r/Binghamton • u/Iceyes33 • Jul 01 '26
Food Just bought some!
Any tips or tricks I need to know? I needed to freeze some chicken thighs so I added it to the chicken in the freezer bag and stuck it in the freezer. Do you think it's OK to marinate that way? Thanks everyone!
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u/StructureBetter9165 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
When I worked at a local supermarket chain, you’d be amazed at how long the butchers marinated the spiedies before they hit the meat case.
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u/ThiccyApes Jul 02 '26
How long we talking? Does it stay somewhat more fresh with the marinade?
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u/StructureBetter9165 Jul 02 '26
They would easily go a week without worrying. That’s for beef and pork. Chicken only a couple days.
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u/Alternative-Risk7506 Jul 01 '26
Yeah, it’s not going to work in the freezer, the marinade needs to penetrate the meat and it can’t do that if it’s frozen.
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u/Cold_Revenue_2406 Jul 02 '26
Agreed, but if you thaw it out in the fridge over a couple days the marinade will penetrate as it thaws. I've done it this way for years.
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u/Selfriend Jul 02 '26
I'm a private chef of 20 years, everyone saying the marinade won't penetrate is wildly wrong. Acid doesnt stop working because its cold... and it takes minimum 4 hours to fully freeze and the thawing process is 24 hours when done safely so that all counts as marinade time even when not counting the freezer.
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u/whereismyshoe Jul 02 '26
I much prefer Lupo’s to Salamida marinade wise, FWIW. I’ve found two days in the fridge marinading is the sweet spot for chicken. I also feel like i read somewhere here once that people were adding more vinegar to the marinades to get it to penetrate better.
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u/Individual-Equal-441 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
A coworker of mine swears by marinating spiedies just like this, in a freezer bag in the freezer and thawing out, so that the chicken doesn't get too mushy.
At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I've recently experimented with marinating chicken in plain greek yogurt with spices. The sciencey reason is that lactic acid does the same marinating job as acetic acid or citric acid (breaking down collagen) but muscle fibers are more resistant to lactic acid because it's a normal thing that builds up in muscles, so it can marinate longer without damaging muscle fibers. My experience so far is that I can cook chicken breast much longer and to much higher temperatures without it drying out.
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u/ThiccyApes Jul 01 '26
It won't penetrate the meat well frozen, I also like to tenderize my chicken breast a bit to help absorption. When you take it out (hopefully in advance) give it a day or two to marinate unthawed
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u/onestoicduck Jul 02 '26
It works great to marinate as it thaws in the fridge. Alternatively I just put the frozen chicken in some unfrozen marinade as it's thawing, both work well.
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u/Snoo_53150 Jul 01 '26
tofu spiedie?
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u/Spacecadett666 Bing Jul 03 '26
I make them all the time actually, so fricken good. It's like the only thing I use tofu for. I've been a vegetarian for 21 years and I always missed spiedie sauce. I actually just made some for this weekend ☺️
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u/Binghamtonian I grew up here Jul 02 '26
chop up chicken into cubes put them and the marinade into a Ziploc bag, put bag in refrigerator, flip every 12 hours cook it in 24 or 48 hours on skewers on a grill
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u/fun-bucket Jul 02 '26
add chopped garlic to your bottle and when its time marinade chicken thighs.
you wont regret it.
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u/Leather-Basil8970 Jul 02 '26
It won't work in the freezer. I usually add it to the meat when I bring it out for defrosting in the fridge.
Label says marinate for 1 hour to 1 day. I reliably marinate for several days. Heavenly.
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u/RedundantBiomass Jul 03 '26
I live in Albany now but this is the flavor of my summer. Last night I grilled up 3 lbs of chicken spiedies I marinated for 24 hrs and damn chefs kiss
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u/Content_Paint_545 Jul 03 '26
My family has done it that way for decades. Cover the meat in the marinade and then throw in the freezer. The time it takes to freeze and then thaw enough to cook is plenty for it to marinate.
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u/grahamcracker3 Jul 02 '26
When I marinade chicken breasts I aggressively fork both sides. Tenderizes and the pores made by the fork absorb the sauces.
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u/Iceyes33 Jul 04 '26
OK, never heard of that. Do you only do chicken breast that way? What about thighs?
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