Before you fire up that grill this summer, consider using one of your homemade beers for a homebrew chicken marinade. Marinating chicken and meats in beer go a long way towards making them extra tender, juicy, and flavorful. Many different beer styles will work, but I’ve had the best results from brown ale, porter, pale ale, and witbier. Here are three homebrew beer chicken marinade recipes to try!
Grilled Beer Marinated Chicken Recipe with Spices and Lime
(via PicturetheRecipe.com)
Ingredients:
- 8-10 chicken drumsticks
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp onion salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 3/4 cloves garlic
- juice from 1/2 a lime
- 1 cup beer (use a homebrew!)
- handful of chopped fresh parsley
- salt to taste
Directions:
- Mix together all ingredients except the chicken in a large bowl.
- Add the chicken to a baking dish or plastic bag and pour the marinade over the chicken.
- Marinate in your refrigerator for at least two hours, or overnight.
- If needed, turn the chicken periodically to make sure it all gets some time to marinate!
- Grill the chicken for 25-30 minutes or until done. Discard the marinade.
- Enjoy with a homebrew!
Italian Garlic and Herb Beer Marinade for Grilled Chicken
(via theslowroastedItalian.com)
Ingredients:
- 1 12-oz bottle dark ale (try a porter or stout)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 large cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon basil (or 3 teaspoons dried)
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4-5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and washed
Directions:
- Place the chicken in a zip-lock plastic bag or large baking dish.
- Mix together all the remaining ingredients (except the beer) in a blender or food processor. Set aside 1/2 cup of the marinade.
- Pour the larger portion of the marinade plus eight ounces of beer over the chicken and marinate in your refrigerator for up to 24 hours. If needed, turn the chicken periodically to make sure it all comes in contact with the marinade.
- Before grilling, allow the chicken to come to room temperature by removing it from the fridge 30-60 minutes before grill time.
- Grill the chicken for 25-30 minutes or until done, using the reserved 1/2 cup of marinade for basting.
- Enjoy with a homebrew!
Beer Marinated Chicken Thighs with Garlic, Spices, and Cilantro
(via SimplyScratch.com)
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, pressed through a garlic press
- 1 tsp ancho chile pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 cup homebrewed beer (try a brown ale or witbier)
- 2 tbsp sesame seed oil
- Juice from half a large lime
Directions:
- Mix together all the ingredients except the chicken in a large bowl.
- Add the chicken to a baking dish or plastic bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Marinate in your refrigerator for at least two hours, or overnight.
- If needed, turn the chicken periodically to make sure it all gets some time to marinate!
- Grill the chicken thighs for 4-6 minutes per side until done. Discard the marinade.
- Enjoy with a homebrew!
Here’s another blog post for homebrewers who like to cook: How to Make Spent Grain Bread
Do you enjoy cooking with homebrew? What are some of your favorite recipes?
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David Ackley is a beer writer, brewer, and self-described “craft beer crusader.” He holds a General Certificate in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and is founder and editor of the Local Beer Blog.