Marinating Chicken

Lesson

Marinating chicken, turkey, and other poultry is an efficient, tasty way to add flavor, promote tenderness, and dress up an ordinary chicken.

Creating flavorful marinades

Marinades are liquids that often consist of several of the following ingredients: acid (vinegar, tomato or citrus juices); liquid (fruit juices or colas); salt (flavored or plain); sweetener (sugar, honey, molasses, syrup); oil (olive, sesame, peanut, corn); and various herbs and spices. Minced garlic, parsley, finely chopped onions, brown sugar, oregano, thyme, rosemary, cumin, citrus pepper, ginger, and citrus zests are all great flavors for marinades.

Creating marinades is easy. Choose the liquids, acids, and spices you like and mix them together. Most marinades can be made in advance and stored in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator for several weeks.

It’s important to marinate chicken (and other meats) in a covered container in the refrigerator, and to make sure the food is completely under the surface of the liquid. If you’re using a re-sealable plastic bag, weigh it down with a bowl of water if necessary. Marinating chicken typically takes 2 to 6 hours.

Safely re-using marinades

When you’re done with a marinade, don’t re-use it for anything until you’ve boiled it for 10 minutes. Marinades that have been used on poultry, fish, meat, or other protein carry bacteria that can make you sick. When the food is grilled properly, this bacteria disappears. Likewise, boiling eliminates the bacteria in the marinade so can use it to baste food, or as a base for a sauce you serve with the food.

After the marinade has boiled, run it through a coffee filter or very fine strainer to remove all of the solids, and pour the marinade into a spray bottle. Spraying the marinade provides much better coverage, and is much more efficient than brushing it on food.

Ready to make your own? See our recipes for marinades.