Three Easy Marinades for Chicken and Pork: Curry, Thai and Soy Sauce

BBQ season has been under way for a while, but maybe you are looking to change things up a bit? I’ve got just the thing for you! Three Easy Marinades for Chicken and Pork that will make your mouth water. Whether it is spices from India, coconut milk and lime from Thailand or soy sauce and honey for a sweet and sour Chinese flavour, there is something for everyone.

Why Marinate Meat?

Marinating meat before grilling it serves two purposes: it adds flavour and it makes the meat more tender.

Marinades can have many different flavours, but they often contain some kind of acidic element (lemon for example) and they always contain salt, which is what will help to bring out all of the flavour of the meat.

Marinating Method

Marinating meat may sound difficult but it really is so simple! The marinade is created by mixing all of the different ingredients together in a large bowl. There is no cooking involved at this time, it is just a case of assembling your ingredients.

Then you place the meat in the bowl, making sure every piece of meat is coated with the marinade. Cover, and put it into the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Generally, meat should be marinated for at least an hour for it to start taking on the flavour of the marinade. However, you can marinate it for longer, even over night if you wish.

You then cook your meat as desired: on the BBQ, in the oven or in a pan, it’s up to you!

As you can see, it is extremely simple to marinate meat. In my opinion, the most difficult part is being organised enough to think about marinating it before you’re ready to start cooking!

So, let’s have a look at the these Three Easy Marinades for Chicken and Pork.

Curry Marinade for Chicken and Pork

Ingredients (for 1kg meat)

• 1/2 can coconut milk
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp salt

This marinade uses some of the Indian flavours that our family loves. It is spicy, without the heat of chilli (just be careful of the Garam Masala which can sometimes be very spicy) and uses coconut milk as its base. The coconut milk will help to tenderise the meat while the spices will give it flavour.

I think you can exchange the coconut milk for yogurt for more of a tandoori feel, but I haven’t tried this since some of my family is allergic to milk.

Thai Marinade for Chicken and Pork

Ingredients (for 1kg meat)

• 1/2 can coconut milk
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• Juice of 1 lime
• A few sprigs of coriander, chopped

I love the delicate flavours of this marinade, it is especially good with chicken but would work with pork too. There is a mouth watering mix of sweetness from the coconut milk, saltiness from the fish sauce and acidity from the lime. Perfect!

Soy Sauce Marinade for Chicken and Pork

Ingredients (for 750g-1kg meat)

• 125ml soy sauce (gluten free if necessary)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp honey

I have been making this marinade for years and it is my personal favourite with pork chops. I just love sweet and sour flavours, and this marinade has it all! The soy sauce, lemon and honey go so well together and the garlic adds and extra flavour profile which brings it all together.

Which Marinade Will You Try?

So there you have it, three easy marinades for chicken and pork. They are so simple, but give so much flavour, what’s not to love?

Pin it for later!

Which one will you try? Let me know in the comments below, I love to hear from you 🙂

Do you like Asian flavours like this? You might enjoy my Asian Style Caramel Pork.

Looking for more gluten and dairy free meal ideas? Click here.