My Favorite Chicken Marinade

I love to try new recipes, but there are certain ones I keep coming back to time and time again. This chicken marinade recipe finds a beautiful balance between savory, sweet, and citrus. The combination of ingredients not only infuses the outer layer of the chicken with delicious flavor, but it also helps tenderize the meat and allows it to retain more of its natural juices.

With just a few key components, you can add that extra tang and zing to your chicken. Staples like freshly squeezed lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, brown sugar, and a few other seasonings all come together to create a deeply flavorful end result.

This recipe is adapted from one I found on Modern Honey I have used it many times over the years because it is simply fabulous. That recipe is based on two pounds of chicken. Because I usually only cook about one-and-a-third to one-and-a-half pounds of chicken at a time, I adjusted the ratios accordingly.

I don’t always plan ahead well with dinners, but this marinade is a prime example of the benefits of some forward-thinking preparation. Just a few minutes of time spent mixing it up and then a couple of hours for the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator makes a world of difference in the end product.

While I have only used this marinade to prepare chicken breasts for outdoor grilling, I am sure it could be used to prepare the meat for indoor cooking methods as well. And speaking of grilling, we are currently in the midst of a summer heat wave, so I have been seeking dinners that heat up the kitchen as little as possible.

On hot summer nights like we have had this month, I give the marinated chicken to my husband to take out to the grill. While he is grilling, I make simple side dishes like couscous and sautéed broccoli or a salad.

Speaking of broccoli, it can be tempting to accidentally overcook broccoli to the point of mushy or overly blackened. It helps me to have an exact timeframe for cooking it to just the right amount of tenderness, so it comes out tender, yet still a bit crispy and full of flavor.

Mini Recipe for Easy Sautéed Broccoli: My favorite super-quick way to prepare broccoli is from a method I found on A Couple Cooks. It only takes about 7 minutes and the broccoli comes out crisp-tender. All you need to do is wash a head of broccoli thoroughly. Then chop it into medium-sized florets. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, swirl it around to coat the skillet. Place the broccoli florets in the pan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring gently and often. After 5 minutes, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add a pinch of salt and any other seasoning, such as 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder and/or 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasonings. Cover the pan and allow the broccoli to steam for 2 minutes. If desired, top with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese or lemon zest. Remove the pan from the heat and serve!

This month, before the smoke from Canadian wildfires temporarily blanketed the air, I have been enjoying quiet little lakes in the area for swimming and for trying out my new standup paddleboard (SUP). So much fun and so refreshing! So far my favorite spot has been a lake that allows no motor boats and because it is part of a state recreation area, there are no houses around it. The water feels clean and the atmosphere is peaceful. I feel so grateful to have these quiet little lakes as options for swimming and paddling. The Waterloo and Pinckney State Recreation Areas are absolute treasures.

I hope that you all have a great weekend and I hope that the air quality for those affected by the wildfire smoke will improve soon. Once we can all get outdoors again, if you are looking for a way to elevate your grilled chicken to flavorful heights, give this marinade a try.