5

I use peri peri sauce for grilling chicken, but it's coming out to be too sour. How can I neutralize the sauce?

Mien
  • 13,280
  • 37
  • 96
  • 139
rana
  • 51
  • 1
  • 1
  • 2
  • Use a recipe with less acid (typically lemon juice in the peri peri recipes I just googled), or reduce the acid in your current recipe. – SAJ14SAJ Aug 11 '13 at 20:02

2 Answers2

7

There is really no way to reduce the acidity in a marinade or sauce without creating undesirable flavor compounds. Adding a base would neutralize the acid but would also produce salts which don't taste so good.

If you are making a marinade then simply add less acid to it, however if you are using bottled sauce then you have a few options to deal with the excess acidity:

  • Add some water: thin the mix out, and you will reduce the acidity. You will reduce the overall level of flavor but at least it won't make the chicken too vinegary
  • Marinade using less sauce: Less sauce = less acidity
  • Marinade for less time: this will mean less acidity, but less penetration of the flavors into the chicken
  • Add some sweetener: this will not reduce the acidity but will balance it out

If it were me I'd combine some of the above, I'd add some sugar and maybe a bit of water until it's a bit weaker.

GdD
  • 74,019
  • 3
  • 128
  • 240
  • "Adding a base would neutralize the acid but would also produce salts which don't taste so good." ... in a sauce with strong other flavors, you might just get away with it - try with a small side batch :) – rackandboneman Jan 21 '16 at 10:25
0

Try marinading longer (e.g. overnight in fridge). The acid will be neutralized by the amino acids from the chicken and will also help tenderize the meat.

Thien
  • 1