Seven Chicken Marinades (One for Every Day of the Week)
If you are tired of eating bland meat, I have seven delicious marinades for you. One for each day of the week. Seven unique flavors that can transform your meals and excite your taste buds. These chicken marinades will boost the flavor of any meat. They are easy to prepare and will make the meat juicy, tender and mouthwatering. These marinades will take you on a trip around the globe from the comfort of your home. By following the recipes, you will be able to taste flavors from Greece, Mexico, Turkey, Africa, Germany and Thailand.
Helpful tips about marinating chicken
You can use each marinade for one and a half pound of chicken meat, or a protein of choice. That is about three chicken breasts and six boneless thighs. If you want to marinate more than that you have to double the recipe.
You can keep the meat whole or cube it. If it is cut to pieces, it will absorb more flavor. You can cook cubed meat in a hot pan or make skewers for the grill.
I usually use glass bowls with lids to marinate meat. In this case I’ve used reusable bags for better presentation.
To keep the reusable bags open while I prepare the marinade, I placed each bag in a small bowl and flipped the zipper part over the edges of the bowl. This creates a nice opening and prevents leaking.
Food safety tips about marinating chicken
Do not wash chicken meat before marinading it! This is unsanitary because you risk spreading bacteria in and around your sink.
Marinating time is between an hour to 24 hours. I usually marinade chicken before i go to bed and cook it next day for lunch or dinner. I don’t recommend marinating for longer than 24 hours because this will alter the texture of the meat. Especially, if there is lemon or lime juice in the marinade.
You can cook the chicken meat on the grill, in the oven or in a pan. Always cook chicken meat until the internal temperate reads 160-165F. Rest chicken breasts and thighs for at least five to seven minutes before serving.
Make sure that you wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw chicken meat.
Greek Chicken Marinade
This is one of my favorite marinades ever. I usually grill or pan fry the chicken meat. I serve it with salads, pasta or rice. Here is my favorite way to enjoy it.
Mexican Chicken Marinade
This marinade makes the meat really flavorful and juicy. Most often I grill the meat or cut it to strips and pan fry it for fajitas. You can serve the cooked chicken with guacamole, salsa or make wrap it in a tortilla. This salad is one of my favorite ways to enjoy the Mexican chicken.
Moroccan Chicken Marinade
This marinade is so tasty. I make it at least once a month. I love to make skewers with the chicken meat and grill them. The meat goes great with rice or flatbread. I also love to serve it with the most delicious harissa sauce.
Turkish Chicken Marinade
This marinade is inspired by my favorite Döner kebab. I grew up eating chicken döner kebab and I had many attempts to recreate it. I think this marinade tastes really close to the original. It is even more authentic when you serve it with the traditional white sauce. Other side options are hummus, fries, salad and flatbread.
Thai Chicken Marinade
The chicken marinaded with the Thai marinade is tastes so exotic. When I make this recipe, I thread the marinated meat to skewers and I grill it. i serve it with rice or noodles. It goes well with many vegetables and salads. love those Asian flavors but please note that this recipe is less sweet than regular Thai chicken dishes. I decided to reduce the amount of the sugar. As a sweetener I used honey, which is less refined and has some health benefits.
Chipotle Chicken Marinade
There are no words to express how much I love the smoky and spicy chipotle flavor. I always have chipotles in my pantry. I make the most delicious chipotle mayo and I serve it with my burgers. This chipotle chicken tastes amazing. You can serve it on a bed of rice or make a wrap with it. it goes well with avocado, lettuce and tomatoes.
Mustard and beer chicken marinade
This marinade is influenced by German flavors. You can cook the meet on the grill or pan fry it. Serve it with mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, Brussels sprouts or pretzels.
Seven Chicken Marinades
Ingredients
Greek Chicken marinade
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 lemon zest and about 2 Tbsp juice
- 5 garlic cloves medium size, finely chopped or pressed
- 1 Tbsp paprika or smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried onion
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Mexican Chicken Marinade
- 1 lime zest and juice
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano Mexican is best
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Moroccan Chicken Marinade
- a small pinch of saffron add the saffron to the water and set aside until the water changes color
- ¼ cup water strain the saffron and add the water to the marinade
- 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
Turkish Chicken Marinade
- 1 cup yogurt whole is best
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped or pressed
- ½ cup onion finely chopped or grated
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 lemon zest and about 2 Tbsp juice
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Thai Chicken Marinade
- ¼ cup coconut milk from a can
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp fish sauce
- ½ tsp red curry powder
- ¼ tsp Sriracha sauce
- 1 tsp salt
Chipotle Chicken Marinade
- ¼ cup chipotle salsa I use San Marcos or La Costeña
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 1 tsp salt
Mustard and Beer Chicken Marinade
- ¼ cup beer
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp oil I used avocado
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped or pressed
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- After you pick the chicken marinade you want add all the ingredients in a ziplock bag or in a food safe container. Stir to combine.
- Add a pound and a half of chicken meat (about 3 breasts or 6 boneless thighs) to the marinade. Make sure that the meat is covered with the marinade. Refrigerate 1 to 24 hours.
- Check notes in the blog post about cooking and serving.