Wow! This is a deliciously simple way to dress up a piece of chicken. My friend Lee Schaffler learned this recipe from her grandfather, a.k.a. Pop.
And let me tell you … her Pop obviously knew how to cook. His marinated chicken is the perfect dish to throw on the grill for your Memorial Day feast.
The simple marinade is a flavorful concoction made from pantry staples like butter, Worcestershire, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, garlic, and lemon zest. Pop added a little hot sauce to the mix for a kick.
For the most flavor, marinate the chicken overnight. If marinating the same day as cooking, allow at least two hours at a minimum. When marinating any meat, be sure to put it in a nonreactive dish such as glass or ceramic. Metal dishes can react to a marinade and add a metallic taste to your meat. I often use a re-sealable plastic bag so I don’t have an extra dish to wash.
Be sure to set aside a little marinade before marinating the chicken. I like to brush a the marinade over meats and vegetables right at the end of cooking for a boost of flavor. Once the marinade has touched the raw chicken, you cannot use it as a finishing sauce so be sure to reserve the marinade before you add the rest of it to the raw chicken.
When preparing your chicken for the grill, be sure to let the meat stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before putting it on the grates. Taking away the chill will help your chicken cook more evenly and quickly.
Two-zone grilling is especially helpful for cooking foods like bone-in chicken. Sear the chicken first over direct heat and then move it to an area with no heat to finish cooking by indirect heat. To create an indirect heating zone on your gas grill, simply turn off the burners on one side. For a charcoal grill, place the hot coals only on one side of the grill. Also, closing the lid is essential when using indirect grilling. A closed lid helps the grill mimic an oven and evenly cook the chicken.
To complete the meal, Lee recommends brushing some of that reserved marinade onto thinly sliced bread and grilling it until lightly toasted. I tried it and wholeheartedly agree!
Happy Memorial Day!
Jennifer Chandler is the author of "Simply Salads" (Thomas Nelson, $24.99), "Simply Suppers: Easy Comfort Food Your Whole Family Will Love" (Thomas Nelson, $24.99), “Simply Grilling” (Thomas Nelson, $24.99), and “The Southern Pantry Cookbook” (Thomas Nelson, $26.99). She lives in East Memphis with her husband and two daughters. For more recipes and dinner time solutions, visit www.cookwithjennifer.com.
Pop’s Marinated Grilled Chicken
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- Juice and zest of one lemon
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- Dash of hot sauce
- 4 split, bone-in chicken breasts (about 3 pounds)
- Vegetable oil, for the grates
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the butter, garlic, vinegar, Worcestershire, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, orange juice, and hot sauce in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered until the flavors have melded, about 10 minutes. Measure out 1/4 cup of marinade and reserve.
Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Put the chicken in a nonreactive dish (glass or ceramic) just large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer or a re-sealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss to coat. Cover, place in the refrigerator, and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat a clean grill to medium-high with the lid closed for 8 to 10 minutes. Lightly brush the grates with oil.
Remove the chicken from the marinade. Discard the used marinade. Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Place the chicken on the grill. Close the lid and cook, turning once or twice, until no longer pink in the middle, 12 to 15 minutes per side. During the final 5 minutes of cooking, baste the chicken with the reserved marinade. Serve warm.
Serves 4.
