I'm going to show you how to make this incredibly simple and highly effective grilled chicken marinade. It's so perfect and juicy and flavorful. It's an overall gorgeous way to grill chicken.
Am going to try this for supper tonight. Wondering if the bad reviews came from people using Miracle Whip or spread instead of "real" Mayo. Mixed up the marinade and it smells fine, will see how it is after cooking. UPDATE: This was the best marinade I have tried yet! I used skinless boneless breasts and marinated for 4 hours. Dried off the breasts, drizzled with olive oil and grilled in a cast iron grill pan as it was too windy and cold to do it outside. Fussy husband says to say NUM!!! He said 3 times, be sure and save this one, Hon!
Read MoreOther half said he liked that it was juicy and I did too, BUT.....the flavor was so boring and the marinade smelled weird. The maple with the soy and mayo was pointless since it really added nothing of interest, taste-wise, and again, the smell of it totally put me off. I used steak sauce on mine and I NEVER use that stuff. Not happenin in my house again.
Read MoreOther half said he liked that it was juicy and I did too, BUT.....the flavor was so boring and the marinade smelled weird. The maple with the soy and mayo was pointless since it really added nothing of interest, taste-wise, and again, the smell of it totally put me off. I used steak sauce on mine and I NEVER use that stuff. Not happenin in my house again.
Am going to try this for supper tonight. Wondering if the bad reviews came from people using Miracle Whip or spread instead of "real" Mayo. Mixed up the marinade and it smells fine, will see how it is after cooking. UPDATE: This was the best marinade I have tried yet! I used skinless boneless breasts and marinated for 4 hours. Dried off the breasts, drizzled with olive oil and grilled in a cast iron grill pan as it was too windy and cold to do it outside. Fussy husband says to say NUM!!! He said 3 times, be sure and save this one, Hon!
This looked like an odd marinade, and it was. Personally, I think you'll get a better marinade if you leave out the mayo and maple syrup, up the garlic by two more cloves (and mince them) and add a TBSP of light brown sugar.
I made this last night for a family get together. It was too dark to bar-b-que, so I baked it. It was sooooo delicious! I used chicken breasts(S/B)and thighs - put the breasts in first, then when half way done, added the thighs and basted the breasts with some of the marinade - oh so good. Did not change anything with regard to the recipe listed. Will make again and again - and bar-b-que (or bake) next time.
I thought this was actually quite good. I am a fan of Chef John and while this is different from any marinade I have made, my family really enjoyed it and I know I will make it again. Sometimes you just have to move away from tried and true and give a new recipe a try. This one is different, but it did not disappoint!
Made this tonight and it was awesome! Used honey instead of maple syrup,because my wife doesn't like maple...great tasting recipe. Definitely a keeper!
This recipe made me weep. Tears of joy. Made just as written. Excuse me, but I need to lick my fingers then find another kleenex...
I decided to try this recipe, mainly because I had all the ingredients on hand. We LOVED it. I followed the recipe as written, and used the quick marinade method (on the countertop in a ziploc bag for an hour). Served with fresh green beans and roasted butternut squash. Delish!
Very tasty! We really liked this recipe. Chicken was tender and moist. Sweet yet spicy flavor. This was a big hit at my house! Thank you!
Thought this was very good. Not sure what people are talking about when they say the marinade smells bad.....smelled great to me and tasted great! I used yogurt instead of mayo because I don't have mayo but that's the only change I made.
Easy to make. We thought it had good flavor. If you are expecting a normal barbecue flavor, of course this isn't for you. A sweet, tangy flavor. A welcome change for chicken. I broiled it.
I'm a big fan of Chef John, so I try a lot of his recipes. This one does not disappoint. I made it exactly as he suggested, except, (since I don't like dirty dishes), I used a gallon size zip lock bag to marinate the chicken in, instead of a flat baking dish. The chicken was moist and had a balanced flavor ... not overpowered by any of the contrasting ingredients. I'll definitely make it again. Thanks, Chef!
Wow! This was the best grilled chicken I've ever made. It turned out so moist and juicy and the color was awesome. I didn't have the chile pepper sauce so I substituted some smoky chipotle hot sauce and as a compliment I added about a teaspoon of smoked paprika to the marinade. I also didn't have the maple syrup so I used honey. I always seem to dry my chicken out on the grill so I used my bone-in chicken thighs and kept the skin on. I grilled over indirect heat and it took longer than the time specified in the recipe - took 45 minutes but my thighs were large. The final result was worth it! So yummy that this will be a regular in our house.
I consider myself a great cook, because I enjoy doing it and I get a lot of compliments. But with this recipe, you would have thought I was Emeril!! They loved it! And I didn't have enough time to marinate it and I baked it instead and it was perfect. If it was that good, I will marinate longer. Plus, I used sriracha for my Asian pepper sauce.
Made this in a 400 degree oven for hubby for Valentine's Day and he loved it. Moist and incredibly flavorful. The only change I made was I used my homemade Thai chili paste (chilis, garlic, vinegar, salt, sugar) instead of the garlic and Asain chili sauce. He can't wait to try it on the grill once the snow melts!
Chef John is a favorite of mine. I am from a generation where we were encouraged to try all foods. I am glad I did try this recipe. I recently had made an appetizer with mayo and maple syrup in it so I wasn't too put off by some of the reviewers, as it was delicious. I agreed with the guy who said this may be a different chicken marinde than you are used to, but worth the try. Full of flavor, I thought.
Awesome chicken! Great flavor & easy to make. I only marinated it for about 30 minutes & it was juicy, moist & had great flavor.
I used some green curry paste instead of the chili sauce, and I didn't have a lime. Instead of doing the thighs on the grill, I baked them at 350 F for about 50 min., until the internal temperature was 165 F. I like all the ingredients, but thought the mayo was a bit odd. The overall taste was good, though I'll probably look for a different recipe the next time I do thighs.
The first time I made it, yum! I pretty much followed the recipe (as much as I can ;) always more garlic and sweet to spicy balancing to my taste. I'm making it again tonight! But I've added fresh ginger more chilies, shallots extra garlic of course....so can't wait to try! And this time I remembered the lime! I'm hoping for 5 stars! Thank-you Chef John, I trust your recipes and love your easy style :)
Love this recipe! So easy and it's delicious without the hours of marinating. I'll toss this into my chicken and let it sit for 30 minutes then throw it on the BBQ, comes out great every time! A highly forgiving recipe that's great on all types of chicken!
I substituted greek yogurt for the mayo and marinated it for about 1.5 hrs. Great flavor!
What a great quick recipe! This is a complex sauce that I would have thought would be served in a restaurant only. But I was wrong, you can make it at home!! I love making new sauces especially since I tend to cook the same things out of convenience. I have to switch to a high protein diet due to health reasons, so I just bought some chicken thighs. I already had all of the ingredients at home so it was great to create a new flavor with what I already had. I just baked then broiled the thighs-no time to marinade so I had to throw this together and cook right away-and it turned out perfectly yummy! This is literally an awesome sauce!
I and my family enjoyed this—it smelled and tasted delicious. I don’t usually write reviews unless I precisely followed the recipe, so my apologies to Chef John (a favorite!) and the rest of you, but I felt I had to share. I did follow precisely except I used 3 cloves of garlic because we love garlic so much that I usually triple the amount called for in a recipe. After marinade was finished, though, I just wanted a little more heat and a little more sweet, so I added 1 Tbls orange marmalade and 1/2 tsp Siracha and voila! Hubby took leftovers to work and his co-workers moaned about him bringing such a delicious smelling lunch. Thanks again, Chef John!! A keeper!
I was optimistic about the marinade because it smelled good. I wasn't able to marinade the the chicken due to time constraints. I wasn't impressed with the overall taste of the dish when complete. Perhaps it was due to my pure maple syrup has a cinnamon stick resting in it.
This was really good made exactly how it instructs. I bought the sweet chili sauce sold in the Asian section that looks like a sweet and sour sauce because I was afraid the hot one would be too hot for me and this is spicy but mild. Not sure if this was the sauce he meant, but it was really good.
Simple recipe with lots of flavor. This is now a staple in my kitchen. I followed the recipe with the exception of the cooking method. Rather than grilling the chicken I browned both sides in a cast iron skillet then finished cooking the chicken in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until done. Delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Very tasty. I want to play with the ingredients a bit, however I can see this being on the table several times a year. I did reduce the hot Thai sauce considerably in deference to our spice sensitivities and think a single tsp will be about right.
This is a great recipe. The flavors are fantastic. I like heat, so I use a little extra sambal oelek. I've made this dish at least 7 times since I first tried it a couple of months ago. Delicious!
My favorite grilled chicken recipe! Love love love it! As usual, Chef John rocked my world! Wouldn’t change a thing about it.
The flavor of this chicken is amazing. I doubled the marinade because that is something I would do. I'm not sure that I needed to but it was so perfect the way I made it that I will probably always do it. It isn't spicy and it isn't sweet. It doesn't taste like soy sauce or mayo. it is just a unique flavor of everything combined. We loved it.
Very delicious, moist and flavorful! Had perfect amount of zip for us! Will definitely be making these on a regular basis! Thank you Chef John for sharing! So delicious!
This was tasty. I eliminated the sambal because I was cooking for young ones; I am sure it adds a nice kick. I would make it again; it was easy and tasty. Thanks!
Another winner, Chef John. Interesting play on the old standard Asian marinade. Bold flavors.
This is my first review on All Recipes because I will not rate any dish that I have made ANY alterations to. My family members are Chef John fans and I use many of his recipes. I made this recipe tonight exactly as written and it is now my go to recipe for grilling chicken thighs. Out of the ballpark grand slam!!!
Absolutely delicious! I made exactly as directed except I used skinless boneless chicken breast. It worked out perfectly...the meat was tasty, tender and moist. I loved adding the lime on top right before serving. It brightens up the taste. Thanks Chef John!
Eh. There wasn't anything wrong with this, it just wasn't noteworthy. I don't think it was worth buying a new bottle of maple syrup.
We have made it a few times exactly as written. Delicious! Tasty and easy! I've even made extra and vacuum packed for freezing when too busy.
I was anxious to try this even though I don't have a mortar and pestle. I also did not have the chili pepper sauce. So I had to improvise and it turned out really good. I chopped the garlic, added red pepper flakes, and put it with the other marinade ingredients into my magic bullet. The sauce came out smooth. I marinaded it all day and we really enjoyed it. I will make it again!
Delicious ! Used bone in skin on thighs. Followed marinade recipe exactly. Baked at 350 for 50 minutes. Will make again.
Very good recipe, thoroughly enjoyed it. Next time, I'll bump up the Asian chili sauce a little, as we could have used a bit more heat, but they grilled up beautifully with great flavor. Maybe our chicken thighs were not as large as others, but they were ready to come off the grill in about 7 minutes, and were juicy and tender. Definitely will be making these again.
Will definitely make again. We found they didn't have to cook as long as directed. Everyone loved them.
This was a nice change of pace. I too subbed honey for the maple syrup. Used leg quarters and slashed each several times to the bone before the marination. Grilled up nicely by searing skin side down for several minutes, then indirect method for about 45 minutes with charcoal kettle.
This was easy to prepare, common household ingredients for us except for the lime, which I did pick up, and the flavor was way beyond our expectations! I did make one sub in the marinade since I didn't have any sambal, I used sweet chili Thai sauce instead and added a few dashed of hot sauce to replace the heat. used skin on/bone in chicken (2 breasts, 5 thighs so I prepared a double recipe of the marinade) and it came off the grill looking like a picture and so fragrant! The garlic, soy and chili lend such awesome flavor but they can be over powering on their own. The maple syrup & mayo round out these flavors nicely and the rice wine vinegar I think just brings everything together. I do agree with some that the marinade smelled a bit weird but the chicken was divine!
I wanted to try this because I was intrigued by the list of ingredients. I used Sriracha hot chili sauce and apple cider vinegar in mine. Loved the "smoky" flavor the maple syrup gave this. It was a very good sauce that I will use again.
I omitted the chilli , used 2 cloves of garlic and oven baked the chicken on 250 degrees Celsius for 15 mins , basting with marinade every 5 mins. I then used the grill (broil) for a few mins to add some colour. Delicious ! Well all loved it and will make it again
Chef John, although I made some slight modifications, your recipe was a hit!! I was doing roughly 15 pounds of skinned and deboned thighs. Followed your marinade recipe exactly but more obviously! Can't BBQ where I live so I cooked the thighs in the oven on a raised silicone mat, 30 minutes at 180 C. They came out GREAT! The next day I made up more of the marinade (minus the mayo this time), thickened it with corn starch and poured it over the chicken (just enough to coat the chicken not drown it) and put it all in crockpots on the "keep warm" setting. :) Drizzled it with lime juice just before serving! It was a huge hit with everyone. No leftovers to everyone's disappointment! Thanks, Chef John!!
Easy to make. I used wings and home made mayonnaise (egg yolks , mustard and oi). I was making two chick recipes at the same time and got them mixed up. So I cooked this in the marinade instead of grilling it., Still tasted good.
I was a bit disappointed....recipe sounded great on paper, but flavor was not as bokkd as i would have liked. As others have said, not sure of the purpose of mayo. I will try again, but next time i will increase the oleg sambal to 3 tablespoons, more garlic and leave out the mayo.
I upped the amount of garlic by 1/2 and used sriracha for the Asian chili sauce. Marinated the the chicken thighs for right around three hours and then grilled for 10 minutes or so. The family were big fans of the result. I liked it but the flavor is somewhat mild.
I love this recipe - it's become a go-to favorite of mine! Super easy and very flavorful. I usually add a little extra hot chili sauce that I got when I was in China - it really spices it up!
I baked this instead of charcoal grilling and I think it would taste better on the charcoal grill and that's how I'll be making it next time. It is a really delicious maranade. You might wonder if it's hot because of the sambal olek but it is not. Just tasty.
We made this earlier this week and I was pleasantly surprised. My husband was less pleased, but since we have the ingredients, we'll make it again. I'm a big Chef John fan and trust his techniques.
This is the best marinade I have ever made & my family agrees! You could really taste the flavors in the chicken. I followed the grilling directions and the chicken turned out perfect! This is a keeper!
They were super easy to make. I marinated them overnight & they came out perfect exactly following the instructions. I doubled the quantity of chicken & doubled the marinade. A perfect BBQ dish!
Horrible! Mayo was a bad call. Marinade smelt odd and taste was very bland to say the least. Thighs are cheap and yet I am still upset I wasted them.
Solid marinade, have used it several times now. Substituted honey for maple syrup. So far I've always pan fried the chicken and I pour in the rest of the marinade at the end to let it caramelize - makes a great sauce/coating.
Great recipe.the chicken was nice and moist with lots of flavour. Will make again soon. Thanks Chef John.
this was very good, I accidentally set out chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) so I made them in the oven, turned out very juicy and tender. 350 till thermometer read safe to eat.
I used Boneless, Skinless Chicken Tenders, 4 + cloves of garlic and marinated over night in the fridge. They were juicy and delicious on the grill. I did the mortar and pestle thing but not sure how necessary that was to the recipe's success. Next time I will just chop or mince the garlic. Thanks Chef John!
The marinade really did a great job of flavoring the thighs. It wasn't overwhelming in flavor, but had just enough to make this meal taste well beyond boring chicken. I'll definitely make it again.
Delicious I used Bajan hot sauce, and honey. Baked it at 350 for 70 minutes. Basted half way through... Perfection
I made the recipe exactly as described. Very good! I made the marinade early and it sat in the refrigerator while my chicken thawed. Then I marinated for about two hours and grilled on the BBQ. Will definitely make again!
This was fabulous. I followed the directions exactly. I did make the marinade the night before but I didn’t put it over the chicken until 30 min before I wanted to grill. This is a keeper!
I love this one. Bring out the yummy grilled flavor without covering the chicken taste. Very adaptable to ones tastes.
Great recipe as is. However, you don't need a mortar & pestle. Put the marinade ingredients in a food processor. (The mayo will not break down, unless you want to mix it for an hour with a pestle). Food processor will make this smooth in seconds, put your whole garlic clove(s) in. You also don't have to grill it, you can bake it and marinate it as it bakes. I use thighs with the bone and skin on, 350 for two hours, turn every 20 minutes. Brush the marinade on each time you turn. Suggestion: Add, honey, hoisin, Frank's Red Hot chili sauce for an extra kick if you want spicy, the samba chili garlic sauce isn't spicy enough for me. (The great part is, you can taste your marinade and tweek it to your liking before you put it on the meat). Thank you for this recipe, it is great!
Very good recipe and easy to make. Interesting flavor.
I made double the marinade and prior to adding chicken, saved some for dipping. Also basted the chicken with used marinade during initial grilling.
I omitted the mayo as we don't like hot mayo and did not add salt. Besides the saltiness of the soya sauce and the heat from the Sambal you couldn't taste anything else. Just expected more, something might be missing?
My husband LOVED this chicken, but I didnt think it was that great (I just personally wasn't blown away by the flavour or the marinade). I marinated it for about 5 hours and used minced garlic out of a jar, but it was still nicely balanced. Would make it again for my hubby :)
This has been in my saved recipes for a while but I kept putting it off because some of the negative reviews were adamant about it being “weird”. I made the marinade exactly as directed and took a good sniff and I thought it smelled really good! I will probably double the chili sauce next time tho. I let the thighs marinate for 4 hours before putting them on the hot grill. I did 5 minutes on each side then kept flip-flopping them for another 5 minutes on each side. They looked exactly like Chef John’s. Hubby said he loved them and to make sure to put this in our regular rotation.
Excellent. I messed up and used sweet chili sauce instead of the chili sauce called for in the recipe. In retrospect this was a fortunate mistake since my daughter has a spicy heat aversion and this was fantastic as I cooked it.
I'm not a thigh lover, but my son is. Rave reviews and came back the next day to reheat the leftovers. (From a kid that doesn't like leftovers)
Love, love, love! I have tried this recipe a few time, each with a different cut of chicken. Stay away from the bone in breast cooked in the oven, but thighs or boneless breast (not as greasy) on the grill will win every time. I also like to take some of the marinade and caramelize it on the stove for an extra sticky sauce to brush over the cooked chicken.
I changed it just a bit, because we didn't have the sauce, but I think I made it better. I say this because my son doesn't eat chicken, ever. We struggle getting protein into him. This, he devoured. Instead of the sauce I added 1 tsp of cayenne pepper. I used my griddle for 10 minutes on the smooth side of the thighs, then 5 minutes on the opposite side. I transferred them to a Pyrex dish and into the oven for 35 minutes on 375°. Super juicy, very good flavor! I will be making this again, and again, and again.
Did not make any changes and I really liked it. Made a note of someone's comment that used plain yogurt instead of mayo as an interesting alternative. Second recipe in a week that uses mayo (not Miracle Whip). Try Best Scrambled Eggs with mayo - they are very very good. I think the mayo provides a base to all the flavors. I agree with another comment about trying something new even if it sounds weird and not being stuck with the tried and true.
This was a great marinade. I left them overnight and used boneless, skinless thighs. The mayo wasn't something I have ever put in a marinade but it helped to keep the chicken moist and kept it from sticking to the grill. Delicious!! The whole family loved it- even our five and eight year old boys!
Interesting combination of marinate ingredients that turned out pretty tasty! I baked this at 425 till the skin was crispy. I also used boned-in thighs with skin.
I use this recipe all the time. I usually put the marinade in a zip lock bag with the chicken, then throw it in the freezer. That way the meat thaws and marinates at the same time! Thanks Chef John, I love your food and your style!
