My chicken marinade recipe will make your chicken succulent and so juicy. Friends and family will want to know what you did differently and BEG you for these recipes. My most requested and favorite chicken recipes are below.
JAMAICAN JERK MARINADE
1 onion, finely chopped 1/2 cup finely chopped scallion 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves 1 tsp salt 2 tsp sugar 1 tsp ground Jamaican pimento (allspice) 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 hot pepper, finely ground 1 tsp ground black pepper 3 TBS homemade soy sauce 1 TBS canola oil 1 TBS cider or white vinegar
For the marinade: mix together onion, scallion, thyme, salt, sugar, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, hot pepper, black pepper, soy sauce, oil and vinegar. These ingredients can also be combined in a food processor.
Skewer 2 1/2 ounces of chicken onto each skewer, or place chicken pieces in a shallow baking dish and cover with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
CITRUS CHICKEN MARINADE RECIPE
1/2 cup orange juice (juice of 1 orange) 1/2 cup lemon juice (juice of 2 lemons) 1/4 tsp rubbed sage or several leaves fresh, chopped 1 1/2 inch section fresh ginger, peeled, minced 1 TBS homemade soy sauce 3 cloves garlic, minced a few drops homemade hot sauce
Combine ingredients (a blender makes a good emulsion and eliminates the need to mince or chop). Marinate cut chicken pieces in a Ziploc bag for several hours or overnight. Broil or grill until chicken until done using your preferred cooking method.
This is a fast and easy chicken marinade recipe. It also works wonderfully with steak. Or make my homemade Italian dressing, and go from there.
ITALIAN DRESSING MARINADE
1 bottle of Kraft Italian Dressing 1 TBS homemade Dijon mustard, optional 1/4 cup canola oil 3 TBS garlic, minced (or to taste) 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces and marinade for six hours. When ready to grill, remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry.
In a large glass bowl, mix the cider vinegar, mustard, garlic, lime juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Place chicken in the mixture. Cover, and marinate 8 hours, or overnight.
Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the prepared grill, and cook 6 to 8 minutes per side, until juices run clear.
This is an old way of making a teriyaki sauce with honey instead of sugar, giving it a more pleasing sweetness. You may also use it as a dipping sauce.
1 tsp ground ginger 1/3 cup homemade soy sauce 1/4 cup honey 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp grated onions 1/2 cup water
Blend ginger, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and onion in a bowl. Add meat to marinade for at least one hour or refrigerate meat in marinade overnight.
After marinating meat, drain the marinade and add it to a 1/2 cup of water. Bring it to a boil for 3-5 minutes and use it for a meat dipping sauce during the meal. Excellent for pork, beef or chicken.
TIPS TO Make PERFECT Chocolate Covered Strawberries
SECRET #1 There are many way to prepare these strawberries, but I am going to give you my easy methods. When you are melting the chocolate over a double boiler, don't let the water touch the bottom of your upper pan. Heat until only 1/2 of the chocolate is melted, then remove from heat and stir gently until it is all melted.
The chocolate should actually be cool or tepid to the touch. If it's hot, chances are it will seize up and thicken. If it does that, no amount of heating or stirring will fix it.
If you don't have a double-boiler, use a saucepan - bring the water to a boil, and then use a stainless steel bowl to rest in the saucepan to melt the chocolate.
SECRET #2 Strawberries are grown with many pesticides, so rinse the strawberries first with a veggie wash, and let them drain on paper towels until they were thoroughly dry so the chocolate would adhere properly. Any moisture would have interfered with the chocolate adhering.
SECRET #3 Spike the strawberries! Fill a syringe with a sweet white dessert wine, and slowly inject the wine into the strawberries from near the stem (after you've done the dipping in chocolate.) You want to inject enough wine to saturate the berries, but watch not to add too much otherwise they end up becoming runny. These are always a hit when I bring them to dinner parties.
SECRET #4 Pierce the strawberries on the stem side with a toothpick. Holding the strawberry by the toothpick, dip into the chocolate mixture. Turn the strawberries upside down and insert the toothpick into Styrofoam for the chocolate to cool.
A delicious twist on my favorite red velvet cake recipe. Yum.
HOMEMADE RED VELVET CHEESECAKE RECIPE
Ingredients
CRUST: 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup butter, melted 1-1/2 TBS white sugar shaved chocolate bar
CHEESECAKE: 3 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened 1-1/2 cups white sugar 4 eggs, beaten 3 TBS cocoa, unsweetened 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup buttermilk* 1 TBS pure vanilla extract 1 tsp white vinegar 2 (1oz) bottles of red food coloring
TOPPING: 3 oz cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup butter, softened 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted 2 tsp pure vanilla extract shaved chocolate bar, for garnish
Directions
PREHEAT oven to 325 degrees. The cake is baked with a water bath to prevent cracking. Wrap a large pan with foil (big enough for the spring form pan to fit in).
Mix the graham crackers and sugar together and add the melted butter. Mix with a fork and press into a 9 inch spring form pan. Sprinkle the bottom of the crust with chocolate shavings from a candy bar.
Beat 3 packages of cream cheese with 1-1/2 cups white sugar until fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into the prepared spring form pan and place in the center of the foil covered pan. Fill with water.
Bake for 10 minutes and lower oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake for 70-80 minutes. The cheesecake is done when the center is firm. Cool completely on a wire rack.
TOPPING: Beat the cream cheese with the butter until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix until smooth and creamy. Spread evenly over the top of the cooled cheesecake. Garnish with the shaved chocolate bar.
*Buttermilk: Place 1-1/2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice in 1/2 measuring cup and fill remainder with milk. Wait 15 minutes, stir, and it's ready for this recipe.