In episode 83, host Taryn Solie talks through a 4-ingredient chicken marinade recipe that’s quick, easy, and bursting with flavor. You’ll learn the simple steps to make this tangy and sweet marinade when grilling boneless skinless chicken thighs, including essential ingredients, marinating tips, and a simple glazing technique. Suggestions for delicious side dishes to complement the meal are included, making this episode a perfect option for weeknight dinners.
Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your favorite podcast player. Or scroll down to read a full transcript.
RECIPES MENTIONED
These are some of the recipes mentioned in the episode, all of which are on Hot Pan Kitchen.
- 4-ingredient chicken marinade
- Marinated grilled chicken thighs
- Blueberry spinach salad
- Grilled zucchini
- Grilled onions
- Grilled bell peppers
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Some of the following are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Coconut aminos
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Salt conversion chart from Epicurious
- Ziploc gallon bags
- Tongs
- Basting brush
TRANSCRIPT
Taryn Solie: Hello grillers, and thank you for tuning in today! I am your host, Taryn Solie, and I am here to talk with you about all things grilling and outdoor cooking, including delicious recipes and handy tips and tricks, all to give you some grilling inspiration.
The recipe we’ll be going over today uses a chicken marinade, and it’s one of my favorites because it’s so quick and easy to make yet still has a lot of flavor. I call it my 4 ingredient marinade and it’s a really good blend of tangy and sweet. The other good thing is you don’t need to marinate your chicken all day with this marinade – I recommend marinating for just an hour. So this is still a good dinner option for weeknights.
Today I’ll be walking you through how to make grilled chicken thighs with this marinade, so let’s get in to the ingredients you’ll need. They are:
- 3 ounces of a mild oil – I like avocado oil,
- 4 ounces of coconut aminos,
- 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard,
- 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and
- Between 1.75 and 2 pounds of raw boneless skinless chicken thighs, which is about 7 or 8 thighs.
Because there’s not much to this recipe I only have a couple of notes for it.
The first thing is this recipe calls for coconut aminos, which if you’re not familiar with they’re like a slightly sweeter and less salty version of soy sauce. And in many recipes you can swap out one for the other but for this recipe that’s not the case. Because there are so few ingredients the flavor profile changes too much when you do that. You specifically want coconut aminos as they provide a sweetness that becomes more prominent as heat is applied to it, making the chicken almost taste like teriyaki. Coconut aminos are very easy to find in the store, located near the soy sauce, or you can order them online – I’ll provide a link on the show notes page for that.
The second thing is about the salt – this recipe specifically uses Diamond Crystal kosher salt, which is the type of salt I prefer to cook and grill with. It’s less salty by volume than other salts, leaving a little more room for error as you season your food. If you have a different type of salt, I’ll link to an article on the show notes page that will help you figure out how much salt to use.
Okay, keeping those things in mind, let’s get to the recipe!
You want to start by making the marinade. Measure out the ingredients for the marinade into a jar or lidded container, then put the lid on and shake the jar to combine. You can also use a bowl and a small whisk if that’s easier.
Place the raw chicken thighs in either a gallon-sized plastic ziploc bag or a large rectangular casserole dish and pour all but 2 ounces of the marinade in with the chicken. If you’re using a plastic bag, press the air out, close it, then massage it with your hands to get the marinade all over the chicken. If you’re using a casserole dish use either a pair of tongs or your hands to move the chicken around in the marinade, then use plastic wrap or a lid to cover the dish. Either way you want to make sure all the chicken pieces are coated in the marinade. Place the chicken in the fridge for 40 minutes, along with the reserved marinade in the jar or bowl. After 30 minutes you’ll want to flip the chicken over, either in the bag or using a pair of tongs.
When the 40 minutes are up, take the chicken out of the fridge and set it on a counter to warm slightly. At this point you’ll want to turn the reserved marinade into a glaze. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan on the stove and turn the heat to high. Bring it to a boil, stirring consistently with a small whisk or spoon, then reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking the marinade for 5 to 7 minutes until it starts to thicken, stirring so it doesn’t burn. Set the pot aside, off the heat, once you’re done.
After the chicken has been marinating for the full hour and your glaze is done, preheat your grill to between 375 and 400 degrees F. Once it’s to temperature, use tongs to remove the marinated raw chicken thighs from their container and onto the grill. Close the lid and let them cook for 5 minutes, discarding the remaining marinade.
When the 5 minutes are up, use the tongs to flip each chicken thigh over. Grab a basting brush and spread a bit of the glaze onto each thigh, then close the grill lid and cook until the thighs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, roughly another 5 to 8 minutes.
Once they’re done, remove the cooked chicken thighs from the grill with the tongs, placing them on a large platter or cutting board. Let the thighs rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing or serving, adding more glaze if you’d like.
And that’s it! You can see it’s a pretty quick meal for marinated chicken, and you can use the time that the chicken is marinating to prep or make any side dishes. Some of the sides my family likes with this meal are an easy salad, like my blueberry spinach salad, grilled veggies like grilled zucchini, bell peppers, or onions, and just some plain white or brown rice.
I’ll include a link to the full printable recipe for these marinated chicken thighs, as well as the other recipes and resources I’ve mentioned, on the show notes page. To get to it you can either go to my main website at Hot Pan Kitchen dot com and click on podcast in the main menu, or you can click on the link provided in whatever podcast app you’re listening on.
If you enjoyed this recipe, consider subscribing to the show on your favorite podcast platform so you don’t miss out on future episodes! I’ve got so many more great grilling and smoking recipes you’re going to love.
That’s it for today, thank you so much for listening, and until next time, keep grilling like a mother.
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