- [Narrator] Marinades are an easy way
to add flavor to any chicken dinner.
Today, we're gonna show you the basics
of how to marinate chicken.
There are four core elements to any good marinade,
fat, acid, sugar and seasoning.
The first element to a great marinade is fat.
We're gonna use olive oil
but there's so many different options that you can use.
Fat is important because it helps the meat retain moisture
while cooking and it holds onto any seasoning
that you're gonna add to the marinade.
The next element we're gonna need is acid.
You could use lime juice, vinegar.
We're gonna use lemon juice for this marinade.
Acid is essential because it helps cut through the fat.
It also helps brighten the dish up.
Now we're gonna add something sweet.
You could use brown sugar, maple syrup,
agave, granulated sugar.
For this recipe, we're gonna use honey.
Sugar is really important because it helps caramelization
as you're cooking.
That's what's gonna get that meat
that really beautiful brown color.
So the last thing we need to do is add seasoning.
This is maybe the most important part of the marinade.
This is where you can get really creative
and make this dish your own.
Seasoning helps build the layers of flavor.
We're gonna do a pretty simple seasoning for this one
with salt, pepper, and minced garlic.
But again, you can really use your imagination here.
We just made a simple garlic, lemon pepper marinade,
but once you have those four options,
you can make so many different kinds,
like a coconut curry, honey mustard,
soy glaze, and fajita.
Now that your marinade is ready,
it's time to add the chicken.
You can use any cut.
We're gonna use chicken breasts.
It's really important to make sure
that you're fully coating every single part of the chicken.
Once you coat it, cover it and put in the fridge
for 30 minutes for up to four hours.
After four hours, it's really not gonna get any more flavor,
so save yourself some time.
When you finally go to cook your chicken,
whether it's on the grill, the oven,
stove top, it's gonna really have such an incredible flavor
and it's gonna have the beautiful brown color.
So now that you know the four core elements,
fat, acid, sweetness and seasoning,
you can really get creative
and make some incredibly delicious, easy weeknight dinners.
(jazzy music)