Lemon & Basil Chicken Marinade

Quick and flavorful marinade for chicken or any type of meat! Fresh lemon juice, basil and more tenderize your meat and make this the perfect marinade for summer grilling.

Have you ever been so tired of cooking you have simply NO ideas what to make? That’s how I’ve been feeling lately. We have plenty of food in the pantry, but I just glaze over, uninspired. I’ve finally just started making up random marinades and picking a few side dishes for the grill. Keeping it simple is best in summer, right?

Since chicken thighs are frequently on sale, I stock up our freezer with enough for 2-3 meals. My favorite way to grill them is to leave the skin on (um, hello crispy grilled skin), but I remove the bone. There’s a great tutorial on Serious Eats. Once you get the hang of it, the job is quick and easy. The result is a chicken thigh that is flatter and cooks up quickly–plus it soaks up marinade so well.

Since there is vinegar in this marinade, I recommend letting it sit for 4 hours tops. Any longer might start to break down the chicken too much. To grill, start with the skin side down, then flip after about 3-4 minutes. Don’t forget to let it rest before slicing!

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Lemon & Basil Chicken (or any meat!) Marinade

Fresh lemon juice, basil and more combine to make a quick and flavorful marinade for chicken...and more!

Author: Dash Of Evans

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Lemon Juice (about 1 lemon)
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 shallot thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Basil
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt & Pepper

Instructions

1. In a mason jar or bowl, add all ingredients. Whisk with a fork.

2. Pour over chicken thighs and let marinade for up to 4 hours. Also great with pork chops, steak or even shrimp!
   

Recipe Notes

Enough marinade for about 2-3 pounds of meat. I love Litehouse flash dried Basil--adds tons of flavor! You can sub fresh basil, too!

I love quick side dishes like quinoa or rainbow Israeli couscous for the summer. Leftovers can be added for lunch salads or paired with other grilled veggies. You can also grill potatoes or just serve on a bed of greens!

What are some of your summer grilling marinade go-to recipes? Have you ever de-boned a chicken thigh?

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