Choosing the right chicken marinade can result in a blissful dinner for those partaking; however, if this decision is made in haste, you may leave your guests permanently wishing they didn't know you. What may seem like a simple enough task sometimes leaves the chef crippled with possibilities. In order to choose the right chicken marinade from an endless supply of options, keep in mind your guests, resources, and the characteristics of the meal.
The dinner guest is a key component to take into consideration when choosing a marinade. For example, a meal for 12 five-year-olds would not be the same as one prepared for the queen of England. Understanding the type of person or people you are cooking for and their personal preferences will help to decide what type of marinade to use. To get some ideas, it may be helpful to browse food magazines or online recipe resources. These will help initiate ideas for different types of marinades.
Once you have narrowed down your options and taken into consideration your guests, it is time to evaluate other considerations. Among these are your resources. Few people have an endless supply of culinary goods or money to purchase them, so it is important on this front to work within your means. If an Italian marinade sounds good and you have the ingredients, this may be a wise choice. If there is a French marinade requiring a plethora of expensive ingredients — none of which are present in your kitchen — it may be wise to opt out.
The characteristics of the meal are also important to factor into your decision. If you are cooking dinner, for example, you may want to choose a more formal marinade than for a lunch. Cooking for a large group of people versus a small gathering can also alter the choice of chicken marinade. Additionally, some marinades require a long time to sit before preparation, and if the dinner must be made by a certain time, then you should consider the length of the marinading process as well.
A good way to start the process of selecting the right chicken marinade is to get ideas. View as many cooking resources as you can, and perhaps narrow your list down to the five or six that sound best to you. After this, take into consideration your guests, meal type, and resources to further refine your choice. Then, you can compose an immaculate dish that your guests will obsess about for a long time.
