Marinade for chicken question


 
Jerry N.

Jerry N.

TVWBB Emerald Member
Every time I go to a local Coney Island, I comment how good their chicken is. One time I inquired about their marinade and the waitress told me they use olive oil and a few other things and they marinate overnight. So today I did a search on the internet and got the following marinade that sounds pretty much like what the waitress described:

4-6 chicken breasts
1 cup olive oil
4 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp crushed oregano
2 garlic cloves

My questions are:

What do you think in general about this marinade. Is there something obvious that you think it needs - understanding I am okay with keeping it simple?

The recipe calls for the chicken to marinate for 2 hours. The waitress said overnight (much longer). What do you think about leaving the chicken in the marinade for that long?

Any other comments or suggestions to get moist, flavorful, chicken breast. Note, I've tried brining and was not that impressed.

Thanks.
 
I’ve marinated chicken over night, but with marinades that don’t have anything acidic such as lemon juice. The acids can turn the meat mushy if the meats left in it to long. In your marinade the lemon juice is not the main ingredient so it might be okay with only four teaspoons in a cup of olive oil. Give it a try, let us know how it turns out.
 
Agree with Rich and V Rocco. But Jerry since you are in Michigan like I am, at the grocery store see if you can find a marinade called State Fair Spiedie Sauce. You will typically find it where all the BBQ sauces and Marinades are. I buy mine at Hiller's grocery stores. I just made some last night,...tastes pretty close to Coney Island chicken. I usually marinade it a couple of hours, I like to use chicken thighs. The above recipe you posted sounds good also. To the Spiedie sauce I usually add some fresh garlic or garlic powder. Let us know how it goes :)
 
I would add the juice of 2 oranges and 1/4 cup of water. I marinade for no longer than 6 hours.
 
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Regina S said:
see if you can find a marinade called State Fair Spiedie Sauce
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So I looked up the Spiedie Sauce and they say the following:

"Marinate your favorite kind of meat in Salamida State Fair Spiedie Sauce for at least 24 hours. Depending on how flavorful you want your Spiedies depends on your marinating time. The longer you marinate them the stronger they will be. We recommend 2 – 3 days for the best flavor but anything over 24 hours is good."

Wow. They recommend 2-3 days! I'll look at the ingredients but it must not have any acid in it. Thanks for the recommendation. I will try that if I can find some.
 
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I've never gone 2 to 3 days wow! I would say 2 to 3 hours for a whole chicken would be long enough! Yes it does have an acid in it,...red wine vinegar. Know you may think that it wont taste like the coney chicken, but it is like it in a lot of ways. Maybe Kroger will have it. Try it on a few pieces, and try yours on a few pieces and let me know what you think. :)
 
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Regina S said:
Try it on a few pieces, and try yours on a few pieces and let me know what you think. :)
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Will do!

Bill,
No, I have never tried mojo criollo. I'll try a few of them and report back but if I can nail the coney taste and moisture, I'd be real happy.
 
Jerry N. said:
Every time I go to a local Coney Island, I comment how good their chicken is. One time I inquired about their marinade and the waitress told me they use olive oil and a few other things and they marinate overnight. So today I did a search on the internet and got the following marinade that sounds pretty much like what the waitress described:

4-6 chicken breasts
1 cup olive oil
4 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp crushed oregano
2 garlic cloves

My questions are:

What do you think in general about this marinade. Is there something obvious that you think it needs - understanding I am okay with keeping it simple?

The recipe calls for the chicken to marinate for 2 hours. The waitress said overnight (much longer). What do you think about leaving the chicken in the marinade for that long?

Any other comments or suggestions to get moist, flavorful, chicken breast. Note, I've tried brining and was not that impressed.

Thanks.
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Sounds like way too much oil and lemon juice for amount of chicken. The breast meat will dry out if not cooked right no matter how much it is marinaded. Lawry's Herb and Garlic is a simple store bought option. My choice is just a little oil and what ever herbs I have in my garden (rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, etc.) along a mix of my go to seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic, onion, paprika). More of a wet rub vs a marinade but it works for us.
 
I would brine it first in salt and sugar over night first then do a marinade in the morning of whatever taste profile you want. The over night marinade will give you the great juicy chicken you want and the marinade a couple of hours before you cook will give you the flavor you want. Just my thoughts on it.
 
This is the basics of a recipe we use by Steven Raichlen, "The Only Marinade You'll Ever Need". We use it on chicken and pork, planning to use it on cod and vegetables soon. It is very good, we alternate between lemons and limes, depending what we have. Normally we marinade in this for 3-4 hours and also use it as a baste. Just typing this is making me hungry...
 
Soooo how did it go Jerry? I know the taste profile you are after,...Greek chicken...let us know I am curious as to whether you found the Spiedie sauce....
 
Couldn't find the Spiedie sauce yet but did get the oil and lemons to make the marinade. I will likely prepare it tomorrow and cook it on Monday. There's a lot going on this weekend so I'll not have a chance to do it now. I want to give it a lot of time in the marinade. I'm thinking Sunday night to Monday evening - about 20 hours. I will report back.
 
Can't wait to know the results

Jerry N. said:
Couldn't find the Spiedie sauce yet but did get the oil and lemons to make the marinade. I will likely prepare it tomorrow and cook it on Monday. There's a lot going on this weekend so I'll not have a chance to do it now. I want to give it a lot of time in the marinade. I'm thinking Sunday night to Monday evening - about 20 hours. I will report back.
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Hope you don't mind sharing how it did come out. I have a hunch it's gooooddddd!!!!!

:cool:
 
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