How to Make Chicken Marinade Like a Pro

How to Make Chicken Marinade Like a Pro,The simplest way to add flavor to chicken is to whip up a speedy marinade and let the poultry sit in the wonderful flavors. Whether you prefer to bake, grill, or fry your chicken, there are some great chicken marinades you can try out. Extra-virgin olive oil, citrus, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, A1 sauce, ketchup, herbs, spices, honey and wine are just some of your options, and there are thousands of ingredient combinations you can use to make the best chicken marinade recipes.

Make Chicken Marinade Like a Pro

Maybe you fancy using citrus for a piquant flavor and if so, you can choose from lemon or lime juice, orange juice, grapefruit juice or even a combination of these.

Using Aromatic Herbs

Fresh herbs go nicely with citrus juice so you could add some rosemary, tarragon, cilantro, or basil. A pinch of dried mixed herbs also works. If you are using dried herbs in a chicken marinade recipe though, you should rub them between your fingers to release the oils and make them more fragrant. This is an easy trick but it really boosts the flavor of the finished chicken.

You can stick with one herb variety, combine two, or even use several different ones. Most herbs go nicely together and even if you use six different kinds of herbs it is hard to overcomplicate the flavor of your marinated chicken. If you are using a variety of herbs though, keep the other marinade ingredients simple, and use lemon juice with extra-virgin olive oil or perhaps just the oil with some garlic, or something like that.

Spicy Marinades for Chicken

Some people like to spice their chicken up by adding chilies, garlic, cayenne pepper and other spicy ingredients and this is one option. Remember that the longer you leave your chicken in the marinade the more intense the flavor will be, so if you want a mild flavor let it sit in the marinade for fifteen minutes or, for a stronger flavor, give it a few hours. You can serve a spicy chicken recipe with contrasting side dishes like sour cream or crème fraiche, bread, rice or a creamy potato salad.

Freezing Chicken in a Marinade

Something that a lot of home cooks like to do is make their chicken marinade, add some fresh chicken and then freeze the chicken in the marinade. Since the chicken takes a few hours to thaw out, you can simply thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and cook it for dinner the following day. Use a Ziploc bag for this and squeeze all the air out so the chicken is in contact with the marinade. It will marinade a little as it freezes and then some more as it defrosts.

If you want to make a lot of marinade and you have a lot of chicken, you can make several meals' worth by freezing the chicken in the marinade in portions and then just thawing out what you need. Label the bags with the content and date. A frozen basil and tomato marinade looks similar to a frozen fiery chili marinade (and you would not want to confuse those!) Also, use the chicken within two months for the best result.