BBQ Sauce Marinade Recipe

Even as it gets colder outside, and we are unable to enjoy the tastes of summer, grilling, and sunshine, I still need my barbecue. This marinade recipe is a bit more robust and smoky than a sweeter summer sauce, and it pairs well with cool weather.

There are numerous ways to prepare barbecue chicken, but I just recently started marinading it prior to cooking. Using a bbq sauce marinade recipe imparts wonderful flavor throughout the meat, not just on the surface. It also helps to tenderize the meat and lock in moisture, so the chicken doesn’t dry, if it is accidentally overcooked.

BBQ Sauce Marinade Recipe

Ingredients

Makes enough marinade for 2 – 4 chicken breasts

2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp red wine or sherry
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire
1 tsp honey
smoked salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl until incorporated. I take large chicken breasts, remove any excess fat, and then lightly pound them with a meat tenderizer, if they are thick. Then I place the chicken breasts into a shallow baking dish or bowl, and pour marinade on top, moving around the chicken breasts until they are all coated and mostly covered. Cover the dish with a lid or plastic wrap, and place back in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, and up to 12 hours. The longer you marinade the chicken, the more flavorful and tender it will become.

This chicken does great baked, cooked on the stovetop, or grilled. You can make extra marinade to baste it halfway through cooking. Discard any unused marinade.

Looking for other marinade ideas?