Marinated Chicken Breast

The original idea of marinating meat was to preserve it. But we also marinate to impart subtle flavors, and tenderize. This post about marinated chicken breast, is about creating a base meat that be prepared in many ways, baked, pan cooked or even on the barbecue. Cooked alone or with other ingredients, like wrapped in bacon.

The definition of marinate is to soak meat (meat, fish or fowl) in a liquid. The word is from Latin, Aqua Marina is seawater. That alludes to the brining or pickling process. Pickling meat was originally designed as a way to preserve. The process and the liquid have evolved since those early days. There are a few different types of marinade; acidic base and enzymatic base being the most popular. However there are also neutral marinades that just impart flavor, that will be for another post

Using an acidic marinade, like with wine, tenderizes the meat by breaking down the tissue. This allows moisture absorption, creating a juicier end product. Enzymatic is another type of marinade. Enzymes are natural proteins that speed up this process. A lot of times this will involve fruit juices, like pineapple and papaya. The natural enzymes in juice of the fruit will help to add flavor to the meat and tenderize it at the same time.

This particular marinade is a little of both, apple juice. It has an acidic base, but, also contains enzymes to help speed up the process, and, add some subtle flavors. Now is a good time to talk about how long, and, where to marinate. As usual, there are some factors to take into consideration. Primarily, how thick is the cut of meat, and, it’s consistency. Fish is a light meat, it takes the least amount of time, 1/2 hr is usually sufficient. Chicken will be done in about an hour, beef, however, can be left overnight. Don’t refreeze marinated food, and try not too over marinate, both these things can cause as mushy consistency in the cooked product. For this recipe, an hour is fine

I’ve found the best marinating vessel is a zip lock baggie. Put in the protein, add the marinade, expel all the extra air, and, that’s it. Put it on a plate in the fridge. And, the fridge is the only place to marinate. Also, it is important to thoroughly cook any marinade left that you’re going to use. Put a cup of apple juice and a couple of teaspoons of old bay seasoning in a baggie, add 1 pound of chicken. Expel as much of the air as possible, manipulate the baggie to mix, put on a plate in the fridge and wait an hour. Now wash up, I wrote a post about safe food prep, raw meat has bacteria. And I put it on a plate in case the baggie leaks.

Once the chicken has marinated for an hour, remove and cook any which way you like. This marinated chicken breast will give you juicy, tender chicken with a hint of apple and seasoning, delicious. Enjoy your meal, and, thank you for reading.