Everyone is always on the hunt for tips, tricks and hacks to make their time in the kitchen more efficient. But the issue with many of these tricks is that they bypass flavour, leaving you with quickly prepared but dull, bland food.
That is why many people turn to marinades, experimenting with marinading different proteins together to ensure a tasty, nutritious dinner with little effort.Â
Take the classic combination of chicken and potatoes. Can the same kind of co-marinating be as successful when used with a mix of vegetables and proteins?
As chicken is one of the mildest-tasting proteins, it will not change the taste of the potatoes if the two were to marinate together. In fact, marinating chicken and potatoes together can drastically improve the taste of both ingredients.Â
How Long To Marinate Chicken And Potatoes
The main reason that chicken and potatoes are such well-suited ingredients to marinate together is because they can both be marinated for the same amount of time without becoming mushy or over-tender.
Of course, this may only be true of some chicken and potato combinations.
Potatoes that have a lower amount of starch or chicken pieces that are cut up to be smaller than bite-sized will not need as long to marinate as starch-heavy potatoes and full chicken breasts.
But as a general rule, you can assume that your chicken and potatoes can be marinated for the same length of time.Â
To ensure that your chicken and potatoes, and subsequently your meal, get as much flavour from your marinade as possible, you should leave them to marinade in the fridge for around 12 hours or overnight.
If you are in a rush but still want great-tasting food, you should marinate your chicken and potatoes together for at least 1 hour, if not 2.Â
When To Avoid Marinating Chicken And Potatoes Together
There is really only one time you should avoid mixing chicken and potatoes together in the same marinate, and that is when you are using a particularly acidic marinade.
The whole point of an acidic marinade is to break down the tough parts of an ingredient to make it perfectly tender. This is especially true of tough meats like beef or pork, though tenderised chicken can be just as delicious.
However, no matter how starchy, firm or large your potatoes are, they are much more likely to break down considerably quicker than chicken in the acidic marinade.
The potatoes will not only lose their shape but will turn to mush, which could ruin the intent of your dish. So, keeping the chicken and potatoes separate is best if you plan on using an acidic marinade.Â
An acidic marinade will likely consist of high levels of lemon juice, vinegar or even tomatoes – essentially any ingredient that leaves you with that bitter sourness.
You can use just a few drops of lemon juice, for example, when marinating both your chicken and potatoes together. But acid-rich marinades should be avoided.Â
How To Cook Marinaded Potatoes
To most people, marinating potatoes is a new concept, as potatoes are very good at picking up and absorbing flavours. So you don’t need to marinade your potatoes to have a great-tasting dish like you would have to do with chicken or other meats.
However, there is nothing wrong with marinating your potatoes before cooking them.
In fact, the only thing they will do to your dish is make it even more flavourful. Especially if you marinade chicken and potatoes together, as it will save you from making two different marinades but still ensure a tasty, easy dish.Â
The Oven is Best
Once you are ready to cook your potatoes, the best option is in the oven.
They will be full of flavour and the marinade will leak out a little while the potatoes begin to cook, creating a sticky sauce that can leave your potatoes moist and delicious.
You can also grill the potatoes if you have marinaded your potatoes in an oil or alcohol-based marinade.Â
How To Best Cook Chicken And Potatoes Marinaded Together
The best way to cook your marinaded chicken and potatoes is to cook them in a similar way to regular marinaded potatoes.
That is, in the oven.
As the potatoes and chicken cook, the marinade will start sweating out of the ingredients, creating the perfect thick glaze-like flavouring. However, there will still be plenty of marinade left in the chicken and potatoes for them to keep their flavour.Â
Avoid Adding Fat
What you should avoid doing is cooking your marinated chicken and potatoes in a lot of oil or fat.
Depending on the type of marinade you have used, your potatoes will not crisp up like they would usually in oil as they will still be very moist, full of that marinade.
Instead, they may turn mushy or limp in the oil, and the oil will disbalance the flavour of the marinade.Â
You can still cook marinated chicken in oil or fat; that is not a problem. The issue arises when you try to cook both the marinaded chicken and potatoes together in oil.
Marinating Chicken and Potatoes FAQs
If you have more questions about marinating chicken with potatoes, then these FAQs might clear up your queries:
Yes, it’s a great way to save on the washing up too! But, it would be best if you considered whether the marinade you’re using will work with both the chicken and the veggies. A highly acidic mix might toughen up the chicken, for example.
Chicken and potatoes absorb marinades in similar ways. Other meat, such as beef, will need far longer to absorb flavours which can ruin the potatoes, unfortunately.
Sources
Where we obtain our information and verify the facts in this article:
Food 52
Roasted chicken with potatoes and chickpeas recipe
Fit Foodie Finds
Six marinades for chicken
Acacia may be a freelance writer by day, but they are a food fanatic by night. They are always trying out new recipes or finding different ways to elevate classical dishes. But their biggest culinary aim is to educate others on the basics of the kitchen so that they too can enjoy delicious food.
