If your marinade recipe only calls for liquid ingredients and dry seasonings, feel free to skip the blender. Put all of the ingredients into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake until the marinade is combined.
Acidic ingredients: citrus juice of any kind (lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange), vinegar (white wine, red wine, apple cider, balsamic) Oils: olive oil, grapeseed oil, toasted sesame oil, avocado oil Sweeteners: brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, honey, jam, ketchup, soda Seasonings: herb mixes, miso paste, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, ginger, shallots
If you want to baste the meat with marinade as it cooks, set aside a small bowl to use during cooking. For long-term storage, put the marinade into a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to label it or you may not remember what you’re looking at!
If you’re using chicken pieces, decide if you want to use bone-in pieces or boneless pieces—keep in mind that boneless pieces cook faster than bone-in or whole chicken.
Don’t marinate chicken in a metal container or the metal will react with the acidic ingredients and create unpleasant flavors. Instead, stick with a ceramic or glass container.
If you’re short on time, don’t worry! Even 1 hour of marinating will give the chicken flavor. If you have a lot of acidic ingredients in the marinade or you’re marinating boneless-skinless or thin pieces of chicken, go with a shorter marinating time. Always marinate chicken in the refrigerator instead of setting it out on the counter where bacteria can grow. [11] X Research source
If you want to use the leftover marinade in your bag, pour it into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. [13] X Trustworthy Source US Food and Drug Administration U. S. government agency responsible for promoting public health Go to source Boil the marinade for a full minute to kill bacteria. Then, you can serve the sauce with the cooked chicken.
If you’re baking chicken parts, plan on cooking them for about 40 minutes per 1 pound (450 g). For extra flavor, pour the marinade over the chicken in the dish before you bake it.
If you’d like to baste the meat during the last few minutes, use reserved marinade that you didn’t marinate the chicken. Don’t baste the meat with marinade that raw chicken came into contact with. If you’re cooking boneless chicken pieces, they’ll cook faster, so start checking them after 8 to 12 minutes. Bone-in pieces of chicken take around 30 minutes to cook.
Boneless chicken pieces take about 15 to 20 minutes total to broil, while bone-in pieces need longer—around 25 to 35 minutes total.
If you like crispy chicken, coat it in seasoned flour breading before you cook it in the skillet.
