Make these in batches, and freeze according to your family's size,
usually one piece of chicken per person.
Keep your freezer stocked with 3-4 pre-marinated bags of chicken,
and never wonder what's for dinner.
If a friend has a baby, take her a couple or frozen bags, labeled with contents and instructions, when the baby is a month or so old and no one is bringing her dinner anymore; even better, make it for her with your best side dishes and surprise her, without a ton of planning.
Steps for All marinades:
1. Purchase fresh chicken (not frozen) when it’s cheap. Your choice: Breasts, Legs, Thighs, Cut-Up fryers, skinless, boneless, skin on, bone in...get it? Any kind of chicken.
2. Label a Ziplock or a freezer proof tupperware with a lid, with the name of the marinade, number of pieces of chicken, and the date.
3. Prepare the marinade. Add chicken pieces, close tightly, and shake well to coat all pieces.
Refrigerate overnight and use the next day, or Freeze for up to 6 months.
4. If frozen, take out one bag in the morning and put it in the fridge. Choose a cooking method, and start cooking approx. 45 minutes before you want to serve, unless otherwise noted.
Always add all the marinade to your pan at the beginning or throw out the remaining marinade! Do not use it to brush on the chicken after it has started cooking.
1. Lemon Pepper Chicken:
The marinade:
Juice one large or 2 small lemons. To lemon juice add 2 tsp. lemon pepper, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp garlic and mix well.
Grill, Bake in the oven at 350, or cook in a heavy pan coated with a little bit of oil or butter with fresh lemon slices on each piece.
2. Rosemary Chicken (with potatoes and onions)
The marinade:
Mix equal parts olive oil and lemon juice--I use about 1/4 cup of each for 5 chicken breasts. Add 3 Tbsp Dried Rosemary, or even better, Rosemary from 2-3 fresh sprigs.
Before cooking: Cut potatoes (half a potato per person if they are big) into Triangles (cut in half lengthwise, then lengthwise again, then chop into about 1 inch sections). Do the same to one onion (red is best, but yellow or white is fine). Optional: Add 10 peeled, whole cloves of garlic.
Put onions and potatoes (and garlic if you choose) in a large roasting pan, drizzle a little bit of olive oil on them, and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Place chicken pieces on top. Bake at 375 for about an hour, or until chicken tests to done. If you have a rosemary bush, add more fresh sprigs to the pan before baking.
3. Citrus Chicken
The Marinade:
1/2 cup orange juice (juice of 1 orange)
1/2 cup lemon juice (juice of 2 lemons)
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage or several leaves fresh, chopped
1 1/2 inch section fresh ginger, peeled, minced, or 2 tsp. powdered ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
a few drops Tabasco or 1/4 teaspoon hot salt
This is particularly good on the grill.
4. BBQ Chicken:
The Marinade: equal parts red wine and bbq sauce--be generous, you want to saturate the chicken.
Grill for best results, or bake in a 9x13.
In the last 5 minutes of grilling, brush BBQ sauce over chicken, turn, brush the other side. This marinade and method works for steaks as well.
5. Teriyaki Chicken
The Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoon sesame oil
Juice of 2 oranges or 1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced (or powdered ginger from the spice aisle is fine)
2 teaspoon garlic, minced
You can either bake this in the oven at 350 or cook it in a pan or on a grill. My kids like it in strips, so when I marinate this chicken I cut breasts or thighs into long strips before I freeze with the marinade
Serve sprinkled with:
1/2 cup scallion (green onion), chopped
2 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
Sesame Oil is one of my favorite ingredients. It is very strong, and a little adds a ton of flavor; if you are making any kind of Asian sesame recipe, especially Chinese Chicken Salad, Sesame Oil is a must. Find it in grocery stores on the international food aisle. Store it in the refrigerator if you aren’t going to use it very often.
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