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Tequila Lime Chicken 4

This is what they call the dog days of summer here in Texas.  It is 150 degrees here in August and honestly the last thing I want to do is cook, but these little (I guess 6’3″ not so little anymore) people always want to eat.  So, I cook in August.  We have about 2 weeks left until school starts and that is when I will kick it into high gear. But, in the mean time I am trying to get a few family dinners in during the week just to get my kids off the damn x-box! It is so nice to just have a few minutes to see their beautiful faces without head phones on and to talk to them while they are looking me in the eye and not side-eye while they are looking at the screen.  Plus they need actual food in their growing bodies-Flaming Cheetos, gummy bears, yogurt, goldfish and Dr. Pepper aren’t exactly healthy:). But, we go back to the issue of its hot and I don’t want to cook… so this recipe is a really easy, a no clean up recipe.  And everyone loves it!! Tequila Lime Chicken.

I like to marinate this for a long as possible-overnight if I can think that far in advance.  But, if it’s 4pm and you are just now thinking about dinner then just marinate it for a couple hours or as long as you can hold off the monsters. And if it’s 4pm then just pour yourself a shot of tequila to help get through the witching hour! Yes we are still not past that and my oldest is 17!

Now grilling can be a bit tricky.  I have a gas grill which I love because I can turn it on and in 15 minutes it is ready to use, but it can also get really hot! You want to make sure to turn down the flame to medium-high not HIGH.  If you have the grill on HIGH what happens is the outside of the chicken gets done and the inside is still raw and by the time you get the inside cooked the outside is burned. Now since this recipe has honey in it you are going to get a bit of char on the outside, but you don’t want burnt. If you have a charcoal grill you will want to push the coals over to one side of the grill once they are white.  That way you have an indirect side of the grill that you can put the chicken on for the majority of the time. Then once the chicken is almost done you can move it over to the hot side for the last few minutes and get the beautiful char and grill marks.

I grill the chicken so I don’t make my kitchen hot with the oven, but if you do not have a grill you can by all means bake this in the oven.

Enjoy the last few days of summer or if you have started school then God Bless and good luck with homework:)

Tequila Lime Chicken 2

Tequila Lime Chicken 4
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Tequila Lime Chicken

A delicious summer dish! Chicken marinated in tequila, lime, garlic and chili.  How can it be bad? 

Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
  • 1/2 cup tequila
  • 2 limes, zested and juiced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced (wear gloves while chopping)
  • 2 teaspoons honey

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a plastic zip-top bag. Make sure the chicken is fully covered in the marinade. Place in refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.

  2. Heat the grill to medium high (if using a gas grill). Brush the grill rack with oil (lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and using your tongs brush the wad of towels over the rack).

  3. Place the chicken breast on the grill and do not move for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes turn the chicken over and grill the other side for 5-7 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 160-165 degrees. 

  4. Remove chicken and cover with foil and allow to rest for about 5 minutes so the juices redistribute. Serve with lime wedges.

Needed Items