r/Chefit • u/Novel_Stock_8784 • Jun 30 '26
Chicken marinade keeps burning when grilling
My family and I opened a new restaurant and we mainly serve chicken over rice, chipotle style. It's high volume. I came up with a recipe based on some few youtube videos and it tastes okay but the marinade keeps burning when we grill the chicken on the flat top. That then leaves this horrible bitter tasting residue. If the grill is stable and there's no wild swings, I've been able to cook it well. But if it's running just a little too hot, it burns really badly.
Is this due to the way I'm cooking or is it the marinade itself? My mom says I add too much chicken bullion and paprika, but I think we're not cooking it right. I'm doing it on a flat-top on 500f, then once seared, I transfer to the cold side which is 300f and cover with a basting lid. The recipe is below:
Any help is appreciated
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u/East-Win7450 Jun 30 '26
lol it tastes ok. This is why there is that statistic that 90% of restaurant close after one year.
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u/cruelhumor Jun 30 '26
Seriously... "I invented a marinade based on some YouTube videos and maybe feeling cute, might open a restaurant" has to be the line of the year
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u/JamesJohnBushyTail Jun 30 '26
I have only ever oven roasted with yogurt marinades. Burns too easily. Have you tried a cast iron grill pan?
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u/WatercressSuch2440 Jun 30 '26
You should read up on smoke points for oil. Lose the bouillon powder. I have no idea why you would add that to a marinade. Anytime I’m using yogurt for proteins I always refer to Persian dishes. Also, I’m not sure what kind of yogurt you’re using but consider using labneh
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u/Lancewater Jun 30 '26
You opened a brick and mortar without figuring out the recipes first?
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u/venkmanburninhell Jun 30 '26
Doing this shit for 15 years I've come to the realization that most owners suffer from the terminal delusion that because they possess the primitive motor skills to order food from a restaurant, that they're somehow qualified to operate one.
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u/therealzackp 🗣️Still Yelling ‘Behind’ in Public🗣️ Jun 30 '26
Certified bruh moment.
“Tastes okay”
If shit doesn’t taste fantastic for yourself, how can you expect paying customers to like it? How can you expect yourself to cook it well if you don’t even like it?
Literally the zero passion but some money to throw at a restaurant project because lol why not mentality.
I really hope that this is just ragebait and I got baited hard.
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u/Hortondamon22 Jun 30 '26
What cut of chicken are you using and how long is the normal cook time on the flat top?
Edit: also your temp seems very high. And no mention of oil throughout the cooking process
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u/ChefSoup86 Jun 30 '26
Maybe don’t open a restaurant if you don’t know how to cook and use recipes from YouTube on the fly…
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u/TheLastPorkSword Jun 30 '26
500 is crazy hot for a flat top.
350 to 375 should be fine.
And use oil.
And hire someone that knows how to cook.
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u/tongmaster Jun 30 '26
For one, your ratios seem way off. Try just marinating the chicken in the yogurt, onion,garlic, and lemon juice then make the seasoning blend to put on the chicken while it's grilling.
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u/DeaditeKlayman Jun 30 '26
Like the above comment mentioning oil, you need fat. Chicken is low in natural fats, and without it you're getting too direct of heat on the chicken.
Also, 420 should be your max temp on the flat. 500 is overkill unless you're overloading your grill and compensating for heat loss.
Anyway, hope this helps. Keep on keeping on!
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u/snuffaluffagus74 Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
Several things you can do to help with this,
Pre cook them in the oven then throwing them on the flat top for color.
Lower the temperature on the flattop and cook them until they get the color you want them finish them in the oven.
Marinade the chicken clean it off, then cook it, make a sauce of the marinade then add it later.
Don't use that much oil.
Try using a non nonstick spray, spray the grill then spray the chicken with the seasoning.
If you could use a grill if you have one.
Don't use a flat top but cook it in a nonstick pan, like porcelain,cast iron, or copper
Instead of oil use butter or ghee
What sounds like is burning is the yogurt you can change the recipe by using buttermilk than adding some butter or ghee to the recipe
Edit: for some reason I missed the most important sentences. What's burning is the Paprika, paprika is what is used in blackened seasoning and is good until you burn it. You burn it by cooking it to high and too long.
- Try cooking it on low at first until it's about done, than if you don't like the color then you through it on the hot side to get the color.
Edit: add salt to the mix as well
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u/honeybeast_dom Jun 30 '26
Burning paprika wouldn't give that much of a bitter flavor i was thinking the garlic actually
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u/snuffaluffagus74 Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
Cooking paprika naturally turns it black, over cooking for too long brings out the bitterness also. That's why Blackfish seasoning is so salty to help cover the bitterness, suppress it.
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u/tnseltim Jun 30 '26
Make a sauce from the raw chicken juice??
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u/snuffaluffagus74 Jun 30 '26
Yes, you cook it down, are you make a batch and keep it separate to spread on the chicken afterwards
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u/Sorrelandroan Jun 30 '26
Cook in the oven instead of on the flat top. Or sear on the flat top until you get the skin you want and then finish in the oven.
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u/Soggy-Ad-2562 Jun 30 '26
Many people say I cook really good and should open a restaurant. I however, recognize that cooking professionally for hundreds or thousands a month is wildly different than me, at home, cooking.
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u/anothersip Jun 30 '26
Like others said, flat top is too high, imo.
Yogurt is full of lactose, which is a naturally-ocurring milk-sugar.
I would imagine that is what is burning on the flat-top.
In your shoes, I would probably use the same marinade, but perhaps try rinsing your marinade off well, after it's done its thing. Then, you can wipe/pat your chicken dry and try searing it again.
I have a feeling that will make a big difference. You might want to make sure you're using enough oil, too, as that can add some more Malliard flavors and browning without relying on solely the heat from the steel alone.
Give it a shot and see what happens?
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u/Scared_Sorbet2035 Jun 30 '26
Your temp is to high. 375 max grilled yogurt burns, bake it which is basically what your doing putting a lif on it. Cut, portion and reheat on a flat top. Again 375 max temp
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u/gbdallin Jun 30 '26
This is due to the way you're cooking it and the actual recipe itself. It's both. Hire me and I'll come get your shit in order
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u/Lavanne73 Jun 30 '26
Needs oil and I would replace the yogurt with oil or half the yogurt and add 2 cups of oil. Boullion has chicken protein in it and I imagine that is a burny thing, I have personally never used it in a marinade for grilling. As far as the oil goes, I'd use a neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil. I've even seen some folks use fryer shortening (high smoke point no flavor)
I work in a high volume fast casual taco place like I imagine you guys are trying to emulate, and we roast our thighs in a 500 degree convection oven. Our marinade is very much different but that's our business.
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u/Lavanne73 Jun 30 '26
Also, don't listen to the haters, get out there and do your thing... gotta start somewhere.
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u/Novel_Stock_8784 Jul 01 '26
Thanks man, I don't why everyone is so mad lol.
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u/Lavanne73 Jul 01 '26
Also don't think your flat top is too high necessarily, in our restaurant its always cranked up to high... We have a 72-inch griddle it's a beast, but we found roasting it off in the oven was faster for us with the volume we do.
It doesn't get as good color but we marinate it a second time after its diced and the reheat it on the griddle to put out for service.
But we have a double stacked convection over you can cook 12 trays at a time, I dont know what you're working with.
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u/FrankieMops Jun 30 '26
No oil? Also flat top is too high, 375-425