Increase the flavor of chicken with marinades.
Boost the flavor and tenderness of chicken and vary your family's meals by marinating the poultry before roasting, grilling or frying. Darker meat, in the legs and thighs, has more flavor and stands up to slow cooking better than the white meat of the breast. White meat cooks and dries out faster, but you can keep it moist with marinades.
Milk-Based
Yogurt is used as a chicken marinade in Indian cooking. Southern cooks in the United States use buttermilk or milk. The milk is discarded or incorporated into the batter or coating for frying chicken. Both buttermilk and yogurt give the chicken a pleasant tanginess. Season the milk product with chopped onion, garlic or garlic powder, hot sauce, red pepper flakes or just use salt and pepper. Let the marinade drip off the chicken before dipping into flour to coat for frying. Or dip the marinated chicken into breadcrumbs, crushed crackers or corn meal and then bake.
Citrus
Citrus juice tenderizes the chicken and adds flavor. Try lemon juice with garlic, black pepper and tarragon for a French-flavored chicken. Lime juice with chopped jalapenos, cumin and oregano lend a taste of the southwest. Orange juice with parsley, scallions and thyme is typical of southern California. After the chicken has marinated and you're getting ready to roast or grill it, thinly slice the same citrus fruit you used for the marinade and slide it underneath the skin of the chicken next to the flesh.
Vinegar
Different vinegars give different flavors to chicken. Balsamic vinegar has a tangy sweet flavor. Mix apple cider vinegar with apple juice for a marinade (straight cider vinegar is too strong). Rice wine vinegar is mild, so use it straight. Combine with scallions, ginger and a teaspoon of soy sauce for an Asian-inspired chicken marinade.
Wine
Use a wine you would drink and not an inferior "cooking wine." The softer, fruitier red wines, such as zinfandel, Merlot or Shiraz, work well as a marinade; be aware that red wine gives the chicken a purplish hue. White wine is also a good base liquid for chicken. Use the wine as the only flavoring or add herbs.
Warning
It's acceptable to cook the chicken in the marinade if the marinade will be brought to a boil through baking or roasting. Do not use the marinade to baste the chicken throughout the cooking process. The raw chicken juices that mingled with the marinade may contain salmonella.
Tags: chicken marinade, juice with, cider vinegar, with chopped, with marinades