Scott and I returned from our 10-day trip to the West Coast on Saturday.  We stayed very busy – this wasn’t a sit back and relax kind of vacation – but we loved every minute and visited some amazing places.  I’m planning to sort through our 500+ photos this week and hope to share some details and favorite shots in a few days.

I feel like I’ve been either in vacation-prep mode or actually on vacation for awhile now and as such haven’t done as much cooking, and subsequent food posts, as I usually do.  So I thought I’d share my two favorite homemade marinades for chicken today (though both would work just as well on pork or fish). 

I love making marinated chicken while we can use our outdoor grill because the prep (and cleanup!) is so minimal.  It usually involves tossing a bunch of ingredients into a food processor, pouring the mix over chicken breasts or thighs in a Ziploc bag, and stashing in the fridge until it’s time to grill.  The chicken absorbs so much flavor from the marinade and gets that great grill-char on the outside while remianing nice and juicy inside.

Jerk Marinade
Ingredients
1/2 c. whole milk yogurt
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
4 scallions, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp. dried thyme
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. dried allspice
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 2 lbs. bone in thighs)

Puree all ingredients besides chicken in a food processor until smooth.

Place chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour marinade over.  Seal tightly then lay flat in the refrigerator at least 3 hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, remove from bag and grill.

– – –

Sweet, Salty, and Sour Marinade
Ingredients
7 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 c. fresh lime juice
1/2 c. fish sauce
1/2 c. fresh parsley
2 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
zest of one lemon
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 2 lbs. bone in thighs)

Puree all ingredients besides chicken in a food processor until smooth.

Place chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour marinade over.  Seal tightly then lay flat in the refrigerator at least 3 hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, remove from bag and grill.

Recipes adapted from here and here.