Jalapeño–Cilantro Stem Marinade
Eric Kim
Photo by Bobbi Lin
- Serves
- about 1 cup marinade
- Prep Time
- 10 Minutes
The inspiration for this spicy, zesty marinade comes from my Aunt Julia, who immigrated from South Korea to Uruguay in the '80s. She always made chicken wings using a jalapeño-cilantro mixture similar to this one. I love how clean it tastes, how it really lets you appreciate the full, fresh flavor of jalapeños. Plus, it dyes everything a glorious green. It's good as a wing marinade, but even better on chicken thighs (which I've been known to turn into tacos).
Ingredients
- 4 large jalapeños, 1 whole, 3 deseeded
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup cilantro stems
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
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Directions
- Step 1
In a food processor or blender, blitz the jalapeños, garlic, cilantro stems, olive oil, salt, sugar, and pepper. That's it!
- Step 2
Now what?: You can keep this in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to a week and zhush up anything from chicken to steak, even salmon and shrimp. I think it tastes best as a chicken marinade, especially boneless, skinless thighs and wings. Just toss it with a couple pounds of either and leave to marinate in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight. Drain the chicken in a colander to get rid of excess marinade, then lay on a sheet pan and roast at 400° F for 20 to 25 minutes for thighs (and a little longer for wings).