Chicken and steak are the best as they are so versatile and you can marinate them for multiple different flavors, dishes and cooking methods. You can use these marinades for every cooking method whether it is baking, meal prep, grilling, sauteing, slow cooking or instant pot.
Marinade creation isn’t exactly rocket science but you want to make sure if you take the time to do it then might as well do it right. One of the best things about marinating is you get that feeling of satisfaction when you tell people “oh ya, I just marinated it overnight.” I would say marinating will increase the taste of your protein and happiness of guests by 30% for something that only takes 5 minutes or less.
Here is a great video with marinades, baked salmon recipe, baked chicken, a sauteed chicken & rice bowl and szechuan stir fried green beans! All made in just 20 minutes!
For some great recipes to use these marinades checkout
delicious easy sauteed chicken recipe
15 minute tasty salmon recipe
perfect simple baked chicken recipe.
Marinating makes you sound like you put a lot more effort than you did. If it’s for a date night then you just got extra points for thinking ahead and adding special care into the meal. If you don’t have time to marinate even just brining your chicken in salt water for 15-30 minutes is a game changer but of course marinating will set you apart from the rest!
SAVE 1/4 OF YOUR MARINADE! Save this to baste your chicken or steak throughout cooking. You don’t want to use the marinade from the bag that was marinating the uncooked chicken.
5 Quick Tasty Chicken Or Steak Marinade Recipes
Ingredients
- These Marinades are for 2 pieces of meat but you can’t really under or over marinade thus feel free to take away or add more pending how much meat you are marinating. As mentioned before I do like to fork a few holes in the meat as well to let the marinade seep in.
Asian Chicken Marinade
- 1/3 cup teriyaki marinade or sauce thicker the better
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced 2 tsp of pre-minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger optional
- 1 tsp sesame oil optional
- 2 tbsp szechuan sauce optional if you want it spicer
Mediterranean Herb Chicken or Steak Marinade
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced 2 tsp of pre-minced garlic
- 2 tbsp italian seasoning Or mix of dried oregano & dried basil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning optional
Indian Tandoori Marinade
- 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 4 cloves garlic minced 3 tbsp. pre-minced garlic
- 3 tbsp minced onions
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cayenne
Mexican Marinade
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 3 cloves garlic minced 2 tsp. pre-minced garlic
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Optional Add more red pepper, chili powder or cayenne pepper if you like it spicy
BBQ Marinade
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic minced or 2 tsp. pre-minced garlic
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup BBQ or steak sauce optional
- 2 tbsp sesame oil optional
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- To make each marinade you can mix everything together in a bowl. Or to avoid dishes just do it all in your ziplock bag or tupperware bowl you were using to store it in.
- Save 1/4 of your marinade from touching the uncooked chicken so you can baste the chicken throughout cooking or use to saute.
- Add the marinade into a quality ziplock bag to avoid leakage, in tupperware or a covered bowl
- Add in the chicken and mix around or shake the bag gently. Some people like to fork a few holes into the chicken to allow the marinade to seep in even better.
- Put in the fridge for 1-24 hours.
- When cooking brush the chicken with the leftover marinade 2-3 times throughout cooking.
Notes
CHICKEN COOKING TIPS
- Don’t freeze chicken twice.
- Don’t cook partially thawed chicken. Always make sure it is fully cooked through. Ideally let frozen chicken thaw covered in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Try to get a meat thermometer. They only cost $5-10 and you will use 100x. Chicken should have an internal temperature of 165F (74C).
- Brush the chicken with your seasoning or marinade 2-3x throughout cooking.
