Without fail, dinner guests comment on the succulence of my grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts. My secrets are two: locally raised chicken and an overnight rest in a simple marinade. My standard marinade consists of glugs of good olive oil and lemon juice, a little chopped garlic, and a bit of salt and pepper. It’s been my go-to for more years than I can count. But truth be told, it’s getting a little boring.
And wouldn’t those chicken breasts be even tastier if I brushed them with a glaze as they finished grilling?
I talked with five local chefs and came back with five recipes using marinades and glazes you can adapt for your own cooking. Each comes together quickly but has big flavors, a great refresh for the rest of the grilling season.
RECIPES
Five Atlanta chefs offer recipes with marinades based on yogurt, mayonnaise or citrus juice and glazes with Asian and sweet Southern barbecue flavors.
Credit: Tim Robison
Credit: Tim Robison
Botiwalla Chicken Tikka
Meherwan Irani of Botiwalla and Chai Pani supplied a recipe for his chicken tikka, a variation of the classic chicken tikka masala that Irani said has “launched a thousand curry houses in the U.K. and U.S.” He describes tweaking the marinade countless times to get the perfect balance of yogurt, lime and spices.
He suggests this marinade would work equally well on boneless leg of lamb or steak.
Ginger-garlic paste is available at stores that stock Indian groceries. To make your own paste, puree six cloves of garlic with a 1 1/2-inch piece of peeled ginger in a food processor.
1 1/4 cups plain low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup neutral oil such as canola or sunflower seed, plus more for oiling grill grates
3 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
2 tablespoons Kashmiri chile powder or paprika
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon red chile powder or cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
10 bamboo skewers
2 tablespoons melted butter or ghee, for basting
Chaat masala, to dust on the grilled skewers
In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, ginger-garlic paste, Kashmiri chile powder, vinegar, salt, lime juice, garam masala, coriander, red chile powder and cumin. Add chicken and stir to coat chicken with marinade. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours.
When ready to cook, soak bamboo skewers in water for 10 minutes. Heat grill to 350 degrees. When grill is hot, lightly oil grill grate. Divide chicken pieces between skewers. Discard any remaining marinade.
Arrange skewers on grill and lower lid. Cook 4 minutes, then turn skewers, lower lid and cook 3 minutes more or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. Brush skewers with melted butter and cook 1 additional minute. Remove from grill, sprinkle with chaat masala and serve.
Makes 10 skewers.
Per skewer, made with chicken breasts: 157 calories (percent of calories from fat, 28), 27 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, 1 gram total sugars, trace fiber, 5 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 72 milligrams cholesterol, 141 milligrams sodium.
Credit: Your 3rd Spot
Credit: Your 3rd Spot
Your 3rd Spot’s Grilled Thai Beef
Your 3rd Spot’s director of culinary innovation Stuart Rogers sent us the recipe for the marinade used in the restaurant’s Grilled Thai Beef Salad. Each steak is marinated, then grilled and thinly sliced onto a salad of baby spinach, cucumber, button mushrooms, red onion, cilantro, mint, basil and peanuts and tossed with a fish sauce and lime juice dressing.
The marinade is a combination of sweet, salty, spicy and tangy flavors that enhance the richness of beef. While Rogers created the marinade for Your 3rd Spot’s refreshing summer salad, the marinated steak is delicious on its own. We liked the steak best when we used the longer marinating time.
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 minced clove garlic
1 10-ounce boneless sirloin or ribeye steak
Neutral oil for oiling grill grates
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, orange juice, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and garlic. Arrange steak in a glass baking dish and pour marinade over steak, turning to be sure all sides are covered. Cover and marinate steak 30 minutes or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
When ready to grill, heat grill to 350 degrees. When grill is hot, lightly oil grill grates.
Remove steak from marinade and pat dry. Discard marinade. Cook steak 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees for medium-rare. Remove from grill and let steak rest 5 minutes. Thinly slice steak against the grain.
Serves 2.
Per serving: 293 calories (percent of calories from fat, 57), 29 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total sugars, trace fiber, 18 grams total fat (7 grams saturated), 106 milligrams cholesterol, 337 milligrams sodium.
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q Baby Back Ribs with Brookhaven Rib Glaze
Jonathan Fox said that adding a glaze to Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q back baby ribs takes the brothers back to their Texas roots. They opened their Atlanta restaurants serving ribs seasoned only with a dry rub, but when planning their new Brookhaven restaurant, the brothers and Craig Hoelzer, director of smokehouse operations, developed a recipe for a mustard-based rib glaze with an underlying sweetness from corn syrup and brown sugar. Although designed for ribs, Fox said the glaze works well for other cuts of pork, chicken and even seafood.
3 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
3 tablespoons coarsely ground pepper
2 (2 1/2 pound) racks pork baby back ribs, silver membrane removed
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup yellow mustard
Prepare smoker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Set smoker to cook at 225 to 250 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine salt and pepper and sprinkle on both sides of both racks of ribs. Arrange racks meaty side up on smoker rack and cook 2 1/2 hours, or until the racks begin to sag on both sides when lifted in the middle with tongs. Remove racks from smoker.
Make glaze: While ribs are cooking, in a medium saucepan, combine dark corn syrup, vinegar and water. Bring to a simmer over low heat. When mixture is simmering, add brown sugar and stir until sugar dissolves, then stir in the mustard. Let mixture return to a simmer, then remove from heat and set aside until needed.
Cut pieces of foil long and wide enough to wrap around each rack. Brush each piece of foil with 6 tablespoons of glaze and lay ribs on glaze. Brush 6 tablespoons of glaze on top of each rack of ribs and wrap the racks in foil. Return ribs to smoker for 20 minutes, then unwrap ribs and return to smoker for 5 minutes to lightly char the glaze. Remove from smoker and serve immediately.
Serves 8.
Per serving: 273 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 30 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams total sugars, trace fiber, 14 grams total fat (5 grams saturated), 94 milligrams cholesterol, 602 milligrams sodium.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Nakato’s Teriyaki Glazed Salmon or Tuna
Sachi Nakato Takahara provided this recipe for Teriyaki Glazed Salmon. The teriyaki sauce can be used in other recipes as either a seafood and steak glaze or a marinade. To use it as a marinade, eliminate the step of adding cornstarch and water after the mixture is strained, and marinate seafood or chicken for 30 minutes to an hour. Drain and discard the marinade before cooking.
Takahara wrote that, for the Japanese, teriyaki is like barbecue sauce in the United States. “It’s popular for chicken and steak and even on burgers. This sauce with its sweet profile has been a favorite of our customers since we opened 50 years ago.”
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup sake
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cold water
Neutral oil for grill grates and for brushing on seafood
4 (6-ounce) salmon or tuna steaks
Make glaze: In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine soy sauce, mirin, sake and brown sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add garlic and ginger and bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes, reducing heat if necessary to keep mixture just at a simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens.
Remove from heat and strain to remove garlic and ginger. Return the strained mixture to saucepan over low heat.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine cornstarch and water and stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Whisk cornstarch slurry into soy sauce mixture and simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
When ready to grill, heat grill to 350 degrees. When grill is hot, lightly oil grill grates.
Lightly oil both sides of salmon and arrange on grill. Cook steaks 3 minutes per side for rare, or longer according to preference. Move seafood to serving platter and pour on the glaze. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
Per serving, made with skinless salmon: 273 calories (percent of calories from fat, 24), 37 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams total sugars, trace fiber, 7 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 126 milligrams cholesterol, 1,925 milligrams sodium.
Credit: Bart Sasso
Credit: Bart Sasso
Ticonderoga Club Chicken Spiedie
Ticonderoga Club chef and partner David Bies provided the recipe for their popular Chicken Spiedie sandwiches, made from marinated chicken and served on hoagie rolls with shredded iceberg lettuce tossed with chopped parsley, oregano, basil and mint, then dressed with red wine vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil.
The marinade results in succulent chicken with a good bit of heat from red pepper flakes. Bies suggests serving the chicken with rice, on a salad or chopped and turned into chicken salad.
1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each cut into 3 pieces
4 bamboo skewers
Neutral oil for oiling grates
Make marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice and vinegar. Stir in red pepper flakes, pepper and salt. Add oregano, parsley and garlic.
Put chicken in a large bowl or food-safe plastic bag. Pour marinade over chicken and stir together to coat the chicken evenly with marinade. Cover bowl or seal bag and refrigerate at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours.
When ready to cook, soak bamboo skewers in water for 10 minutes. Heat grill to 350 degrees. When grill is hot, lightly oil grill grates. Divide chicken pieces between skewers. Discard any remaining marinade. Grill 5 minutes per side or until chicken is 165 degrees. Remove from grill and allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.
Serves 4.
Per serving: 280 calories (percent of calories from fat, 52), 33 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace total sugars, trace fiber, 16 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 153 milligrams cholesterol, 426 milligrams sodium.
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