Twentysomething and the City: Mastering the Marinade: Salmon and Chicken

Savory Eats

The best mid-week dinners are time-efficient, versatile, and leftover-worthy (versatile: it can be prepared a million different ways) (leftover-worthy: I can bring the leftovers to work the next day for lunch). Salmon and chicken are staples in my diet...they are healthy and meet my three criteria above. After trying a handful of chicken and salmon recipes, I have landed on two foolproof marinades.

5-Minute Miso-Glazed Salmon

Ingredients:

1/4 cup white miso
1/3 cup sake
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons agave syrup (or honey)
4 skinless salmon fillets (5-6 ounces each)

Recipe:

1. Whisk all seven ingredients together in a bowl. Pour marinade on top of the salmon and let the salmon refrigerate in the marinade (30 minutes minimum and up to 2 days):

2. Preheat the broiler to high. Rub off excess marinade and place on broiler pan:

3. Broil until top surface is well charred and the salmon is barely warm in the center (about 5 minutes):

4. Serve immediately! (Nat gets the credit for finding and executing this great recipe. We ate the salmon with a side of roasted brussels sprouts and asparagus and some steamed artichoke - amazing.):

Garlic-Mustard Glazed Chicken Skewers
Smitted Kitchen adapted from Bobby Flay's recipe
Ingredients:
*Makes about 3/4 cup of marinade

1/4 cup whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (can substitute with 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Chicken breast

Recipe:

1. Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl. Let the marinade sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes minimum. Coat chicken in marinade and let sit for as long as you like. Best results seen when the chicken is grilled on skewers. But, if you don't have access to a grill, just stick the chicken in a pan and toss around until just done (To avoid drying out the chicken, don't overcook! But to avoid salmonella poisoning, don't undercook!):