Citrus-Marinated Chicken Breasts Recipe (3 Ingredients, Make-Ahead)

Chicken without bones without bones are best marinated, even if it only takes for a few hours. Immediately after I picked up my children from school, I throw a few chicken breast into a zipper bag and then add a quick and simple marinade. In dinner, you are ready to bake in a pan, fry air or fry.

Marinating chicken breasts turns them from boring to aromatic, even if they only use three ingredients. My point of contact contains citrus juice, a spice mixture and a good volume. They have all the necessary elements for a good marinade right there: acid to decorate the meat tenderly, spices to contribute taste and/or heat, and some fat that can tan the meat when cooking.

There are many options for creativity and variety when you start with this formula. I first start what I have at hand, then I open the spice cabinet to look for a mixture that sounds good. I add olive oil when it makes sense with the flavors or a neutral oil such as rapeseed or avocado when olive oil collapses. If the spice mix is ​​salt -free or salt, I also add some salt.

Spices on it

Since chicken breast is an empty canvas, they fit well with almost every hearty spice mix that you can imagine. Cajun, Italian and tandoori spices are excellent. I also love the Cuban citrus garlic spice from Trader Joe, especially in combination with lime juice.

My other favorite is the Greek inspired Super Gyro spice From the primal area that I mix with lemon juice and olive oil. Whatever I choose, I add a generous amount – a teaspoon per chicken breast – to ensure that the quick marinade gives a lot of taste.

To find out how much salt must be added, try the spice mix. A small pinch of it on her tongue lets her know what it needs. Or check the label for the sodium content – if it is almost 400 mg per 1/4 teaspoon, it is basically salt with a little spice, and you probably don’t have to salt the marinade.

If your spice mix is ​​less than 200 mg sodium per 1/4 teaspoon, you would like to add another teaspoon to the marinade or so kosher salt. If the mix is ​​salt -free, 1 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt is a good starting point.

Cooking options for the chicken

I usually bake my chicken breast in the oven or the air roast. If you are on the larger side (10 ounces each), take about 30 minutes to cook. Smaller (8 ounces or less) should be checked after 20 minutes. You will also cook much faster if you have flattened them with a meat hammer or cut them in half to produce thinner schnitzel or fillets. To flatten the fastest cooking method to about 1/2-inch thickness and then fry for 4 to 5 minutes per side in a pan.

However you cook your chicken, an immediate thermometer is useful to test your bang. They are completely cooked at 165ºF. You can pull thicker, larger chicken breast out of the oven with 160ºF and you rise a few more degrees when you rest.

How I can produce my 3-stubs citrus-marinated chicken breast

To make four to six portions, they need:

• 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (approx. 2 1/2 pounds in total)
• 1/2 cup of freshly pressed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 4 teaspoons of Greek spice mixture (like the Primal Palate Super Gyro)
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt or taste

Pat the chicken breast dry with paper towels. Place them in a zipper bag in gallon size or a baking dish with a tight -fitting lid. Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, spice mixture and salt in a small bowl or fluid measuring cup. Pour the marinade over the chicken, then close your bag or cover the dish and put it in the fridge. Marinate at least 2 hours or overnight.

If you are ready for cooking, place your oven stands in the middle and upper middle positions with the upper rack from about 8 inches from the broiler element. Preheat the oven to 425ºF and lay out a baking sheet with aluminum film. Take the chicken from the marinade and put it on the baking sheet lined with foil (reserve the marinade). Bake the chicken on the middle oven stand for 20 minutes.

Take the chicken out of the oven and switch on the broiler. Spoon part of the reserved marinade on the chicken breasts and then return the baking sheet to the upper rust. Fry until the chicken breast is well tanned, but not charred, about 5 minutes.

Use an immediate thermometer to check the chicken on bones. It should register at least 160ºF in the thickest part of the breast. If it does not quite correspond to the temperature, put the oven back into the baking setting and cook the chicken for a few more minutes.

Transfer the cooked chicken breast into a carving board or a serving dish. Let the meat rest for about 5 minutes, then cut and serve.

The cooked chicken lasts up to 4 days in an airtight container. Enjoy it cold in sandwiches or salads or heat a single breast in the microwave with 70 percent electricity until heated by heating about 2 1/2 minutes.

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