, and pork. Using simple ingredients you probably already have on hand like balsamic vinegar, dried herbs, and garlic, it’s a great way to add flavor and juiciness to proteins. Plus it works for a variety of different cooking methods, whether it’s on the grill, in the oven, or on the stovetop.
If you’re looking for an easy, everyday marinade for your protein, this is it.
Look, I’m not going to promise this balsamic marinade is going to solve all your meal problems. But it might come close.
It’s quick. It’s flavorful. And most importantly, it’s really simple to make.
My family loves this marinade with flank steak. We do tend to favor a marinated flank steak (like this marinated carne asada or this Asian steak marinade), but honestly this one might win out.
As soon as I recipe-tested it, my husband asked me when I was going to publish it on the website so he could send it to his family. Multiple times.
And when I made it for my extended family everybody raved.
I think your family will too.
It’s also good with chicken and pork so it’s got most of the major proteins covered.
Are you convinced? If so, scroll down to see the step by step pictures and instructions.
If not, check out my other marinades to see if one is more to your liking (no offense taken).
Grab these ingredients
- Balsamic vinegar – Any type of dark balsamic vinegar works here. If it’s an aged balsamic it will give a slightly sweeter flavor. I would not use a white balsamic or other flavored balsamic as it will likely be too sweet.
- Herbs – dried thyme and dried rosemary are used in this recipe. You can use fresh if you have it, just increase the amount by to 1.5 teaspoons of each instead of half a teaspoon.
- Garlic – fresh garlic absolutely makes a difference. I like to use a garlic press instead of mincing it to get the most flavor. If you love garlic be sure and use large cloves, or even increase the amount used to 3 cloves.
- Oil – If you’re going to be cooking with this marinade at a high temperature, like on a grill, use a mild, high heat oil. I like to use avocado oil.
- Kosher salt – I used Diamond Crystal kosher salt in this recipe. It is less salty by volume than many other salts, so if you are using a different type of salt (kosher or otherwise), you’ll want to use this salt conversion chart from Epicurious to determine how much salt to use.
- Pepper – freshly ground black pepper is great, but you could also switch it up with white or pink pepper.
What’s the key to a great marinade?
All marinades should have the following 4 elements:
- fat to coat the meat,
- acid to help break down the protein fibers,
- salt to season the meat, and
- spices, herbs, or other flavors.
In this marinade, the oil is the fat, the vinegar is the acid, there’s kosher salt, and the garlic, pepper, and herbs are additional flavors.
How to make a balsamic marinade
(Note: please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the complete written instructions.)
Marinades are pretty easy – you just place everything in a measuring cup and stir until it’s combined!
Recommended marinating times
You’ll want a different marinating time for different types of proteins. Here are my recommendations.
- For steak: 8 to 10 hours for tougher and/or thicker cuts like flank steak, 2 to 3 hours for thinner cuts like skirt steak.
- For chicken: 2 hours for boneless or bone-in cuts.
- For pork: 1 hour for thinner or smaller cuts of pork (like thin-cut chops or tenderloin), and 2 hours for thicker cuts (like boneless pork chops).
Cooking with this balsamic vinegar marinade
You can either grill, stir fry, or bake proteins with this marinade. The cooking time and temperature is going to depend on the cut of meat you’re cooking.
In all cases, you want to cook until the meat reaches the right internal temperature. I’ve listed them out below, but be sure and check out this guide on internal temperatures for meat – it’s written for grilling but is applicable for all cooking methods.
- Chicken: cook to 165 degrees F
- Pork: cook to 165 degrees F
- Steak: varies depending on your preference, between 115 degrees F for rare and 150 degrees F for well done.
If you make this balsamic vinegar marinade for chicken, steak, & pork, then don’t forget to leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
You can also follow me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, & PINTEREST to see more good to eat, gluten free food on and off the grill.
Balsamic Marinade for Chicken, Steak, and Pork
Equipment
- A garlic press
- A small whisk (or other utensil)
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz balsamic vinegar
- 3 oz avocado oil
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- ½ tsp dried fresh thyme
- 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
Instructions
- Measure out the balsamic vinegar and oil into a measuring cup (or other container).
- Measure out the remaining ingredients and add those into the cup as well.
- Use a small whisk or other utensil to combine everything together.
Notes
- Marinade is enough for 2 pounds of meat (around 4.5 to 5 ounces of marinade)
- Store the marinade in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Some separation will occur.
- To use after storage, allow the marinade to come to room temperature then shake the marinade in the container (or stir with a whisk) to combine contents again.
Leave a comment