Marinating, Searing and Pairing, Oh My! A Guide to Chicken Prep

I just rocked our baby to sleep and I already miss her, so I decided to write about searing and marinating chicken. There are so many tricks out there to make your meals tastier, from boiling your chicken breast in a boil bag (with the herbs inside) to freezing your chicken thighs with a marinade in each bag and then let them thaw naturally before roasting. I have tried each trick in the book (I think?) and have compiled a few favourite pairings. I swear, don't get me started on herbs pairing, such an underrated art! I sound a tad too poetic for the topic, but here are a few combinations for marinades and searing pairings- all based on the fresh herbs available at the market until my herbs garden blooms again!

For each option out there, I do have a cheat sheet: Zoë Olive Oils, a company that I have trusted with all my recipes for years (not paid to discuss this, simply gifted beautiful cooking products from them and have always happily emptied each bottle) create oils and salts that are already infused with herbs, paprika, citrus and chili (among many others, they even have wasabi oil) and I have used all of them to create 2-minute marinades and salad dressings. This is the kind of cheating I can get behind! Why slice a lemon if you can pour a few drops of oil for the same intense flavour? Laziness always wins with everyone's busy lifestyles nowadays. So just keep that in mind and check them out, the results have always been extremely satisfying and fancy tasting!

Searing

All you need to do is to melt the butter or olive oil over medium-high heat, bathe the herbs for a second and throw in the chicken (whichever parts, breasts or thighs) and let cook for 2-3 minutes on each side (while tilting the skillet and, using a spoon, throwing the juice over the meat), before popping them in the oven for roasting. It makes the chicken much juicier and the flavours more intense!

- Sage, garlic butter and shallots

-Parsley, butter and scallions

- Thyme, lemon juice and butter

- Rosemary, garlic and butter

-Italian herbs, thinly chopped parsley and olive oil

Additions: paprika salt, curry salt or chili salt!

Marinating

I like to prepare marinades either the morning of (hello, maternity leave benefits!) or a few days before and pop the chicken in freezer bags. The longer the ingredients get to know each other, the better!

-Honey, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, mustard and olive oil

-Soy sauce, Hoi Sin, lemon juice, brown sugar, sesame seeds, ground ginger

- Rosemary, parsley, lemon juice, thyme, smoked beech wood salt and olive oil

- If you have tandoori seasoning, try mixing coconut milk with olive oil and a few tbsp of the seasoning!