The Easiest Way to Marinate Chicken in 5 Minutes

Let’s talk chicken marinade today! In case you ever wondered what is the easiest way to marinate chicken, here are a few tips that will help you cook the best chicken in the world. But first, let’s see why it’s important to marinate the chicken.

3 reasons to marinate the chicken

• Marinade tenderizes the chicken and prevents it from drying out.
• The marinade seeps inside the chicken and imparts flavor to the dish.
• Marinade reduces cooking time.

Origin and usage of the word marinate

According to Macmillan Dictionary

The word marinate is directly derived from the French word ‘mariner’ meaning ‘to pickle in brine’. That French word comes from the Latin ‘marinus’ meaning ‘of the sea’. Marinate was first recorded in English sometime in the 1640s.

Is chicken keto?

As part of a low carb diet, chicken is a great source of protein. Poultry is a staple food on the keto diet. Chicken contains no carbs and is rich in B vitamins and several important minerals. See below a photo of our keto food shopping. From left to right:

4 tips for the best chicken marinade

1. The ideal marinade is made with salt, pepper, herbs, spices, honey, lemon, yogurt or vinegar (acid ingredient), oil.
2. If you use more salt, it helps loosen the muscle fibers and make the chicken tender.
3. If you use dried herbs rub them over the chicken to get great flavors.
4. Give the marinate no more than 4 hours to achieve the best flavor and taste.

Here are some more chicken recipes on Cooking Romania by Vivi:

Homemade Crispy Chicken Burger

Chicken Tortilla with Avocado and Mozzarella

Easiest Way to Marinate Chicken in 5 Minutes

Recipe by ViviCourse: ChickenCuisine: InternationalDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

Calories

600

kcal

Refrigerate

4

minutes

This marinade works for any cut of chicken (bone in or out, skin on or off). The purpose of marinating is to add flavor or tenderize the meat. You can add your favorite flavors (thyme, rosemary, pepper, etc) and soak up the meat.

We recommend it especially for chicken breast because it’s a quick acting flavor injector that adds juiciness into this lean cut of chicken. Yogurt is a great ingredient to add, and don’t forget that salt and pepper combine and form a brine that tenderizes the meat fast.

Ingredients

• 500 g chicken tenders (or wings, drums, breast)

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 tbsp meat spices

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 6 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 tbsp hot or mild mustard

• 1 tsp cinnamon powder

• 10 curry leaves (or 2 bay leaves)

• 1-2 tbsp honey

• juice of one lemon or 1 tbsp white vinegar (optional)

• 2-3 tbsp yogurt (optional)

• 1-2 tbsp water

Directions

• Place chicken in large bowl
• Add all ingredients one by one
• Stir gently
• Refrigerate in Mason jar or airtight plastic bag for at least 4 hours before cooking
• Pat dry before cooking

Recipe Video

Notes

• As you may have noticed by now, Adara and I choose to share recipes that do not require exact quantities and following strict steps. We encourage you to create your own versions of our recipes and enjoy them even more!
• Most of our recipes are just guidelines and you are free to get as creative as you want :). All you need to know about marinating chicken is that you need to use salt, water, olive oil, honey, something acid and seasoning.

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Vivi is a passionate teacher, story teller and photographer. Adara is a passionate accountant, businesswoman and videographer. On Cooking Romania by Vivi, the Mom and Daughter play together at the intersection of self and food mastery.