Q: A marinade recipe for marinating 12 chicken breasts calls for the juice of 6 lemons. Can I substitute lime juice or vinegar? How much?
— Kathi Tippery
A: In general, you can substitute either one as the acid part of the marinade. The rule -of-thumb ratio for marinades is 3-to-1, three parts oil and 1 part acid. For example, you would mix 1 cup oil (olive, canola, or vegetable) and ? cup acid such as a vinegar, lemon or lime juice or other citrus, or wine. You also need to consider what you are marinating. When marinating delicate foods like fish, too much acid could cook the fish. And if you're marinating smaller or thin pieces of, say, chicken, too much acid could make it mushy.
To substitute the lemon juice, figuring out how juice is in six lemons isn’t an exact science. For the most part, it depends on the size of the lemon. Usually you’ll get about 3 tablespoons out of the average size lemon. To get more juice out of lemons and other citrus, microwave them about 20 seconds. This loosens the membranes, as does rolling them around on the counter, while pressing down slightly.
Oil and acid are the two main components that make up marinades. Herbs, dried and fresh, and an emulsifier such as Dijon mustard often are marinade ingredients. While acids can add flavor, they also can help change texture, tenderizing tougher cuts of meats like a skirt steak and other foods. Most of the other flavor comes in the added seasonings.
Over the years, I’ve come across many marinades and many tips on marinating. One tip I’ve stuck by is using plastic sealable bags to marinate just about everything. They are easy and convenient. Once I add what I am marinating, I press out all the air from the bag and seal. As a precaution, place the bag in a shallow dish and always marinate proteins in the refrigerator. Another rule I follow is not to reuse marinades that contained raw meats, poultry, fish or seafood. Some sources, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) at foodsafety.gov, say if you boil the marinade for five minutes you can reuse it. If you plan on using the marinade as a sauce, the best bet is to make extra to serve on the side.
Try this recipe for Herb-Marinated Chicken Thighs served with an easy tomato salsa.
Herb-Marinated Chicken Thighs with Tomato Salsa
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus marinating time)
Total time: 45 minutes
8 bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat, leave skin on
Marinade
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon or orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs such as tarragon, oregano or thyme
Favorite all-purpose seasoning blend
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 small shallot or 2 green onions, chopped fine
Salsa
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro
3 green onions or white onion, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the chicken thighs in a plastic sealable bag. Whisk together all the marinade ingredients and pour over the chicken. Work the marinade into the chicken by pressing on the outside of the bag with both hands. Squeeze air out of the bag and seal it. Marinate at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
To make the salsa: Combine all the salsa ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat the grill to medium. Oil the grill grates. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade.
Place the chicken on the grill, skin side down. Grill until the skin easily releases from the grates, about 8 minutes. Watch carefully; if it starts to burn, move to a cooler area of the grill. Turn over and cook until the chicken is thoroughly cooked through about 13-15 minutes more, depending on the size.
Remove from the grill; serve with salsa.
From and tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.
Analysis without skin.
293 calories (63 percent from fat), 20 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 6 g carbohydrate, 21 g protein, 75 mg sodium, 74 mg cholesterol, 32 mg calcium, 1 g fiber.
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