The best chicken marinade

Name: The best chicken marinade
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 4 tbsp pineapple juice, pasteurised, or from a 432g can; 1 unwaxed lime, zest and juice; 4 tbsp Cooks’ Ingredients Tamari Soy Sauce (or use light soy); 25 g piece ginger, peeled; 2 cloves garlic; 2 tsp Vegetable oil; 1 tbsp dark brown soft sugar; 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced (optional); 6 boneless British chicken breasts, or 6-8 thigh fillets; 75 g tomato ketchup; 6 pineapple slices, fresh, or from a 432g can

Having Martha Collison's meat marinade recipe up your sleeve will take barbecues and summer cooking to the next level.

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Serves6
CourseAccompaniment
Prepare10 mins
Cook15 mins
Total time25 mins

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4 tbsp pineapple juice, pasteurised, or from a 432g can
1 unwaxed lime, zest and juice
4 tbsp Cooks’ Ingredients Tamari Soy Sauce (or use light soy)
25g piece ginger, peeled
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp Vegetable oil
1 tbsp dark brown soft sugar
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced (optional)
6 boneless British chicken breasts, or 6-8 thigh fillets
75g tomato ketchup
6 pineapple slices, fresh, or from a 432g can

Mix together the pineapple juice, lime zest and juice and soy sauce in a large bowl with a lid. Grate the ginger into the bowl using a fine microplane grater (or mince finely using a sharp knife), then repeat with the garlic. Stir in the vegetable oil, sugar and chilli (if using).
Lay 1 chicken breast (or thigh) between 2 sheets of baking parchment and, using a meat mallet or rolling pin, bash it to about 2cm thick. Add to the marinade and repeat, aiming to get all the chicken to the same thickness. Make sure it is fully submerged, then cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing the excess to drop back into the bowl. Preheat a griddle pan or the grill. Cook the chicken on the griddle or grill for 10 minutes (in a couple of batches), or under a preheated grill for 15 minutes, turning halfway, until cooked through with no pink meat and juices that run clear.
While the chicken cooks, turn the remaining marinade into a sauce. Pour into a small saucepan and add the ketchup. Simmer rapidly on medium for 5-8 minutes – it must be piping hot to cook the chicken juices and make them safe to eat. Baste the chicken with some of the sauce at the end of cooking, and serve the remaining sauce and pineapple slices on the side, griddle if you wish.

Cook’s tip

What to marinate?
This marinade is delicious with chicken, but also works wonderfully with pork tenderloin or pork belly slices. Give it a try!

Choosing pineapple juice
Be careful which pineapple juice you choose, as fresh juice contains an enzyme called bromelain which will break down the chicken too much and create a mushy texture. Opt for pasteurised juice, or the juice from a can of pineapple slices, as this will have been heated to a high temperature, which kills off the enzymes.

Finish on the barbecue
There is nothing quite like the smoky, chargrilled finish you get from a barbecue, and it works especially well with the flavours in this chicken. Pre-cook the chicken fully in the oven first, then finish on the barbecue for that griddled char.

Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe