No, I haven't tried marinating the chicken first, but sounds like a good idea to me! I have a difficult time regulating the heat on my stove-top when frying chicken. Even in a cast-iron skillet my chicken would get burnt spots. Thats why I always use my electric skillet. Just try to keep the oil medium hot at the beginning, then turn down a bit & continue frying until done. Good Luck Norma & let me know how you like the chicken. Cali : )