The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good marinade? ›

Making a mouth-watering homemade marinade isn't rocket science! You simply need to follow this simple formula: an acidic ingredient to tenderize the meat (think vinegar, juice, yogurt, or mustard), fresh herbs and spices for added flavour, and a fatty ingredient, such as oil or butter.

Quick Tips to Marinate Chicken

Combine an acid ingredient (i.e., vinegar or lemon and lime juices) with a fat ingredient (like vegetable, nut, or chile oils) plus additional seasonings, including spices, herbs, syrups, zests, and any secret ingredients that lend a signature something to the mix.

To craft a good marinade, the key ingredients you'll need are salt, acid, oil, and a touch of sugar. Salt is crucial as it helps to tenderize the meat or vegetables by breaking down their fibers, allowing them to absorb the marinade's flavors more deeply.

Making a chicken marinade at home is fast and simple. Marinades are usually 2 parts oil to 1 part acid (something like wine, lemon juice or vinegar), and some salt. Add to this mixture any herbs or flavouring you like—we like using thyme, rosemary and garlic.

In a marinade, it is better to err on the side of little to no salt. Salt pulls moisture out of flesh so you could wind up with a tough and dry piece of meat.

By the six-hour mark, the most tenderizing marinades were the same—orange juice, lemon juice, tomato sauce, and yogurt—with the addition of rice vinegar.

Marinating your chicken in something overnight can help make it all the more juicier and tender. You can use a gluten-free, acidic marinade (like olive oil and lemon juice) or something breadier (like baking soda, egg whites, and buttermilk).

You can marinate chicken anywhere from 2 hours up to 24 hours, though marinating chicken for even 15 to 30 minutes can impart flavor and moisture into smaller pieces of meat. Generally, bone-in cuts of chicken, such as wings, drumsticks and breasts, will require a longer marinade time than their boneless counterparts.

While poking holes in your chicken while marinating it can be helpful, it's not mandatory. Mostly, this method helps if you don't have several hours to spare when marinating your poultry. Poking holes in your chicken can allow the marinade to penetrate better in a shorter period.

The rule -of-thumb ratio for marinades is 3-to-1, three parts oil and 1 part acid. For example, you would mix 1 cup oil (olive, canola, or vegetable) and ⅓ cup acid such as a vinegar, lemon or lime juice or other citrus, or wine.

What is the best base for marinade? ›

Marinades typically feature an oil and an acid — but the sky's the limit for creativity: For your oil base, try olive, peanut, truffle, sesame, walnut, or chile oil. You can also use milk, coconut milk, buttermilk, or yogurt. For acids, experiment with different types of vinegar, wines, beers, lemon, or lime juice.

Contrary to popular belief, marinades never work their way far into a piece of chicken – they will always be surface flavours. Oil and fat won't penetrate flesh at all, but salt will get a little way in if used in large enough quantities (1½ tbsp salt per 250ml liquid), as it loosens the muscle fibres.

Place the olive oil, lemon juice, water, garlic, honey, salt, and pepper in a gallon zip-top bag and stir to combine. If using drumsticks or thighs, place in the marinade. Pound any chicken breasts. If using chicken breasts, place 1 or 2 in another gallon zip-top bag.

Take a fork and prick some holes into the meat before marinating it so that the meat will absorb the sauce more easily. Using a knife works too, especially when you want to marinate bigger steak cuts. The meat should be covered evenly with the marinade from all sides.

A typical marinade is made up of three essential components: an acid (such as vinegar, wine, or citrus), an oil (such as olive oil or sesame oil), and a flavouring agent (such as herbs and spices). These elements work together to transform the taste and texture of your dish in different ways.

A general rule of marinade-to-meat ratio is one-half cup of marinade per pound of meat. Times vary depending on the type, cut and size of the meat. Denser meats such as pork and steak can marinate for 24 hours or even longer. A lighter meat like chicken can marinate between 2 hours and 24 hours.

1. marinating the meat with vinegar will make the meat much softer and tender after cooking; 2. the vinegar of the marinade will flavor your meat and enhance your recipes.