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Healthy Chicken Marinade

Nothing beats the flavor of grilled chicken. But before you light the coals or turn on the gas, the healthy chicken marinade marinade can make or break the outcome of your barbecued chicken.

Before we get into the recipe of what is arguably the best healthy chicken marinade recipe ever, let’s discuss what goes into a good chicken marinade:

 

• ​ACID: This is what tenderizes the meat. You can use vinegar, wine or lemon… or a combination.
• UMAMI: This gives the marinade the flavor that activates the fifth flavor receptacle on your tongue (the other 4 are sweet, sour, salty and bitter). You can use soy, fish sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, or a combination of these.
• OIL: This helps to coat the chicken and make the marinade stick. I prefer extra virgin olive oil but you could use vegetable oil.
• SWEET: This helps to activate the flavors. You can use brown sugar, maple syrup or even pancake syrup.
• SPICE: What marinade would be complete without a bit of spice. You can use a liquid pepper (such as Tabasco or Frank’s Red Hot) or powder (such as Cayenne Pepper). I like it spicier so I am heavy-handed with the spice.
• LIQUID: This gives the marinade more volume, allowing you to stretch your chicken marinade recipe. I typically use water, but if I happen to have orange juice or some other type of fruit juice, I use that instead. You could also use Bourbon if you want a bit more layers in your chicken marinade.
• SMOKE: The smoky flavor is important, especially if you are using a gas grill, as gas won’t impart the same smoky flavor that charcoal will. Liquid Smoke is the easiest way to get the smoke flavor.
• SEASONING: This is what can separate a good chicken marinade from a great chicken marinade. Examples of seasoning include salt, pepper, and herbs. I grow rosemary in a pot on my balcony, but if you don’t have fresh herbs, then use dried herbs.

​​When developing the recipe for the Healthy Chicken Marinade I experimented with different ingredients in each category. This is what worked best, but keep in mind that if you are missing one ingredient, you can substitute another ingredient in that category. For example, in my recipe below, I use white vinegar, but if you don’t have white vinegar, you can substitute lemon juice. That being said, white vinegar gives a tangy flavor to your finished chicken marinade that lemon juice or wine doesn’t match. Try it my way first, and then once you’ve tasted it at its best, then substitute away.

Safety Tips:

• • ​Always marinade chicken in the refrigerator to prevent bacteria from growing.
  • Never re-use marinade that has been used on raw meat.
  • Always clean your hands and utensils with hot water and soap when they have touched raw meat. Do not use the same utensil on cooked meat that you have used on raw meat.

This recipe has a wine variety of pairings. Depending on how spicy you’ve made your marinade, you can pair it with a fruit-forward red, such as a spicy red Zinfandel or a California Merlot. If your marinade is less spicy, you can pair it with a medium-bodied red wine, such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. You can also pair it with an acidic white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc.