The BEST Chicken Marinade EVER.

I flaunted my dinner on Instagram tonight before I even enjoyed it because it seriously is just. that. good.

Brian and I got a grill for our wedding and we have been enjoying it so much.  I baked the chicken tonight because it is Brian's late night at school, but I created this marinade for the grill.

Seriously, though, it doesn't matter.  It makes some seriously delicious baked chicken wings.

So, I started hunting around for some tips on grilling chicken because we were using the grill so much.  I found this article from Kayln's Kitchen, which is a great food blog that focuses on low-glycemic recipes for weight loss, healthy eating and blood sugar control.

She lays out some really easy steps you should always stick to when grilling chicken:

1.  Trim the chicken breasts.

Trim the fat and tendons from the breasts, as well as the underside (the tenders) so that you are left with a nice even piece of meat (yeah, baby.)

2.  Cut slits into the top of the breasts.

Cut slits cross-wise into the meat to allow the marinade to penetrate better, (being careful not to cut all the way through.)

3.  MARINATE THE CHICKEN.

More on this later.

4.  Allow the meat to marinate for several hours, (or longer!)

I like to try and get the chicken into the marinade in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day while I am at work.  Of course, this only works if I have enough time in the morning and if I've already planned dinner...which is not often the case.  I usually do it while I am home for lunch.  OR, if I am using frozen chicken, I put the marinade in a plastic bag and just let the chicken thaw in it.  All good choices.

5.  Judge cooking time based on how the chicken looks and feels.

Brian is dead set on perfecting the "one-flip" grilling (or 2 if he's looking for a nice diamond grill pattern) but grill time is almost always different.  Don't ask me why, because I do not know the answer.    We usually just cut in and see how it looks...this is pretty easy with those slits on top, just peak in.

Ok, enough is enough.  The marinade.

Kayln suggests always using an oil + acid based marinade.  That's what I relied on while playing around with this marinade.  I have to say, I think I just got lucky.  Because I really wasn't sure how this was going to turn out.  But as you know...it turned out pretty damn well.

So here it is:

2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 T Honey
1 T Bourbon
Juice of 1/2 Lemon or Lime
1/2 t Salt
1/2 t Pepper
1 Clove of Garlic, minced

And that is it, folks!

I usually sprinkle a little more kosher salt and fresh ground pepper (I use a blend with red pepper flakes in it for a little kick) on after I take the chicken out of the marinade.

This works for 2-4 chicken breasts or 5-10 wings.  Remember that it's only a marinade, most of the liquid is left behind, so don't be afraid to increase the amounts or play around with it.

And PLEASE let me know if you try it out, because I've used it 4 times in the past 2 weeks and I am just as excited every time I taste it.  I love it.

Anybody out there have any other marinades Brian and I should try out?  This weather is too beautiful to cook inside!  So, if you need us you know where to find us!

Until then, happy Monday everyone.