Ingredients
Method
- Prep. We're going to pound these breasts to make them flatter. This way there is more surface area exposed to the flavorful juice, and the penetration depth is a greater portion of the total meat. Then we're going to dry brine the meat by salting it about 4 hours before cooking. This gives the salt a chance to penetrate.
- Put everything except the chicken in a bowl and whisk it together. Pour into a zipper bag. If you have read my article on the science of marinades, you know that they do not penetrate very far. But they do find their way into cracks and cuts. And if you want, cut diamond patterns in the surface of both sides about 1/8" (3.2 mm) deep. These grooves with gather and hold the marinade. Add the chicken to the bag, seal the bag, and refrigerate it for 2 hours in order to allow the marinade to do its job.
- Fire up. Prepare a grill for 2-zone cooking, aiming for about 325°F (163°C) in the indirect zone.
- Cook. Remove the chicken from the marinade, pat the breasts dry, and place them on the indirect heat side of the grill. Cover the grill and allow them to cook. It will take about 45 minutes depending on how thick they are and how hot your grill is, and you should use a meat thermometer to get it off at optimum safe temp, 165°F (75°C).
- Serve. Remove the chicken breasts from the grill and serve immediately.
Notes
About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.
For stir-fry. Cut the breasts into strips about 1.5" long and 1/4" wide. Marinate chicken strips for 20 minutes in small quantities of this marinade in a zipper sealed bag. Stir-fry meat and set aside. Stir-fry chopped vegetables of your choice and set aside. I like it with thick onion slices, red bell pepper slices, mushroom halves, and sugar snap pea pods. To make a sauce, add 1 teaspoon of corn starch to 1/2 cup marinade. Stir sauce in the pan until sauce thickens, add the mead and veggies to heat and coat, and serve over rice.
Optional. Serve these tasty breasts on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, chicken skin cracklins, and mix a little mayo with a few drops of sesame oil to make sesame mayo to spread on the bun.
About the quantity. I usually make a triple batch and refrigerate the rest. It keeps for months.