Making a delicious full of flavor and tender chicken does not need to be complicated. This Italian chicken marinade will give you the most flavorful and tender chicken and it only needs about an hour to do its magic. This Italian marinade for chicken is made a lot in our house and it is always a hit with everyone who tries it.
About this Marinade:
Using this as a Marinade:
Making a marinade for your chicken is easier than you think thanks to the lemon juice in this Italian marinade. The lemon helps tenderize the chicken (it actually cooks it a bit like ceviche) and the addition of garlic and salt give it tons of flavor.
Because of this effect that the lemon has on the meat, this Italian marinade does not need to marinate very long, making it an ideal marinade for those who are in a rush.
Using this as a Topping:
I love using this as an Italian dressing for chicken and steak instead of using it as a marinade. To do this you just add salt and pepper to your meat then cook the meat until it is cooked all the way through.
Place the cooked chicken or steak on to a plate and pour this delicious Italian marinade over the cooked meat. Let it rest for a few minutes to pick up all of those delicious flavors.
This is actually my favorite way to use this delicious Italian Marinade.
Just make sure you are not using this as both a marinade and topping for your meat because this would cause cross contamination which you do not want.
Variations For This Italian Marinade:
- Adding the juice of an orange to the marinade. One of my favorite dishes is my grilled citrus kabobs and it uses this marinade and I add a little bit of fresh squeezed orange juice. So good!
- Add some dried Italian seasoning, dried thyme or dried oregano to the marinade. I would suggest no more than ½ tsp.
Tips for Working with this Marinade:
- Since this Italian marinade has an acid in it (the lemon juice), make sure you do not marinate your meat longer than 2-3 hours. If you do, you will notice the chicken turning all white and getting a little tough. It is normal for the chicken to turn a little white during the marinating process however!
- If you prefer to use this as a topping (dressing) instead of a marinade, make sure to let the Italian marinade sit on the meat for a few minutes so it has time to pick up the flavors.
Easy Italian Chicken Marinade (or topping!)
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Ingredients
- 4 Cloves of garlic finely minced
- 1 ½ Large lemons Juiced
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon Italian parsely finely minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- a few swirls of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the garlic, olive oil, lemon, parsely, salt and pepper and mix well.4 Cloves of garlic, 1 ½ Large lemons, 4 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
If using as a marinade:
- Add your chicken (or vegetables) to the bowl and mix them all around in the marinade until everything has been coated evenly.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours if you are making it ahead of time.
- After you are done marinating, you can begin cooking your meat either on the grill or on the stove.
If using as a topping:
- Cook your meat by only seasoning it first with a little salt and pepper before cooking.
- Cook the meat until it is completely cooked through then place cooked meat on to a plate.
- Pour the Italian marinade over the top of the cooked meat then cover with aluminum foil and let rest for a few minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
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