Want a different barbecued chicken recipe? Just use a different marinade
Lots of different marinades for chicken are all you need to ring the changes and have lots of easy recipes for the barbecue.
Of course you can buy pre-prepared marinades for chicken but if you want to save money, try making your own. The ones I use are very easy and it’s much more satisfying to be able to say you made it yourself.
You’ll see that the basis for all the marinades below is an acid such as vinegar, wine or lemon juice, which acts as a tenderiser. Then some oil adds moisture, while herbs or spices add the flavour. Knowing this, it’s a doddle to make up your own marinades from whatever you have available!
On the whole, I’ve found it easier to use boned chicken on a barbecue, because, if you leave the bones in, it’s more difficult for the heat to penetrate the meat. You then run the risk of having a very burnt exterior by the time the interior part is properly cooked.
I recommend boned chicken thighs as they have lots of flavour and are juicier and cheaper than the breast meat. Add a marinade for chicken and you have a really scrumptious barbecue recipe!
If you’re going to make kebabs, from the chicken meat, I think it’s easier to put the cubes of chicken on the skewers and then marinade the whole thing but you can do it the other way around if you wish – especially if you’re going to use a bag (see below) because the skewer will puncture it!
All these marinades make enough for 4 servings of chicken but remember they are not set in stone. As I said above, it’s a very simple matter to vary any of these without doing any harm to the chicken!
Mix together all the ingredients of any of the marinades for chicken and spread over the meat, in a suitable container to transport to the picnic - or put in a polythene bag. This is a very good way of marinating as you can make sure the marinade reaches all parts of the meat simply by turning the bag over.
Leave in the fridge and/or cool-box until just before you are ready to cook – preferably for at least 2 hours.
Teriyaki Marinade for Chicken
8 tablespoons of dark soy sauce 6 tablespoons of groundnut oil 4 tablespoons of dry sherry 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
*
Lemon and Thyme Marinade for Chicken
3 tablespoons of olive oil grated zest of a lemon juice of half a lemon a level teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
*
Mustard Marinade for Chicken
6 tablespoons of red wine vinegar 8 tablespoons of a mild French mustard, like Dijon 8 tablespoons of olive oil
*
Maryland Marinade for Chicken
50 g of soft brown sugar 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce 4 tablespoons of lemon juice large pinch of salt
*
Armenian Marinade for Chicken
4 tablespoons of olive oil 2 tablespoons of lemon juice 1 teaspoon of dried marjoram 1 teaspoon of dried thyme 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley salt and pepper
*
Soured Cream Marinade for Chicken
150 ml carton of soured cream or crème fraiche a tablespoon of lemon juice a garlic clove, crushed a stick of celery, thinly sliced half a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce a large pinch of paprika freshly ground black pepper
*
and another of my favourite Marinades for Chicken
5 tablespoons of olive oil a clove of crushed garlic half a teaspoon of ground cumin half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper a tablespoon of lemon juice a teaspoon of tomato purée salt and pepper
