In our home, we eat chicken at least once or twice a week. Having the same food that often requires a bit of creativity to keep it interesting. I like to marinate chicken in many different ways. The key to a good chicken marinade is using quality ingredients and allowing the chicken to marinate for enough time to allow the flavors to infuse and tenderize the meat.
ASIAN-INSPIRED CHICKEN BREAST MARINADE (Serves 2)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 green onions, chopped
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Directions:
Mix soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, garlic powder, ginger and green onions in a large resealable plastic bag or container and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
Bake, broil or grill chicken breasts, basting occasionally with unused marinade (optional), until meat reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees Fahrenheit and juices run clear.
When my sister makes this dish, she tops the chicken breasts with mushrooms that have been sauted in butter and garlic.
Serve with rice noodles or jasmine rice.
SMOKY SPICY CHICKEN BREAST RUB (Serves 2)
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Directions:
Combine all spices in a bowl and stir well to blend.
Rub both sides of the chicken breasts with the spice rub.
Put in a sealed container or large, resealable plastic bag, refrigerate and allow to marinate 2-4 hours.
Bake, broil or grill (grilling is best, in my opinion) until meat reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees Fahrenheit and juices run clear.
Warning! These are spicy! Pair them with a nice salad with blue cheese dressing for a cooling aspect.
SPICY SWEET CHICKEN WINGS (Serves 6)
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, divided
1 cup honey, divided
1/2 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce, divided
1/2 cup butter, melted and divided
2 pounds chicken wings or drumsticks
Directions:
Combine 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup hot sauce and 1/4 cup butter in large resealable container.
Add chicken to container and toss to coat.
Refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
Heat grill to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove wings or drumsticks from bag and discard unused marinade.
Combine remaining cayenne, honey, hot sauce and butter in bowl and stir well to blend.
Grill wings with grill top open over medium heat for 20-30 minutes, basting every 7-10 minutes with sauce.
Remove from heat.
For "wet" style, toss wings in remaining sauce.
For "dry" wings use the remaining sauce for dipping.
Cover and let stand for 5-10 minutes.
These are great for Super Bowl parties or any gathering. Just be sure to make plenty. They won't last long!
TENDER HERB CHICKEN MARINADE (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried sweet basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup yellow onion (about 1 small), diced
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Directions:
Combine garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, olive oil and onion in large resealable plastic bag or container.
Add chicken to mixture.
Refrigerate 2 or more hours.
Broil chicken at low broiler setting on top rack of oven for 4-5 minutes.
Turn chicken and baste with remaining sauce.
Return to broiler and broil for an additional 4-5 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit and juices run clear.
I like to serve this chicken with roasted potatoes or a pasta tossed with olive oil, basil and oregano.
These are just a few examples of marinades for chicken. One thing to remember when marinating any meat is that citrus juices, such as lemon, lime and orange, are natural tenderizers. Use caution with these juices on tender pieces of meat such as shrimp because they will actually cook the meat during the marinating process causing the meat to become rubbery or tough when cooked.
Be creative with these recipes. If you like things spicy, as I do, add some crushed red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne. If you prefer to tone things down a bit, omit the cayenne and red pepper flakes from the recipes that call for them.