Best way to marinate chicken?

[SaltBoy]

I was thinking about marinating some chicken breasts before putting them on the grill this evening, which made me think even more... :Q

At times I like to poke holes with a fork in each chicken breast before I pour the marinade on it and seal it up in a plastic bag, thinking that getting some marinade within the chicken would help it marinate & taste better.

But then again, I have no idea. Do you guys have any tips?

 

[Eli]

Foodsaver vacuum marinate FTW.

lol

 

[DaShen]

:beer: FTW

 

[Carbo]

Soak in saltwater. Now you have Chicken of the Sea.

 

[Horus]

Originally posted by: SaltBoy
I was thinking about marinating some chicken breasts before putting them on the grill this evening, which made me think even more... :Q

At times I like to poke holes with a fork in each chicken breast before I pour the marinade on it and seal it up in a plastic bag, thinking that getting some marinade within the chicken would help it marinate & taste better.

But then again, I have no idea. Do you guys have any tips?

I've found that the best way to marinade involves a "hot beef injection".

Literally. Heat the marinade up, use a syringe and inject into the beef. or Chicken. I used beef because

1) I have more experience cooking beef...
2) Heh...hot beef injection.

 

[phreakah]

the best chicken i ever made was marinated overnight with a kick-ass bbq sauce

 

[AbsolutDealage]

Poke w/ fork, seal in ziploc in the fridge.

If you are making your own marinade, make sure that it does not contain a lot of acid (lemon juice, etc.) or alcohol. If it is, it will toughen the meat if left for more than a few minutes.

 

[Carbo]

Originally posted by: AbsolutDealage
Poke w/ fork, seal in ziploc in the fridge.

If you are making your own marinade, make sure that it does not contain a lot of acid (lemon juice, etc.) or alcohol. If it is, it will toughen the meat if left for more than a few minutes.

Urban myth. In fact, the opposite applies. Acids, such as citrus juice or vinegar, are actually tenderizers because they break down the fibers in the meat.

 

[Scarpozzi]

When you poke chicken or steak, it's common knowledge that it causes "tough spots" when the meat cooks. That's why I always grill with tongs.

Best advise is to bring the meat out of the fridge 30 mins prior to cooking and place in a ziplock bag. Set it on the counter and let it warm to room temp. When it warms, the marinade will penetrate the meat better and will do just fine. Most marinades are concetrates so they soak in around the 30 min mark....you can let them marinate for longer if you have denser meats.

 

[OmahaTaz]

What Marinade are you planning on using? I use Kikkoman Teriaki Glaze and BBQ. Absolutely best I have ever tasted. I marinade it for about 30mins to 1 hour before cooking - Also I use "Smart Chicken" which is vacumn packed and never frozen. YUMMY!!!
In fact now I'm hungry for that, I think I will have it tonite!

 

[SaltBoy]

I'm using a recipe with McCormick's Grill Mates "Montreal Chicken" flavor. I've never tried it before, so I figure it's worth a shot.

Thanks for the help everybody!

 

[thirdlegstump]

By choking it with salt n pepper