It is Memorial Day weekend which means summer is just around the corner and it seems the warmer temperatures are finally, well hopefully here to stay!  Summer to me means moving a lot of my cooking outside so I can enjoy the fresh air instead of being in the kitchen.  I also find cooking on the grill = less mess in the kitchen and a little less clean up which gets me outside more as well!

Summer also means a lot of picnics or easy leftover nights so we can stay and play at the beach or pool longer.  I  find grilled meats are great for picnics or leftovers because they taste good at room temperature as well.    If you feel the same way I thought it would be helpful to share some of my favorite easy marinades that I use on rotation for chicken and pork.  I actually don’t marinate my steak.  I have found that if you buy a good quality piece all it needs is a little salt (and sometimes garlic and herbs).

My Favorite Easy Marinades for Chicken or Pork

I recommend you marinate for 3-4 hours at a minimum or up to 24 hours.  Doing it the night before is actually helpful to make the morning less stressful.  I also sometimes like to buy my meat in bulk and marinate it when I separate it before I freeze it.

Honey Harissa:

• 2 lbs pork tenderloin or chicken
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp harissa

Teriyaki: 

Marinate Time: 4 hours is enough but this is really really good if you do it over night

• 3 lbs chicken or pork tenderloin
• 1/2 cup soy or coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger or 2 tsp freshly grated ginger

Rosemary & Garlic Marinade:

• 2 lbs pork tenderloin or chicken
• 1 TBS Olive Oil
• 1 TSP Salt
• A Bunch of Rosemary
• 1 TSP Minced Garlic (about 2 cloves)

Chicken Marinades

Pesto

My Spinach Pesto Makes a great marinade!  I use half of this batch to marinade and then save the rest for a drizzle or dipping after (add 2 tbsp of water if you want to drizzle)

Ranch

Use my Easy Yogurt Ranch Dip & Dressing as a Marinade

Healthy & Simple Yogurt Chicken Kebabs – check out the full recipe here!

Mixed Herb

• 1.5 lbs chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 lemon squeezed
• A handful of mixed herbs about 2tbs chopped