Tequila And Lime Grilled Chicken Recipe

Tequila and lime chicken has the same balance of flavors that you'll find in a perfect margarita, minus the orange liqueur — in fact, according to developer Julianne De Witt, this recipe is sometimes known as margarita chicken. As she tells us, it's "simple enough to prepare on a weeknight if you marinate the night before." In fact, she goes on to say, "The longer the chicken is marinated, the better it tastes," although you don't need to marinate the meat for 24 hours. In fact, De Witt cautions that you really shouldn't leave it in the marinade for longer than that because after more than a day of marinating, the acidic lime juice might make the chicken mushy.

This chicken dish is something that De Witt says "taste[s] even better the next day," and the best part of it is that you don't even have to reheat the leftovers but can instead eat them cold. You could also use the chicken to top a green salad, boost the flavor of a mayo-based chicken salad, or as a filling for tacos or quesadillas. The chicken should be good in the refrigerator for up to three days but can always be frozen if you need it to last longer.

The marinade for this chicken dish is made from tequila, lime juice, lime zest, salt, pepper, brown sugar, oregano, ancho chile powder, garlic, and cilantro. Mix these all together, add some boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and you're ready to get cooking. (Once the marinade has had a chance to soak in, that is.)

Prepare the marinade by adding the tequila, lime juice and zest, salt, pepper, brown sugar, oregano, ancho chile powder, garlic, and cilantro to a medium-sized bowl.

Whisk the ingredients together.

Add the chicken thighs to a baking dish in a single layer and pour over the marinade.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Flip the chicken once in the marinade.

Preheat a grill to 400 F.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, place it on the barbecue, and grill on one side for 5 minutes.

Flip the chicken and grill for 5 more minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.

Serve, garnished with more minced cilantro and lime slices, if desired.

Ancho chiles are the dried form of the poblano, which is a mild, sweet pepper that only registers 1,000–1,500 units on the Scoville scale. In comparative terms, this puts poblanos — and, by extension, anchos — about halfway between bell peppers and the mildest of jalapeños when it comes to their heat level. De Witt describes ancho chiles as being "subtly spicy, fruity, and smoky," while they can also be said to have a somewhat earthy flavor.

If you'd prefer to use diced fresh peppers instead of powdered dried ones, you could certainly swap them for poblanos, while Anaheims are also quite mild. Canned green chiles would also work for this purpose. If you do want a smoky pepper and you don't mind spicing things up a bit, chipotle powder would take the heat level up a notch, while smoked habanero powder, if you can find it, would make for a much fierier dish. For smoky flavor without too much heat, though, smoked paprika will probably be your best bet.

While De Witt likes to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, you can also use this marinade for chicken breasts or even use bone-in chicken parts, such as wings or drumsticks. Of course, you needn't limit yourself to using it with chicken alone, as it would also taste great with other types of meat. Use as a marinade for turkey cutlets or pork chops, for a steak you'll be using to make fajitas, or with fish, shrimp, or any other type of seafood.

Of course, as De Witt points out, even if you're just switching to a different type of chicken, "Cooking times will vary," and this also applies if you decide to use a different cooking method. This marinade, as it happens, isn't just good for grilling, but can also be used if you're baking, pan-searing, or sauteeing. Whatever you choose to cook, and whatever way you wish to cook it, using a meat thermometer will help ensure that your food reaches the optimum temperature.