Green Sriracha Basil Marinade for Chicken (pork or shrimp, too!)

Sriracha is red, right? Not if it's GREEN sriracha! Never heard of it? Neither had I, but as soon as I saw it in a recent new products section of Bon Appetit, I had to try it! Oh, yeah. It. Is. AWESOME!

The new (to me) hot sauce still packs a nice wallop of heat, but has more nuances of flavor...in my humble opinion, anyway. Hotter than jalapenos, the sauce is made with green serranos that are kissed with an herbal sweetness along with fresh citrus and floral notes. It's consistency has more oomph, too. That help to give the marinade a nice stickability (that's a perfectly acceptable word to explain how the marinade clung to chicken without pooling into the corner of the ziplock plastic bag!).

Although there are a couple of green sriracha brands out there, the one I found (thank you Amazon) and used was a Japanese variety (made in New Jersey in the good old USA!) by Musashi. The Musashi people call it Midori Sriracha. Why? No clue here except that maybe it's green color is a nod to the green Japanese liqueur, Midori. It sure doesn't taste like the sweet melon liqueur!



You got a little hint above that my inaugural use involved a marinade for chicken...what else carries flavors so well on the grill?! In keeping with the green theme of the hot sauce, almost everything else in the emerald amalgamation was also green...lime zest and juice, fresh basil, avocado oil with just a bit of non-green garlic and agave syrup.

Oh my, that grilled chicken was good! The flavor profile was unlike any marinade I'd done before...in a VERY good way. Sweet, spicy, hebal, citrusy...all the flavors of Musashi Midori Sriracha and then some.

Hmmmmmm....I wonder what the result of a Midori liqueur and Musashi Midori Sriracha cocktail would be? I think further experimentation just might be in the offing this weekend. Summery new deck drink perhaps?????

Green Sriracha Basil Marinade for Chicken

(Pork and Shrimp, too!)

• 1 t Musashi Midori Sriracha (this is the only one I can vouch for at this time)
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 2 T fresh basil, finely minced
• 1 T agave syrup (or a mild honey)
• 1 juicy lime, zested and then juiced
• 2 T avocado oil - or other mild cooking oil
• 1 t Kosher salt

• 4 chicken breasts or protein of your choice such as pork or shrimp

In a zip top bag large enough to hold the chicken (or whatever protein you use), add all the marinade ingredients and smoosh them around until homogenized. 

Add your chicken (or whatever) and marinate at least 3 hours or overnight.

Heat up your grill, remove the chicken from the marinade and grill to perfection!

NOTE: I grilled veggies at the same time for a simple, healthy dinner. AND it made for a great salad on top of greens for lunch the next day!