How to deliciously marinate chicken for barbecue

There is nothing better than spending time in nature with friends and relatives, taking a barbecue with you. However, in order to enjoy all the charms of meat, you must have useful skills regarding the preparation of marinade. Often people prefer to cook kebabs of pork and chicken, we are interested in the latter option. Stand legs, wings or breast can be in one of the many delicious compositions. This includes mayonnaise, sour cream with garlic, lemon juice, wine vinegar and even kiwi. Experienced housewives have developed their own recipes, we will consider each of them in order.

How to choose chicken for barbecue

1. Choose chilled rather than frozen meat. Otherwise, after defrosting, all useful enzymes will disappear from the product, as a result of which the chicken will be considered unfit for consumption. The best option is chicken carcass, the mass of which varies between 1.5-2 kg. It is a similar weight category that characterizes the most tender meat with an ideal percentage of fat content.
2. If you are unable to use the chilled composition, get frozen. However, chicken thawing must be carried out on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. In no case do not use a microwave or running water for these purposes, otherwise the meat will lose tenderness and softness. The fibers will become stiff and dry, you will notice this only after frying the kebab.
3. If the meat is to be grilled, cut the whole carcass into portions. In the case when the kebab is cooked on skewers, a chopped fillet, drumstick, ham or wings are suitable. In a word, everything that can be put on the tool is used. Of the listed parts of the carcass, the shin and the leg (thighs) are considered the most juicy. With insufficient marinade, the loin area will turn out to be rather dry.
4. Some housewives make a mistake in the process of pickling by removing the skin from the surface of the carcass. When you rub chicken, the skin will give back some of the necessary fat. Due to this, the finished kebab will turn out juicy and tender. At the end of the exposure, the skin can be removed if you wish to obtain a dietary product. Barbecue based on chicken hearts and liver is equally tasty.

Chicken marinating: important features

There are basic rules that you must adhere to if you wish to marinate the chicken properly.

1. Choose the “right” dishes for the procedure. The best options are an enameled pan, glass or ceramic bowl. Never use aluminum or plastic bowls.
2. The duration of exposure of the meat in the marinade directly affects the final result. The longer you languish the product in the sauce, the more tender the prepared kebab will turn out. It is important to exercise special caution when marinating breasts, overexposure will drain the meat.
3. If soy sauce is part of the marinade, add salt with extreme care. Otherwise, you will get a bitter and inedible kebab. If breast is to be marinated, do not prepare diet sauce (fillet dry without it).
4. It is known that salt draws fluid. Many housewives recommend salting the bird before serving directly to the table to avoid drying out and hardening of the fibers.
5. Chicken refers to diet foods. We will give the most popular marinade recipes for poultry. Similarly, the preparation of rabbit meat, turkey and other types of dietary meat is performed.
6. To ultimately get juicy meat, cook chicken skewers over hot coals. Place the skewer closer to each other so that the meat partially touches. At the same time, pour it with brine, after pouring the marinade into a half-liter bottle. Do not allow open flames.
7. If in the recipe you notice the presence of vinegar, keep in mind that we are talking only about the natural composition. The product marked “essence” or “table” will not work. Use wine or apple cider vinegar. Otherwise, the bird will turn into a washcloth, because its fibers will become stiff (vinegar draws water and fat).

Kefir based marinade

• garlic - 3 prongs
• chicken - 2.5-3 kg.
• onions - 3 pcs.
• kefir with a fat content of 1% - 550 ml.
• seasoning to taste

1. Wash the carcass. For kefir based marinade, it is better to use the fat parts of the chicken (drumstick, thighs, wings). Chop the bird into equal pieces, remove the skin if desired.
2. Pick a suitable dish, put the meat in it and pour kefir. Pass the garlic cloves through the press, chop the onions in half rings, add to the meat.
3. Pour your favorite seasonings, salt and pepper. Stir the chicken with your hands, cover the bowl with the meat in a plate, place it under the press (a bottle of water will do).
4. Leave the chicken to marinate for 2-3 hours. Before frying, do not rinse the meat; pour the kebab with marinade throughout the cooking.

Garlic marinade

• chicken - 650-700 gr.
• garlic - 5 prongs
• lemon juice - 90 ml.
• purple onion - 2 pcs.
• ground paprika - 15 gr.
• olive oil (can be replaced with vegetable) - 60 ml.
• lemon - 1 pc.
• chopped cumin - on the tip of a knife
• ground cinnamon - 2 pinches
• ground black pepper - to taste
• salt to taste

1. Prepare a bowl in which seasonings will be mixed. Crush garlic into it, add cinnamon, cumin and ground pepper, add 30 ml. lemon juice. Stir the mass until smooth, proceed to butcher the meat.
2. Wash the chicken, dry with towels, remove the peel if desired. Chop the carcass in equal pieces, grate each part of the seasoning cooked.
3. Move the meat to a deep container, a three-liter jar will do. Compress, put in the cold for 2.5-3 hours. In another bowl, mix 60 ml together. lemon juice and olive oil.
4. Chop red onion rings. Prepare a skewer, plant meat, alternating it with onion rings. Lubricate chicken with lemon juice and butter sauce and fry until tender.

Soy Sauce Marinade

• lemon - 1.5 pcs.
• red onion - 5 pcs.
• chicken (preferably scapula) - 2.5 kg.
• soy sauce - 550 ml.
• laurel leaf - 5 pcs.
• salt to taste
• ground pepper (it is better to take a mixture of peppers) - to taste

1. Chop the pre-peeled onions with rings, rinse the chicken shoulder blades and dry them with paper towels. Rub chicken with pepper and salt.
2. Pick up deep dishes, lay out the meat and onion rings alternately (in layers), add bay leaf. Squeeze the juice from the lemon, mix with soy juice, grease the composition of the whole dish.
3. Cover the container with the pickled meat lid, let it brew for 6-10 hours. Open the dishes periodically and mix the contents.
4. After you string the chicken on skewers or put the meat on the wire rack, grease the kebab with the remnants of soy-lemon sauce. Depending on the temperature of the coals, the kebab is fried for 15-25 minutes.

Red Wine Marinade

• purple onions - 2 pcs.
• sweet red wine (dessert) - 345 ml.
• dried prunes - 90 gr.
• cloves - 10 buds
• pepper and salt to taste

1. Wash the prunes, chop into small pieces or rings. Do the same with onions, then mix it with prunes. Pour wine into the mass, pepper.
2. Chop the chicken, remove skin from it if desired. Marinate the bird in the prepared sauce, transfer it to a deep bowl and leave it in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
3. Stir the meat with your hands throughout the marinating process.Do not rush to add salt, the procedure is carried out half an hour before cooking or after frying the barbecue (before serving). Accompany chicken with fresh vegetables and garlic sauce.

Kiwi marinade

• Bulgarian pepper (imported) - 1 pc.
• Kiwi - 3 pcs.
• chicken fillet (can be replaced with turkey) - 1.5 kg.
• purple onion - 5 pcs.
• fresh parsley - half a bunch
• fresh dill - 1 bunch
• coriander to taste
• salt and black pepper (ground) - to taste

1. Peel the kiwi, rinse with water and remove the hard parts. Chop 3 onions into 4 parts, mix with kiwi and send to a blender. Turn the ingredients into porridge. If there is no blender, use a home processor or a meat grinder.
2. Wash and peel Bulgarian pepper from seeds, chop it with rings. Do the same with the three remaining onions. Wash the chicken, remove the film and chop into pieces. The breast will be dry, so you can replace it with your hips or lower leg.
3. Sprinkle the meat with coriander, pepper and salt, leave to lie down for a quarter of an hour. Grate chicken with cooked marinade porridge, and place in a deep bowl. Mix with onion rings, cover.
4. Leave in a cold place for 45-60 minutes, periodically shake the dishes. In the process of frying, grease the meat with the rest of the sauce, sprinkle with herbs before serving.

Mayonnaise Marinade

• chicken - 1.6 kg.
• onion - 2 pcs.
• mayonnaise - 200 gr.
• seasoning to taste
• salt to taste

1. Rinse the chicken under the tap, let it drain, pat it with paper towels. For pickling, you can use any part of the carcass, but the breast (loin area) will be preferred.
2. Chop chicken into portions, salt and pepper the meat. Peel the onion, chop it with rings (if they will be strung on a skewer) or half rings (in the case of the usual laying on the wire rack).
3. Mix chicken with onions, add seasonings, pour mayonnaise. Knead the meat with your hands so that the marinade evenly soaks each piece. Cover the container with a lid, let stand for 3-8 hours. If possible, let the chicken marinate overnight.

Mustard marinade

• olive oil - 65 ml.
• lemon - 1 pc.
• chicken - 2.5 kg.
• liquid honey - 165 gr.
• French mustard - 100 gr.
• garlic - 8 prongs
• fresh dill - 1 bunch
• fresh parsley - 1 bunch
• pepper, salt - to taste

1. Rinse the lemon, remove the peel with a thin sharp knife, chop it with a grater. Squeeze the juice from citrus, add mustard powder to it (you can pre-dilute it with drinking water). Pour in honey, oil.
2. Wash the tufts of dill and parsley, squeeze the garlic, add the grated lemon zest. Combine with honey sauce, knead the mixture until a homogeneous consistency.
3. Rinse the chicken with water, chop into small pieces, you can previously remove the skin. Rub meat with marinade, transfer to cooked glassware. Cover, pickle the bird for 4-5 hours.
4. A quarter of an hour before cooking, grease the chicken with pepper and salt. String on a skewer or lay on a wire rack, leaving no distance between the pieces. In the process of frying, pour the kebab with sauce.

Grapefruit marinade

• ripe grapefruit - 2 pcs.
• chicken thighs or drumstick - 2 kg.
• purple onion - 7 pcs.
• seasoning “Mix of peppers” - 7-10 gr.
• hops-suneli - 2 pinches
• salt to taste

1. Peel the onion from the husk, chop with a sharp knife in the shape of washers (do not divide into rings). Wash the grapefruits and squeeze the juice out of them, do not remove the pulp.
2. Wash the chicken, dry in a convenient way. Remove the veins and film if present. Rub the meat with spices mixed with salt.
3. Move the chicken into the dishes, pour grapefruit juice. The liquid should cover the kebab completely, otherwise increase the number of citrus fruits.
4. Stir the marinade, add the onion, cover and let stand for 3 hours.Stir the composition every 30 minutes to make the chicken marinate evenly.
5. When you string meat on skewers or lay it on a wire rack, alternate chicken with washers of onions. During cooking, grease the kebab with sauce.

It’s easy to marinate kebab chicken if you follow practical tips. Consider making kiwi, grapefruit, and mustard sauce. Make a marinade of mayonnaise, red wine, kefir, soy sauce. Choose the fat parts of the carcass to make the kebab tender.

Video: 11 chicken skewers marinades