SIGN UP FOR MY FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER DELICIOUS FAMILY-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Real Life Dinner

Recipes your real life family will love!

  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Apraxia
  • Family
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google Plus
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • RSS

July 22, 2016 35 Comments

Famous Sanpete County Barbecue Turkey and Chicken Marinade

Famous-Sanpete-County-Barbecue-Turkey-and-turkey-marinadeYou Guys, this Famous Sanpete County Barbecue Turkey and Chicken Marinade is basically my family’s lifeblood. I seriously can’t think of one summer get-together or reunion where this delicious barbecued turkey wasn’t served. Check out these 25 Summer Recipes You’ll Love to serve with the barbecued turkey or chicken.

I come from a long line of people who love to eat. So the fact that this is prepared so frequently among us should give you a pretty good indication of how ridiculously AWESOME it is.

More Turkey & Chicken Recipes

  • Sheet Pan Fajitas
  • Sun-dried Tomato Turkey Meatballs
  • Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets
  • Pesto Parmesan Chicken
  • Simple “How to” Tips for Cooking a Turkey
  • Turkey Zucchini Porcupine Meatballs

So, yes, it is famous among our extended family, but it is also famous because it is served to thousands of people every summer during the Manti Mormon Miracle Pageant that is held in Manti, Utah, (Sanpete County) every June.

Manti is a small town. In an effort to fundraise and feed all the people who flood the small city every summer, church groups from the area prepare this delicious marinade to make the turkey breast extra moist and flavorful.

They use turkey meat because Sanpete County is home to a GIANT Turkey Processing Plant, and they can get the meat for a very good price.

Famous-Sanpete-County-Barbecue-Turkey-and-turkey-marinade

how to make famous Sanpete county barbecue turkey and chicken marinade

  • Mix all ingredients together.
  • Cut large turkey breast in thirds or chicken breasts in half. Place the pieces in a large bowl with a tight-fitting lid or Ziploc bags.
  • Add marinade to prepared meat and refrigerate for at least 12 but, preferably, 24 hours.
  • Stir or flip once or twice if possible during marinating time.
  • Using an outdoor grill, grill meat until cooked through.
  • Enjoy! 

Luckily, the marinade also tastes great on chicken, and out here where I live, boneless turkey breast can be really expensive. Chicken is a much more affordable option and still delicious.

My parents live close enough to the turkey processing plant that they buy turkey breast by 10 or 20 lb blocks. Just this past month when we were in Utah, they marinated and barbecued about 20 lbs worth of turkey breast. My dad and my brother, Matt, have the grilling down to a perfected science. There were 40 of us home at that time, and let’s just say it didn’t last very long. It is sooooo good.

This marinade is also awesome made gluten-free. In place of the soy sauce, use liquid aminos so it’s gluten-free. We have a few people in our family that cannot have gluten, and this is a great thing to make when feeding them.

Famous-Sanpete-County-Barbecue-Turkey-and-turkey-marinadeMy mom, who I consider an expert in marinating turkey, saves and uses empty 5-qt ice cream buckets to marinate the meat in. They have a tight-fitting lid and are much easier to get the meat out of than a Ziploc bag.

If there was one thing I could personally force you to make for your family or guests this summer, this is it–barbecued turkey or chicken breasts marinated in this simple awesome marinade. Grilled. Summer. Perfection.

Tips for making Famous Sanpete County Barbecue Turkey and Chicken Marinade
  • My mom likes to marinate the meat in an empty 5-quart ice cream bucket. A large bowl with a tight-fitting lid works well, too, or dividing it up into Ziploc bags works, too. It is just easier to get the meat out of a bowl or bucket when grilling than out of a tipsy bag.
  • Chicken tenders also work well for this recipe.
  • Marinate the meat for at least 12 but, preferably, 24 hours.
  • We usually serve it with baked potatoes, green beans or corn on the cob, rolls, and jello salad.

a pinterest collage photo of famous sanpete barbecue turkey and chicken marinade. it has one picture in it.

Perfect side dishes

Orange Tapioca Jello Salad {Family Favorite}Perfect Microwaved Corn on the Cob in Your Deep Covered BakerLion-house-dinner-rolls-recipeLion House Rolls

5.0 from 4 reviews
Famous Sanpete County Barbecue Turkey and Chicken Marinade
 
Print
Prep time
24 hours
Cook time
10 mins
Total time
24 hours 10 mins
 
World's easiest and most delicious marinade for Turkey or Chicken Breasts.
Author: Someone in Sanpete County
Recipe type: Meat Marinade
Cuisine: Barbecue
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Sprite
  • ⅔ cup soy sauce
  • 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 tbsp horseradish, bottled or finely grated
  • 1½ tsp garlic powder
  • This is enough marinade for 5-10 lbs of meat.
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together.
  2. Cut large turkey breasts in thirds or chicken breasts in half. Place the pieces in a large bowl with a tight-fitting lid or Ziploc bags.
  3. Add marinade to prepared meat and refrigerate for at least 12 but, preferably, 24 hours. Stir or flip once or twice if possible during marinating time.
  4. Using an outdoor grill, grill meat until cooked through.
  5. We usually serve it with baked potatoes, green beans or corn on the cob, rolls, and jello salad.
3.5.3251

Don't forget Dessert

Fresh-Strawberry-Pie-Recipe-Easy-PeasyFresh Strawberry Pie Recipe…Amazing!Raspberry-Lemon-Tart-dessert-bars-recipe-real-life-dinner--Fresh Raspberry Lemon Tart BarsBest-Lemon-Blueberry-Bundt-CakeBest Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
a pinterest collage photo of famous sanpete county barbecue turkey and chicken marinade. it has two pictures in it.

Chicken, Condiments, Family Favorite Recipes, Fourth of July, Gluten Free, Grilling, Holiday, Recipes, Sauces, Seasonal, Summer, Turkey
barbecue chicken, barbecue chicken marinade, barbecue turkey marinade, barbecued turkey, chicken marinade, easy chicken marinade, famous Sanpete County barbecue chicken marinade, Famous Sanpete County Barbecue Turkey and Chicken Marinade, Famous Sanpete County Barbecue Turkey marinade, grilled chicken, grilled turkey, marinade recipes, marinade recipes for chicken, marinade recipes for grilling, Sanpete County Barbecue Marinade, sanpete county marinade
35 Comments

Like it? Share it!

Yum

Subscribe and never miss another recipe!

Sign up above and receive delicious family-friendly recipes directly in your email inbox!

35 Comments

  1. Alberta

    July 26, 2016 at 6:35 pm

    What!? You were in Sanpete and didn’t come visit us? 🙁 We’ve lived here 2 years now and still haven’t tried the bbq turkey. I guess we’d better now! 😉

    to Alberta" aria-label='reply to this comment to Alberta'>reply to this comment
    • Maria

      August 1, 2016 at 3:48 pm

      We actually weren’t in Sanpete this year, but if we ever are I will definitely drop in to say hi! Miss you guys.

      to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment
    • Joan

      April 9, 2018 at 11:44 pm

      How does this work on beef steaks?

      to Joan" aria-label='reply to this comment to Joan'>reply to this comment
      • Maria

        April 18, 2018 at 7:37 pm

        Hi Joan, I haven’t ever tried it with Beef Steaks.

        to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment
        • Bonny Dansie

          September 30, 2018 at 2:40 am

          Really good with beef steaks. We don’t use the spices, just the marinade

          to Bonny Dansie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Bonny Dansie'>reply to this comment
          • Maria

            October 17, 2018 at 3:01 pm

            Yum!

    • Scott Hansen

      November 10, 2019 at 11:34 pm

      So do you use this marinade for the large boneless norbest turkey loaf? I don’t know what else to call it but it’s about 12lbs of where and dark boneless turkey meat?

      to Scott Hansen" aria-label='reply to this comment to Scott Hansen'>reply to this comment
      • Maria

        May 12, 2020 at 4:43 pm

        No, I use pieces of turkey breast. If you can’t find turkey breast, you can use chicken.

        to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment
    • Ken

      February 10, 2020 at 7:24 pm

      Soy sauce has gluten.

      to Ken" aria-label='reply to this comment to Ken'>reply to this comment
      • Maria

        February 13, 2020 at 11:36 am

        Yes, if you need it to be gluten free you will need to use amino acids which have a similar flavor, In my experience you need less of the amino acids, about 2/3 of what you would use of soy sauce.

        to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment
      • Christina

        July 8, 2021 at 2:38 pm

        I have found that Kroger brand Chinese Inspirations does not have Gluten or Wheat.

        to Christina" aria-label='reply to this comment to Christina'>reply to this comment
  2. Jileen

    August 13, 2016 at 7:27 pm

    We tried this the other day and my family loved it! I’ve been to the Manti pageant (a very LONG time ago) but never knew this barbecued turkey was “a thing”. I made it with chicken and it truly was delicious…thanks for sharing!! Hope your summer has been fun 🙂

    to Jileen" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jileen'>reply to this comment
    • Maria

      August 19, 2016 at 4:28 pm

      Yay! I am so glad you liked it! If you ever make it back to the pageant you’ll have to get some of the real deal. 🙂

      to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment
      • Rose

        June 2, 2019 at 3:04 pm

        FYI- Unfortunately, soy sauce does contain wheat and gluten.

        to Rose" aria-label='reply to this comment to Rose'>reply to this comment
  3. Theresa

    April 13, 2017 at 9:22 pm

    Thanks for the recipe. I made it with chicken thighs and legs. It tastes great.

    to Theresa" aria-label='reply to this comment to Theresa'>reply to this comment
    • Maria

      May 2, 2017 at 6:03 pm

      Awesome! I’ll have to try that sometime.

      to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment
  4. SherRee

    July 5, 2018 at 9:18 pm

    I’ve made it with steak, just used Dr pepper instead of Sprite. It was awesome!!

    to SherRee" aria-label='reply to this comment to SherRee'>reply to this comment
    • Maria

      September 6, 2018 at 8:07 pm

      Yum!

      to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment
  5. Gringindio

    August 29, 2018 at 10:22 am

    I am going to try it with some rabbits the teachers quorum butchered this week… I’ll let you know how it goes! To be continued…

    to Gringindio" aria-label='reply to this comment to Gringindio'>reply to this comment
    • Maria

      September 6, 2018 at 2:54 pm

      Yes, let me know. 🙂

      to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment
  6. Yori Ludvigson

    September 14, 2018 at 2:18 pm

    I was raised in Sanpete and Sanpete BBQ Turkey and it is awesome. But it is NOT Gluten Free as stated. Soy has Gluten.

    to Yori Ludvigson" aria-label='reply to this comment to Yori Ludvigson'>reply to this comment
    • Maria

      September 17, 2018 at 2:18 pm

      Hi Yori, sorry, I should have stated that to make it gluten free you would need to use amino acids, or a gluten free soy sauce in place of regular soy sauce. Thanks for reminding me, I will update that to the post.

      to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment
  7. Jen

    September 15, 2018 at 3:41 pm

    Thank you for the recipe~!
    I’m from Emery County and lost my recipe a few years ago when I moved to Monroe. I was just in Gunnison and seen some turkey steaks at Gunnison Market, so tomorrow we’re having something we haven’t had forever.
    Thanks for posting this recipe – I needed a reprint and I appreciate you!
    Jen~

    to Jen" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jen'>reply to this comment
    • Maria

      September 17, 2018 at 2:17 pm

      Yum! I wish I lived where I could find Turkey steaks! So happy for you, and ……a little jealous! 🙂

      to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment
      • Ron

        July 17, 2019 at 5:13 pm

        Maria, have you ever tried Maddox online? They are southnof Brigham city, in Perry, Utah, along Hwy 89. When I’m close because I live in Sandy in the Salt Lake Valley I stop in at Maddox and buy two boxes of 6, of their turkey burger steaks.
        Ron (“in (Sandy)) a Utah”)

        to Ron" aria-label='reply to this comment to Ron'>reply to this comment
        • Maria

          May 14, 2020 at 6:23 am

          I love there Turkey Burger Steaks. When I lived in Logan I would get them at Sams Club. We haven’t lived in Utah since 2007 so I really miss them.

          to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment
  8. Gail LaFrentz

    September 17, 2018 at 11:27 pm

    I bought a frozen 5 pound Norbest turkey breast. So I cut it into individual servings before marinating?

    to Gail LaFrentz" aria-label='reply to this comment to Gail LaFrentz'>reply to this comment
    • Maria

      September 25, 2018 at 1:07 pm

      Genius!!!!

      to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment
  9. Danny

    December 17, 2018 at 5:13 pm

    Im sure going to try this recipe for x mas sounds so good

    to Danny" aria-label='reply to this comment to Danny'>reply to this comment
    • Maria

      February 28, 2019 at 10:53 pm

      Hope you liked it!

      to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment
  10. merilyn roberts

    April 2, 2021 at 2:21 pm

    can this be baked if one does not have a bar b que??

    to merilyn roberts" aria-label='reply to this comment to merilyn roberts'>reply to this comment
    • Maria

      April 5, 2021 at 12:29 pm

      The flavor is really enhanced when barbequed. I’ve pan fried it but never baked it and it was okay pan fried but not the same as grilled.

      to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment
  11. Callie

    August 30, 2021 at 10:46 am

    #augustgiveaway

    to Callie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Callie'>reply to this comment
  12. Barbara

    June 26, 2022 at 8:27 am

    If I don’t have horseradish, what would I substitute? TIA

    to Barbara" aria-label='reply to this comment to Barbara'>reply to this comment
    • Maria

      June 28, 2022 at 11:23 am

      Hi Barbara,

      Unfortunately there isn’t a good substitute for horseradish. You could try a little spicy mustard or a little fresh grated ginger, but the flavor will not be quite the same.

      to Maria" aria-label='reply to this comment to Maria'>reply to this comment

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

Welcome friends!

Hi, I'm Maria. A mom of five and a total foodie. My superpower is taking ordinary recipes and making them DELICIOUS. Your family will LOVE these meals! Come cook with me, I promise it will be amazing! Get started here or search my archives below.


When you start your Amazon shopping here, I receive a small percentage of the sale. Thank you for supporting Real Life Dinner.

Don’t Miss These

Back
to Top
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Apraxia
  • Family
  • About
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 Real Life Dinner  •  All Rights Reserved  •  Privacy Policy  •  Site Design by Emily White Designs