Citrus Marinated Chicken Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you marinade chicken too long in citrus? ›

Important: If your marinade is full of fresh citrus or vinegar, like the one in this chicken skewers recipe, keep the marinating time below an hour for optimal results. Poultry marinated in citrus, like lemon or lime juices, or vinegars can turn mushy and stringy if left to soak for too long.

Tender Juicy Chicken: The acidic lemon juice helps break down muscle fibers, making the chicken more tender. The oil and other ingredients help lock in moisture, guaranteeing juicy, flavorful chicken. Flavorful: Lemon and garlic are a classic combo, while mustard adds tang, and red pepper flakes add a subtle kick.

As a rule of thumb, you can marinate chicken anywhere from 15 minutes to 12 hours for bone-in chicken or 2 hours for boneless. Past 12 hours, you risk the ingredients of the marinade (such as sugar, acid, and salt) breaking down the muscle fibers in the meat, causing it to go overly soft or mushy.

We like a little bit of tenderizing with meat, but when your chicken thighs are exposed to lemon juice, lime juice, yogurt, or vinegars for too long, the texture of the meat turns from tender to mushy and stringy, two words that have never been used in tandem to describe something pleasant.

The reason you do not want to marinate chicken for longer than 4 hours is that the acidic ingredients in the marinade (like vinegar, wine, or lemon juice) will begin to break down the structure of the meat too much and it will start to “cook” before ever touching a heat source.

Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.

Salt pulls out moisture from ingredients, so get too heavy-handed, and you'll be dousing on the sauce at dinner to compensate for a dry bird. Same goes for overly acidic marinades, says Carla Lalli Music, BA's food director. Be mindful of how much citrus and vinegar you add.

No, this is not a good idea.

Lemon juice and similar acidic components start "cooking" the chicken which can make it mushy if left too long. If you want to marinate in lemon marinade overnight, skip the lemon juice and double the amount of lemon zest instead.

Here's why: Lemon juice helps to tenderize meat, but when left for too long, it will break down the proteins too much, making the meat tough and rubbery… sometimes even mushy. So, if you want tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken, make sure to only marinate the chicken for 2-3 hours.

Can I Marinate Chicken for Too Long? The USDA recommends not keeping poultry in marinade for longer than two days, as it's possible that the marinade will start breaking down the meat's fibers and cause it to become mushy. A good rule of thumb is to keep marinating time under 24 hours.

What is the minimum time to marinate chicken? ›

But if you're really strapped for time, a minimum of 30 minutes will do the trick. Here's a cheat sheet for how long you should marinate your chicken, according to the chefs we spoke to: Chicken breast: 30 minutes to 2 hours. Dark meat like thighs or drumsticks: 30 minutes to 4 hours.

We suggest exploring options such as soaking meat in a marinade made with lemon, lime juice, or vinegar. However, don't leave your meat in lime or lemon juice for too long, or else it'll get too soft. Anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour is a good time frame for acidic marinades.

Citrus-based marinades are too high in acid for long marinating times. You should marinate the steaks for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes and absolutely no longer than two hours. Any longer in the marinade will start to break down the fibers in the meat turning it to a mushy texture.

For best results, meat should be marinated for 4-6 hours. Tender cuts of meat can be marinated for a shorter period of time. Always discard the marinade when you remove the meat for grilling or braaiing. Unused marinade that is used at a later stage may cause food poisoning.

Know the soaking time: As pineapple is acidic in nature, the resting time for the marinade should not be more than 12 hours. Soaking the meat in pineapple juice for longer may result in the cooking of the meat in the marinade.