How to Marinade Chicken

Chicken breasts are one of the most versatile foods in our kitchen. It can be baked, roasted, fried or grilled. It can be served on kebab's, in pies or added to soups and stews. A great way to dress up plain chicken breast that will keep it moist and tender is to marinade it.

Instructions

1. Lay skinless, boneless chicken between two pieces of wax paper.

2. Pound the chicken with a meat mallet until the entire piece is about 1/4-inch thick. Not only does pounding the chicken tenderize the meat, it promotes absorption of the marinade and ensures that the chicken cooks evenly.

3. Place the chicken in a baking pan, and pour the marinade over it. Reserve some of the marinade for basting later on.

4. Marinade the chicken for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best, to let the flavors really seep in.

5. Baste the chicken with the reserve marinade before you cook it, and again during the cooking process.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't have a meat mallet handy, you can use a heavy cooking skillet or a rolling pin to pound the chicken.

• Marinades with high acidity levels will take less time to marinate than those with lower levels. So a lime tequila marinade will take less time to marinade than a smokey barbecue sauce, for example.

• If you are basting a piece of chicken with bones, such as legs, wings or thighs, simply cover completely with marinade and let sit overnight.

Resources

• Find thousands of marinade recipes for chicken at Epicurious.com.