Utilizing a marinade to cook your favorite protein can provide additional flavor and help tenderize. Pre-packaged seasonings and marinade blends can be a high source of sodium. Learning to create your own marinades is a fun way to play with a variety of different flavors while avoiding additional sodium!
You can utilize a marinade for a lot of different types of foods. A few examples include: chicken, beef, pork, fish, and vegetables. Depending on the recipe, a meat selection could marinate anywhere from several minutes to overnight. In order to avoid delicious vegetables from getting soggy it may be best to marinate for only up to 30 minutes.
When utilizing a marinade you will want to fully submerse your selection in a seasoned liquid. Your liquid source could consist of oil, vinegar, wine, lemon juice, or a mix between them. After selecting your base, add seasonings that will further increase flavor as the mixture soaks into your protein or vegetable. You can utilize either fresh or dried seasonings.
In the photo, I soaked chicken breasts in olive oil then covered with sliced lemon, garlic, rosemary, sage, and thyme. After topping the chicken, I sealed and shook my container to ensure the marinade was fully submersing the chicken. I let the chicken marinate overnight. My fiancee does not like to eat the fresh herbs, because even when finely diced they are larger than dried. So for him, I leave the herbs in larger pieces for easier removal at the end of the marinating process. This is something that you could individualize and make specific to what works best for you and your family! When it was time to cook dinner, we removed chicken from the marinade and placed on the grill to cook. Viola- We had a tender and flavorful lemon grilled chicken!
Throughout the grilling season I will be posting a variety of different marinade and salad dressing recipes. Each recipe is meant to be only a guide. Everyone has different preferences and I encourage you to get creative and try recipes in a variety of different ways to make each meal unique from the other!
