Best Grilled Chicken Marinade - and its so easy!
It's summer and this grilled chicken marinade is one of my go to recipes because it's tasty (chicken is kind of bland and needs some flavor help), and grilling doesn't heat up my kitchen. Another plus is that its not the usual beef and pork that we do so often on the backyard barbecue grill. Don't get me wrong! I love red meat but I am trying to limit it because I have health issues that dictate that I be careful of my dietary cholesterol. I'm not an over-zealous health-nut and I will go for flavor over healthy eating every time but when I can make a healthy choice that's also tasty its a plus for me. This grilled chicken marinade recipe is so easy that it shouldn't be called a recipe. Actually it can be used on any meat. Beef and pork grilled using this recipe are delicious too but it makes wonderful marinated grilled chicken. The true beauty of this grilled meat marinade is it only takes a few minutes to get everything marinating and you're free to do what you want (in my case its floating in the pool to beat the heat). The beer in the recipe along with the technique I use to even out the thickness of the breasts make this grilled chicken recipe so tender.
How to Grill Marinated Chicken - Some Helpful Hints
To make sure that the chicken cooks thoroughly, I even out the thickness of the breasts by placing them between two sheets of waxed paper and pounding them with my wooden rolling pin till they are evenly thick, about ¾ inch. They do make special tools for this but the rolling pin works fine for me. This step allows the chicken to cook evenly and quickly without drying out. Don't overdo this, just pound enough to even things out - too thin and the chicken will dry out too much. This step also opens the tissue up to absorbing more of the grilled chicken marinade.
Be sure to oil the grill just before you put the chicken on so it doesn't stick to the grill. Oil the grill a second time when you turn the chicken over. I keep a container of olive oil with a basting brush in it right on the grill when I am grilling. Makes things grill so much better and a well oiled grill makes cleaning easier too. After turning the breast be sure to baste with more of the reserved grilled chicken marinade.
Be sure to let the chicken rest on the platter tented in foil for a few minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute in the meat which makes for moist, tender chicken.
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Best Grilled Chicken Marinade
When its hotter than heck in the summer, I want easy not complicated. This delicious grilled chicken marinade has only 2 ingredients. Can't get simpler than that! The end result is so tasty and moist, this will be your go-to grilled chicken recipe!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 22 mins
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Category: Poultry
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
6 - 8 boneless chicken breasts
2 cans of beer (your choice)
1 16oz bottle of Italian salad dressing
Instructions
Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of waxed paper and pound to flatten to an even thickness of ¾ of an inch.
Place chicken breasts in a one gallon zip lock bag.
In a mixing bowl combine the beer and salad dressing.
Pour all but 1 cup of the marinade in the bag, reserving 1 cup for basting during the grilling process.
Place bagged chicken in refrigerator and leave for a minimum of 2 hours. I like mine marinated for about 4-5 hours.
Place marinated chicken on an oiled medium hot grill ( 375F-450F).
It only takes 5-6 minutes per side. Baste during the process. Check the internal temp of the chicken with a meat thermometer. 160F is the magic number. Checking the internal temp of the chicken is very important. Rare might be nice in steak but in chicken it can be dangerous!
Remove from the grill and tent under foil to let the grilled chicken rest so the juices can redistribute.
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