The Absolute Best Marinade To Use For Flavorful BBQ Chicken

Though whipping up a marinade may seem like the most straightforward part about barbecuing chicken, it's a little trickier than that. Sure, you can slap on a store-bought marinade, but sometimes the flavor barely goes skin deep with those. To learn about the best marinade you can use for chicken, we spoke to an expert on all things barbecue: James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef and founder of Gatlin's BBQ and the recently opened Gatlin's Fins and Feathers, Greg Gatlin.

A good barbecue sauce is the cherry on top of chicken; it definitely enhances it, but sauce shouldn't be the only thing that makes the poultry delicious. For truly flavorful chicken, you'll need to first build a strong foundation. According to Gatlin, that foundation is the marinade, and he has the perfect blend for barbecued chicken that's always a hit. "The best marinade for barbecue chicken is to brine the chicken with salt, sugar, lemon, garlic, jalapeño juice, black pepper, and bay leaves," he says.

The combination strikes the perfect balance of savory and zesty, with a dash of sugar and spice. No single flavor is overwhelmingly strong, giving the chicken the perfect amount of punch. However, the brine goes a little deeper than that. "This process is super important because it imparts flavor all the way into chicken instead of it only being topical," emphasizes Gatlin. Both the lemon and vinegar-based jalapeño juice tenderize chicken, allowing flavor to penetrate more easily. Meanwhile, the salt keeps the chicken juicy while the sugar helps it to brown on the barbecue.

Depending on the size of your chicken, you can brine it for a maximum of 24 hours. If you'll be barbecuing smaller sizes, though, you can just keep it in the brine solution for around four hours. The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavorful it'll be. However, keep in mind that you should never brine your meat for too long. Otherwise, it'll turn out way too soft. If you're short on time, try to brine it for at least 30 minutes to give it a little bit of flavor.

Once the chicken has steeped in the brine long enough, drain it and pat it dry with paper towels. You can either brush it down with some barbecue sauce or go straight to cooking it. As long as it's in the marinade solution for a decent amount of time, you should walk away with flavorful chicken. Chef Greg Gatlin's recipe produces mouth-watering, tangy chicken, which means it will pair well with practically any classic barbecue side you could want. Draw out the sweetness of the chicken with slow cooker baked beans and a slice or two of moist cornbread. You can also balance out the smoky barbecue with a watermelon, cucumber, and halloumi salad or creamy coleslaw.