Grilling chicken - what's your favorite prep?

[David M. Bueker]

So last night I did some grilled chicken thighs which had been marinated in lemon juice, oil, smoked salt, telicherry pepper and a finely diced seranno chile. They turned out amazingly good, and quite wine friendly.

I admit I am hooked on this prep (which is adapted from something I picked up from Thor), but rather than get in a rut I figured I would ask what other folks like to use for marinating chicken.

That sounds delicious David!

I usually marinate my chicken thighs in a homemade vinegarette (it has balsamic, olive oil, mustard, tumeric, garlic salt, honey, ginger, and thyme). Then I add some more olive oil and a generous amount of sea salt.

When I grill a whole chicken, I will sprinkle it with olive oil and then put on a dry rub that had garlic salt, brown sugar, and spices.

[David M. Bueker]

Maria,

When you use the brown sugar do you have issues with charring/burning?

Chiavetta's is a local chicken BBQ business that runs chicken BBQs for church and fire hall type fund raisers. They also sell their marinade in local food stores. It's mostly cider vinegar with lots of garlic and other spices: http://www.chiavettas.com/our_products.php3. I will split leg quarters and put them in a zip lock bag with the marinade and soak for 4 hours or overnight.
I also have a recipe for a similar marinade used by a local fire company's ladies auxilliary. They do their chicken BBQ at the Niagara County Fair every year and it is very good. I'd post the recipe, but it's at home and I'm in WA now to celebrate my granddaughter's 1st birthday. I'll also have to do some math, as the recipe calls for 300 whole chickens.

Maria,

When you use the brown sugar do you have issues with charring/burning?

No David...haven't had a problem with it. I use just a little brown sugar in my rub mix, and I use the granulated kind. I spatchcock my chicken, put the oil and rub on, let it sit in the fridge, uncovered, for 4 days, and then cook it on my Kamado charcoal grill, so only the underside gets direct heat. So far, no burning. I use the same rub on my ribs, but they are cooked on indirect heat and at a lower temp.

Too many to list - Malaysian-style satay, jerk chicken seasoning (from a recipe that Mark Lipton posted on here), marination with some soy sauce, white vinegar, ground Szechuan peppercorns and ginger, or North Indian-style kebabs with longer marinations in yoghurt with various blends of spices.

Those grilled chicken thighs sound great though David, looking forward to trying them with Spatlese some time soon.

At this point in time I am loving whole, roasted chickens or spatchcocked. For the whole roasted, I let it dry in the refer for two days to dry the skin. It is stuffed with onion, garlic, lemon, thyme springs or whatever fresh herbs calling me from my garden. I mix the herbs with melted butter, garlic, and a generous helping of coarse sea salt and ground pepper. The spatchcock chicken is evoo, rosemary, garlic, lemon, marinated for two days, then broiled on both sides and finished off by roasting.
Cornish Game Hens are always done like this. http://whatscookingamerica.net/KarenCalanchini/CornishGameHens.htm

[Jenise]

I probably don't have a single favorite. Several that I repeat from time to time, however: 1) a mixture of sherry, soy sauce, smashed garlic, vinegar and sesame oil for boneless skinless chicken thighs that I would usually serve with fried rice and stir-fried vegetables, and 2) a marinade of soy sauce, maple syrup, lemon juice and oregano for a cut-up whole chicken, 3) a serious serious quantity of lime juice and fresh chiles (any kind) with just a bit of olive oil for chicken wings, and 4) the entire contents of a bottle of Tabasco sauce stretched with a bit of oil and vinegar for any cut of chicken at all.

I feel like such a square for liking only salt, pepper, and a little EVOO.

rwj

We use a great many marinades from different cultures too. However, when we go to a child's house where we usually find either a disorganized or bare bones kitchen, we will simply use a bottle of decent salad dressing.

We use a great many marinades from different cultures too. However, when we go to a child's house where we usually find either a disorganized or bare bones kitchen, we will simply use a bottle of decent salad dressing.

I got a chuckle out of this....for many of the young and working couples today, a well stocked kitchen with good tools/ingredients is not priority, because the grocery store or deli just down the street can fill their needs. Personally, I love a well-stocked kitchen, pantry and produce bin. I like to cook different types of foods and I want it available to me without a trip to the store. I'm getting better at making ingredient substitutions and find it works just fine. Over the years, I've come to realize the benefits of good tools, as well. Now that I can spend a little more money on good quality, I have replaced many of my "cooking with kids" tools, and when visiting "the kids", I very often take a few good knives, large bowls, and a few necessary spices, fresh herbs, or other ingredients.

[David M. Bueker]

I feel like such a square for liking only salt, pepper, and a little EVOO.

rwj

I like that too, but also like the palette for flavor variation provided by a piece of chicken (or pork).

Yeah, I hear you. I feel the same way with veal and rabbit. I will sometimes use fresh herbs and other spices but I usually don't marinate. I will brine, though, using plain salt water.

rwj