Grilled Chicken Marinade

[tryska]

Hi Y'all....

I was hoping soemone had a good marinade for boneless chicken breast filets I plan on throwing on the grill.

After I grill the chicken i intend to use it throughout the week on salads, in fajitas, maybe make a chicken salad with it, maybe eat one with steamed vegetables etc.

So basically I need something unobtrusive yet flavored well so as to be versatile.

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance!

[JayBassin]

"Unobstrusive"? Just soak the breasts (bone-in, I hope) in brine flavored with some garlic, herbs, maybe a cinnamon stick, cloves, etc. You can use sugar in the brine because the breasts won't be on the grill long enough to burn the sugar. I use 1 C kosher salt, 2/3 C granulated sugar, 2 sticks cinnamon, head of garlic cut in half, handfull of fresh herbs, tablespoon of whole black peppercorns. Bring to a boil in 2 qts water and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in another quart of ice water. Chill. Soak split breasts for about 2 hours. Rinse and dry before grilling. You can add glazes or other flavors for your other dishes.

[Tess]

I marinate chicken pieces in margaritas. There are a lot of recipes out there that call for putting them in margarita mix-- admittedly the sugar in those will make a nice glaze-- but I just use tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur. Also, a spice mix from Spice House called Mexican mix or fajita mix or something, and pepper. Do not let the chicken sit all night in citrus mixture however; if you are marinating a long time, add lime juice just the last couple hours.

[tryska]

"Unobstrusive"? Just soak the breasts (bone-in, I hope) in brine flavored with some garlic, herbs, maybe a cinnamon stick, cloves, etc. You can use sugar in the brine because the breasts won't be on the grill long enough to burn the sugar. I use 1 C kosher salt, 2/3 C granulated sugar, 2 sticks cinnamon, head of garlic cut in half, handfull of fresh herbs, tablespoon of whole black peppercorns. Bring to a boil in 2 qts water and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in another quart of ice water. Chill. Soak split breasts for about 2 hours. Rinse and dry before grilling. You can add glazes or other flavors for your other dishes.

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sadly they aren't bone in - just boneless fillets. Brining sounds like a good bet tho - i might skip the cinnamon but i could do garlic and maybe thyme. prolly add soem lemon juice.

Tess - i have never heard of using margarita Mix. that's a great idea tho - unfortunately i don't want to add any sugar.

Edited August 12, 2005 by tryska (log)

[JayBassin]

prolly add soem lemon juice.

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Don't soak the breasts in lemon juice---you'll denature the proteins and make the meat tough. You can brush on the juice while grilling, though.

[tryska]

yeah - i know - i was going to put it on at the last minute.

can i use your brine recipe minus the sugar? or should i reduce the salt too?

[Tess]

Tess - i have never heard of using margarita Mix.  that's a great idea tho - unfortunately i don't want to add any sugar.

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Some people use margarita mix; I don't and I don't add sugar. (Not to sound snotty, but you might want to take another look at my post.)

[JayBassin]

can i use your brine recipe minus the sugar? or should i reduce the salt too?

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Sure, eliminate the sugar. Don't reduce the salt--in fact, you should increase the salt because you want to make up the osmotic pressure. Alternatively, and depending on the amount of chicken, just reduce the water.

[tryska]

can i use your brine recipe minus the sugar? or should i reduce the salt too?

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Sure, eliminate the sugar. Don't reduce the salt--in fact, you should increase the salt because you want to make up the osmotic pressure. Alternatively, and depending on the amount of chicken, just reduce the water.

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cool. thanks for the info.

[DTBarton]

I like to marinate chicken breasts in olive oil, garlic, worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard

and ground pepper. Try to get the marinade so you can taste all the ingredients and not be dominated by any one.

Grill and finish with fresh lime juice and cilantro if you like.

[Patrick S]

prolly add soem lemon juice.

←

Don't soak the breasts in lemon juice---you'll denature the proteins and make the meat tough. You can brush on the juice while grilling, though.

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Of course you wouldn't want to marinade chicken in lemon juice all by itself, but I use lemon juice in chicken marinades all the time with great results. In fact, my favorite chicken marinade right now is balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, dijon, garlic, and olive oil.

[tryska]

well i wound skipping the marinade altogether - they were very thin fillets, and slathering with a lemon garlic pepper mixture.

they came out rock hard, but still edible if you cut them up and toss them in a salad - sadly i haven't quite firgured out my grill yet - i think the fire wasn't hot enough to just sear them and set them on a cool spot.

i did manage soem lovely balsamic and roast-garlic marinaded eggplant and butternut squash tho. I don't liek the grilled squash as much as the eggplant, personally. next time it will be eggplant and protobellos.

if at first you don't succeed, try, try again, right? i'm going to master this grill before the summers done. so far the only thing i've managed to do right is steaks.