how long to marinate chicken in Italian dressing?

emmagee

I did some chicken breasts last week that were marinated in Italian dressing, they marinated about 3 hours. Can they marinate longer? I would like to marinate them 24 hrs. or so, but for some reason I seem to remember reading that you don't want to marinate chicken too long in something like Italian dressing.

Thanks much and any info appreciated!

DrZaius

The only thing that I would be concerned about is pickling. Not that there is anything wrong with that. :blink:

doccjb

I've left chicken breasts in Italian dressing for over 24 hours on a number of occasions. The same technique works great for bone-in pork chops as well.

Austin Smoker

I've done them overnight with excellent results. I can't think you'd run into any problems unless you add some knd fo citrus.

SGT BBQ

No reason to worry. If you have doubts try marinating the chicken for 12 hours and continue to increase each cook there after.

TomM24

I go overnight use cherrywood and thighs and its awsome!

emmagee

Austin Smoker wrote:

I've done them overnight with excellent results. I can't think you'd run into any problems unless you add some knd fo citrus.

That must be it, I guess it is the acid in the citrus. I remember reading that there was something that it shouldn't marinate in too long and that makes sense.

Thanks!!!

RRP

I regularly marinate hammered chicken breasts for delicious sandwiches using Zesty Italian salad dressing for 4 hours. While I'm open to changes I wonder if someone can tell us if a longer period really makes any noticeable different in taste or texture.

egret

I've gone to the longer marinades, Ron. I usually do my chicken breasts for 24 hours......they really get saturated with the marinade and I can tell the difference in the taste. Try it sometime and see for yourself......

RRP

Don't get me wrong, John, but are you specifically saying you use Zesty Italian dressing straight out of the bottle for 24 hours on chicken breasts? My wife swears that one time I left the breasts in it for 12 hours and they were horrible, though I don't recall. As for longer marinades in general I agree longer is better except if it's Teriyaki or a citrus product then watch out or the gremlins in there will eat your meat! Hey, I even prefer to do a 4 day - YES 4 DAY - brine of my turkeys so I don't have a problem with time.

egret

Yep, that's what I'm sayin'! My favorite way to do boneless, skinless chicken breasts is to follow this procedure and, then, adding DP "Shakin' the Tree" before grilling direct at about 400 degrees dome temp........Awesome! The smell of these breasts right after taking off the egg is unbelievable!

RRP

Thanks, John. I use a favorite rub myself and then melt on a piece of Muenster cheese and serve with a touch of real Mayo on a diamond yeast bun plus a piece of lettuce. My better half loves that sandwich only second to my pork burgers!

emmagee

Thanks, guys, I appreciate all the comments!

Charleston Dave

At least 2 hours, and after 24 not much additional benefit if you're marinating in a zip-lock bag.

In a vacuum marinator like a Reveo, 20 minutes is plenty.

If you're using an acidic marinade (citrus juice), the acids are low enough pH to denature the protein strands in the exterior of the meat, so you tend to pre-cook the meat in a non-appetizing way. Nobody likes chicken ceviche.

Why not cut one chicken breast into strips and try marinating different strips for different times? Let us know your results.

I predict that after a certain point you will see diminishing returns, what the mathematicians refer to as an asymptotic curve. A thicker piece might require more time to get to that point.