Asian Inspired Chicken Marinade + How to Turn It Into A Meal
Meal prepping or have no time? This post is for you. Start with the marinade and then learn how to build it into several meals.
Why This Marinade Works
- Chillies – The chillies add heat and a sweet flavour. The chillies can be from a jar or fresh but I like Birdseye chillies which are small and hot. Not all chillies are powerfully spicy, so chose one that suits your spice level. Jalapeños (medium) or Green cayenne (mild) are less spicy. That being said, if you want extra spice leave the seeds in.
- Salt – Salt is magical, very few things taste good without some form of salt.
- Garlic Powder – You can use minced garlic too but this adds a buttery sweet taste once cooked. It also adds flavour enhancing compounds that make other flavours taste so much better. This is why garlic is popular.
- Smoked paprika – This add a smoky sweet flavour that gives a nice undertone to the marinade.
- Chilli powder – Why is this necessary? Chilli powder is normally a blend of some sort, depending on what kind you have it could include cumin, cayenne, and garlic or it could be a blend of chillies. However you can get chilli powder with a mild taste that adds a Tex Mex flavour or a rich spice base to your marinade.
- Coriander – Can taste like soap to some people and in that case I’d substitute it with parsley. However for those people without the soap taste gene, coriander or cilantro will add a fresh and almost citrus taste to the chicken.
- Green onion – This is basically a very mild onion. You could substitute this with a little onion powder.
- Neutral oil – This binds everything together without adding more flavour.
Asian Inspired Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- 600 g Chicken Thigh Fillet Skinless
- 20 g Chillies,seeds removed and chopped finely
- 10 g Salt
- 10 g GarlicPowder
- 5 g Smoked Paprika
- 10 g Chilli Powder
- 30 g Coriander, roughly chopped
- 1 sprig Green Onion, roughly chopped
- 15 g Neutral Oil
Instructions
- Chop your chillies, coriander and green onion and place into a ziplock bag.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the bag.
- Seal the bag and mix/shake until the chicken is evenly coloured all around.
- Rest the bag in the fridge for 15 minutes to overnight. If you have the time it’s well worth letting the chicken rest overnight, but it will still taste great with a 15 minute marination.
- Get a pan with a lid, spray a little oil in the pan and turn it onto Medium heat. Sear your chicken on both sides until each has some nice colour.
- Turn down the pan’s heat to low and pour in around 30ml or 2 tablespoons water to your pan. Immediately cover with a lid and let the chicken cook with the lid closed. Cook until a thermometer reads 73 degrees celsius (it will keep rising after you remove it) or you can cleanly and easily pierce the chicken with a knife.
Build Your Meal
- Different Base + Dressing/Sauce + Topping = Different Tasting Meal
You don’t need to buy 50 million different ingredients at the supermarket, but with the help of some household staples like soy sauce or rice you can transform your meal.
Pictured below is the same base & chicken with different sauces/dressings and toppings. One salad is Tex Mex themed and the other is Thai Themed.
When you pick your ingredients try to stick to a Theme
What is a theme? A good theme is often ingredients from the same country or region since they’ve already proven to go well together.
Some theme ideas are Italian (tomatoes, garlic and mozzarella) or Thai (peanuts, chilli, lime) or Greek (Feta, Tzatziki, cucumbers)
Base Ideas:
- Cold Salad – Kale, Iceburg lettuce, Spinach, Carrots, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Bell Peppers, Cabbage … etc
- Hot Salad – Roast Veggies like Onions, Sweet potatoes, Eggplant, Parsnips, Carrots, Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Corn …etc
- Grains – Rice, Couscous, Pita Bread, Pinto Beans, Kidney Beans, Black Beans …etc
Dressings/Sauce ideas:
- Sriracha + Yoghurt + Salt + Garlic Powder
- Avocado + Yogurt + Dill + Lemon Juice + Salt
- Sour Cream + Mustard + Honey + Neutral Oil + Salt
See my dressing page for more ideas and recipes.
Topping Ideas: Roasted Chickpeas, Tortilla Chips, Nuts, Guacamole, Feta, Tasty Cheese, Pan-fried Haloumi, Pan-fried Tofu, Furikake … etc Anything crunchy or creamy can be great!