Best 4 Way Recipes of Chicken Marinade

These Chicken Marinade recipes are easy to make, delicious to taste and are freezer friendly too.

What else do you want from a chicken marinade recipe. The following chicken marinade recipes are perfect for any parties. They are ideal for grilling, roasting, slow cooking, sautéing, meal prep and even for an instant pot.

Choose any type of cooking methods and the following chicken marinade suits all of them with ease. You can even freeze them and use it for cooking later on. The 4 ways chicken marinade recipe offers a range of marinades that are flavorful and mouthwatering.

The cilantro lime marinade is made from simple ingredients that add a lot of flavors to this dish.

The other one is Sweet & Spicy Italian marinade that is sweet and spicy. It is so true to its flavors that you will be transported to Italy as soon as you take a bite.

The most popular marinade is the BBQ chicken marinade. The delicious BBQ marinade is pretty similar to the saucy BBQ chicken. Just mix the BBQ sauce of your choice along with some Savoury spices and a bit of olive oil and you are ready with a mouth-watering and flavorful dish.

Last, but not the least is the curry yogurt marinade. The curry flavor will make the meal a complete Indian treat and the yogurt makes sure the meat is soft, juicy and tender.

For making an economical meal at home, always go for bulk purchasing of the main ingredients like chicken breasts. Family size packing will save you some dollars and also gives you a good opportunity to divide the meat into different chicken marinade options. You can prepare different chicken marinade meals and store them in a freezer for grilling whenever required. You are not forced to eat the same type of marinade every time. The chicken marinade four ways ensure you enjoy your meal every week and would not find it repetitive.

For a basic five ingredient chicken marinade recipe you will require:

Acid: Acid is used to tenderize the chicken pieces and for that you can use lemon juice or vinegar

Fat: Avocado oil or olive oil is ideally used to keep the meat moist and to add some flavor to the dish. Fat is a scary word, but here it improves the flavor.

Salt: Salt when mixed with liquid acts as a brine, which makes the meat moist and flavorful.

Seasoning: For seasoning you need some really good spices

Sweetener: Sweet flavor is brought about by using honey and brown sugar. This ensures the meat is soft, tender and moist. Sweet also adds flavor to the dish. You can even skip this ingredient if you don’t like the sweet flavor in the marinade.

To compensate you can add in more spices and herbs to enhance the flavor. Be creative with flavors so that you enjoy your meal every time.

Before we begin with the chicken marinade recipe in detail, let us get some doubts cleared.

How much chicken marinade will be needed for 1 lb. chicken?

You will need at least half cup of marinade for each 1 to 1.5 lbs of chicken. To increase the flavor, you can easily double or triple the various marinades.

How to freeze the chicken marinades?

The raw chicken along with the marinades can be frozen for up to 90 days if stored in a proper freezer bag. Before cooking the meat, defrost the chicken in the fridge for 24 hours and then bake or barbecue according to your preference. 

Steps on how to make chicken marinades

1. To make each marinade simply combine the ingredients in a bowl until they are mixed well.
2. Combine the marinade with the chicken and transfer it into a freezer bag and seal.
3. Once packed, place them in the freezer according to the above instructions on storage and use as and when required.

Cooking instructions

Baking: For baking in the oven, first you need to preheat the oven to 400-degree F. Place the chicken in a casserole dish or a baking sheet. Now, bake for about 20-25 minutes until it is done.

Slow Cooker: In a slow cooker cooking, you have to place the chicken and the marinade together and cook on LOW for 3 to 3 ½ hours and your chicken marinade is ready. Any more cooking time will dry out the dish and not taste as intended.

Instant Pot: Place the marinade, chicken and 1/3 cup chicken broth in a 6-quart instant pot. If you are using an eight-quart instant pot, then you need to add an additional ½ cup of broth. Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes. When the time is up using the quick release feature get rid of the pressure. It will take 10-15 minutes for the pressure to build up and for the cooking time to start.

Grill: Cut the chicken to about 3/4 inch thick or even cut into half lengthwise for even and fast cooking. Preheat the grill to medium high and grill each side for about 4-5 minutes on each side. The time can vary depending on the thickness. Cook until done.

How to know if the chicken is done?

 A digital meat thermometer is required to check the internal temperature of the meat. When the internal temperature of the chicken touches 165-degree F, then you can be sure that the chicken is done.

Safety tips to follow

• Marinating meat is a simple process, but make sure there is no cross-contamination from raw meat.
• Meat should be refrigerated well during the marination process. Raw meat should be stored in the lowest shelf so that there are no accidental drips and to prevent any food contamination.
• Never use the leftover marinade unless you are cooking chicken with it. It is not safe to consume as it was mixed with raw chicken.

Now that you know how to cook chicken marinade 4 ways, tryout all the different marinades as mentioned below so that you are not bored of one flavor.

Notes

You can use other chicken cuts for this recipe, but the above cooking instructions is specific for chicken breasts.