No one enjoys bland chicken breasts for dinner, but if you don’t how to flavor meat, that’s likely what you’ll end up with.
The good news is it’s really easy to take meat and seafood—whether it’s chicken, beef, or fish—from drab to delicious.
RELATED: 7 Healthy Chicken Dinners That Actually Aren't Boring
All you really need is a good marinade, and we’ve got recipes for five. Each has a totally different flavor profile, from spicy cayenne with garlic to zesty lemon with black pepper.
To make them, you’ll need just a few ingredients (most have fewer than five!) and just a couple of extra minutes to let your meat seep up the yumminess.
Making fast, delicious dinners just got much easier.
How to Flavor Meat: 5 Delicious Marinades
Garlic Lemon Chicken Marinade
The lemon-garlic-pepper combo is perfect for punching up grilled chicken you’re going to use throughout the week on salads, grain bowls, or alongside roasted veggies for dinner (i.e. farro and sweet potatoes both love it!), since the flavor is super versatile.
Mustard Chicken Marinade
When it comes to healthy cooking, Dijon is a secret-weapon ingredient. If you buy a quality brand, it packs a ton of flavor into a few simple ingredients without adding excess calories, fat, or sugar. This marinade pairs it with olive oil, lemon and a little herbal kick, thanks to tarragon.
Spicy Marinade
Cayenne is fiery and delicious because it contains a substance called capsaicin, which happens to also be known for its many health benefits, like curbing hunger. And it’s got a crowd-pleasing flavor profile that takes any protein (even, yes, tofu!) from bland to super tasty.
Green Tea Marinade for Chicken or Fish
Green tea with ginger and honey isn’t just for sipping. It’s also a great mix of ingredients for flavoring fish or chicken...and you get all of the same antioxidant-rich, immune system-boosting nutrients.
Soy Marinade
This one is the trick to better stir-fry and fried rice. Whether you’re throwing chicken, tofu, or grass-fed beef into the pan with lots of amazing veggies, it’ll add flavor to the protein of your choice. Another idea: use it flavor a piece of salmon served over soba noodles.