My husband’s and my weekly dinner menus are ridiculously predictable, featuring Chipotle burrito bowls a minimum of one night a week (what DO they put in that guac to make it taste so good?!) and what we fondly refer to as “boring chicken” another one, or let’s be real, two nights a week. Why is it called “boring chicken”? Because dinner consists of simply seasoned chicken breasts sauteed in olive oil then served with some sort of roasted vegetable and wild rice cooked in chicken broth. SNORE! That being said, spring and summer are great times to toss boring chicken to the wayside by marinating then throwing it on the grill. Luckily I’ve got the perfect grilled chicken marinade you’ll want to use all season long.
The marinade is made completely from fridge and pantry staples including gluten free soy sauce, oil, honey, red chili pepper flakes, garlic, salt, and pepper. These everyday ingredients combine to make a super juicy grilled chicken that has all the right flavors. A little salty, a little heat, and just a teeeeny bit of sweet. It’s just fantastic. Seeing as it’s watermelon season, we top our marinated grilled chicken with a cooling, ultra-refreshing Cucumber-Watermelon Salsa. Sizzling chicken, cold, fresh salsa — you are going to flip for this gorgeous summer chicken dish!
Start by making the marinade which is made up of fridge and pantry staples. This marinade works well with steak, pork, and salmon too!
To large bowl add gluten-free tamari (or soy sauce if not GF), vegetable oil, honey, crushed garlic cloves, red chili pepper flakes, and ground ginger then whisk to combine.
Pour the marinade into a Ziplock bag placed inside another large bowl before adding 1lb meat – in this case chicken breasts – then marinate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. I don’t like keeping chicken in marinades that contain soy sauce for longer than 2 hours because the salt starts to make the chicken rubbery. If you’re using this marinade for steak though, you can let it sit for 2-6 hours before grilling.
Tip: before adding the chicken breasts to the marinade, make sure you’ve pounded them to the same thickness to ensure they’ll cook evenly on the grill. There’s nothing worse than having one end of a chicken breast grilled to perfection while the other end resembles charcoal!
Place the chicken on a cutting board then cover with Glad Press’n’ Seal or saran wrap then whack it with a rolling pin or meat mallet until the chicken is the same thickness.
I like to go a step further and score my chicken breasts with a sharp knife on one side to make sure the marinade really permeates the meat.
While the chicken is marinating, whip up an easy and oh-so refreshing Cucumber-Watermelon Salsa. This stuff is the epitome of summer! Simply combine chopped watermelon and cucumber with fresh cilantro, jalapeno, green onion, salt, pepper, and lime juice in a bowl then stir.
When it’s time to eat, pop the chicken on pre-heated grates over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes a side, or until no longer pink in the center. Be sure to let the chicken rest for 5 minutes off the grill before serving. Just like steak, you’ll lose a ton of yummy juices if you carve into it right away.
After the resting period is up, plate the chicken then top with a big scoop of Cucumber-Watermelon salsa and dig in. Look no further for a chicken and steak marinade to use all summer long. This mix is so easy to toss together and gives the chicken incredible flavor. That crunch and freshness from the Cucumber-Watermelon Salsa is also a must-try!
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