The Sanpete Marinade is a family favorite.  Years ago my friend Jeri, gave me this delicious recipe.

I admit that when I first heard the ingredients I laughed.  Sanpete Marinade sounded like witches brew.  And when you stir it up it looks a little that way too.

Don’t be fooled though.  This stuff is good.  It makes the best marinade for grilled chicken I’ve ever had.   Even people who generally shy away from marinated meat may find themselves enjoying this chicken.

You  pour the marinade over the chicken (gently because of the soda pop)  and place it in the fridge for a few hours.   But not until you’ve done this one important thing to the chicken; pound it.

Using the smooth side of a meat mallet or the edge of a plate, wrap chicken in plastic or plastic bag and then gently hammer it until is all the same thickness throughout.  For chicken breasts that is usually about 1/2″ in thickness.  

This will help the meat to cook uniformly throughout and will be the tenderest chicken you’ve ever had.  It takes a few minutes extra and it is totally worth it.  

At the family reunion last week everyone looked at me like I was a little crazy as I pounded away on the chicken breasts for the evening meal.  At dinnertime 10 pounds of chicken was grilled to perfection and disappeared to rave reviews and a lot of yummy sounds.  Trust me.  This is a great secret for tender chicken that you should share with everyone.

The leftovers (if there are any) are fantastic on a sandwich, in a salad or just warmed up.   Enjoy!

Sanpete Marinade for Chicken

Laura Hickman

Best grilled chicken ever.

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Prep Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Servings 6 -8

Ingredients

  

• 2 pounds chicken breasts
• Marinade:
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup diet lemon lime soda pop
• 1/2 lemon juice and zest
• 1/2 tsp. chopped garlic

Instructions

 

• Place chicken breasts in plastic bag one at a time and pound gently with smooth side of meat mallet or edge of plate until chicken breasts are uniformly thick, about ½ inch. Place chicken in a gallon zip bag or large mixing bowl that can be covered.
• Mix together the marinade ingredients.
• Pour over chicken and cover tightly. Marinade in the refrigerator for 2-8 hours.
• To cook: Pour off marinade. Using medium to medium low heat on grill, allow chicken to cook, turning once, till juices run clear when cut with a knife, about 20 minutes.

Notes

This marinade is an excellent way to marinade turkey breast cutlets too. (No pounding necessary.)

Keyword marinaded grilled chicken recipe

As for the zucchini, It was simple and delicious.

Grilled Zucchini Planks

(serves 4)

2 medium zucchinis

3/4 tsp Montreal seasoning

1 T.  olive oil

1  T.  balsamic vinegar

1. Wash and cut off both ends of zucchinis.

2. Slice zucchini lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick planks

3. Spray vegetable oil onto grill pan*

4. Arrange planks on pan and sprinkle with olive oil and then with vinegar and Montreal seasoning.

5. Place pan on grill over medium to medium low heat and cook till hot and fork tender, turning over once.  (Grill about 8-10 minutes.)

6. Remove from grill and serve at once.

*You can place zucchini directly on grill, if no pan is available.  Watch closely so it doesn’t scorch.