{Yummy} Recipe: Spicy Chicken Marinade

With Memorial Day only one week away, long(er) days, summer vacation, suntans and grilling are just around the corner.

YEAH!

We love to grill.  Actually, let me clarify.  Mr. Crumbs likes to grill.  I LOVE the clean-up that is a result of grilling – NONE!

Since I do the majority of the meal planning, I’m usually the one who prepares and cooks dinner.  However, when we grill, Mr. Crumbs is completely in charge.  He decides what meat to grill, he decides the rub or marinade, and he decides when we eat (simply because he’s cooking the meat!).

He’s found some fantastic marinades over the years.  I remember one that called for BBQ sauce, Italian dressing and a slew of other ingredients that I thought for sure would be AWFUL when combined.  I was wrong and that crazy marinade made a delicious dinner that we still reminisce about.

Notice I said reminisce… Even though it was really good, we’ve never made it again.

The downside to Mr. Crumbs choosing the marinades and/or rubs is he can’t remember what he’s put in.  He’ll remember the major stuff, but usually not the smaller items and asking about the measurements for each?  Forgetaboutit.  Once that meat is on the grill, the memory is wiped, the laptop is closed and the recipe for a great marinade is long lost in internet-land. 

A couple months ago he found a recipe that called for a good bit of lime juice.  We didn’t have enough, so we substituted for what we had on hand – margarita mix.

HOLY HAPPY TASTEBUDS BATMAN!

Our accidental discovery turned into a staple – anytime we grill any type of meat, we always use margarita mix as the basis for the marinade.  It contains citric acid, which breaks up the proteins in the meat to yield tenderness.  It has a kick of lime, which adds just a hint of brightness to the dinner.  It even has a bit of sugar, so no matter what else you add, the flavors won’t overpower the the rest of the meal.  The best part – it’s only one ingredient and SUPER easy to remember!

I tried a spicy chicken rub in April that was really, really good.  It got two thumbs up from the kids (which means it wasn’t too spicy) and made for excellent leftovers with Greek Couscous.  It was easy to make and all the ingredients were already in my spice cabinet (read as: it doesn’t need anything you probably don’t have either, and if you don’t have it, don’t stress and just leave it out).  Today’s {yummy} recipe is absolutely perfect for summer grilling nights and combines this delicious rub with our marinade staple.

Spicy Chicken Marinade

Rub Ingredients (makes about 1 cup)
4 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp dill weed
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder

Combine all of the ingredients and store in a container with a lid.  I re-purpose a small glass jar that used to hold jelly.

To make the marinade, combine 1 heaping tablespoon of the rub with one cup of margarita mix!  Easy & delicious!

What’s your favorite summer grilling recipe?

This post is shared at Mom’s Crazy Cooking, Life as Mom…