Servings: 8 Servings
Tequila Lime Chicken Recipe
This easy chicken recipe features an amazing tequila lime marinade, which brings so much flavor to the meat! Grill or bake it to perfection depending on your cooking method preference.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs*
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 1 Tbsp lime zest
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 3 Tbsp tequila
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken:
- Add all of the marinade ingredients for the soy lime chicken marinade to a measuring cup or a small bowl. Whisk well to combine.
- Transfer the raw chicken to a large zip lock bag with the marinade. Seal the bag and move the contents around so that all the chicken pieces are coated in marinade.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour, ideally several hours and up to 24 hours.
Baking Instructions:
- Transfer the chicken to a large baking dish in a single layer.
- For Chicken Thighs: Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes for bone-in thighs, or 20-25 minutes for boneless thighs. Baste the pan juices over the thighs and broil for 5 minutes at the end. Thighs are fully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 180 degrees or higher.
- For Chicken Breasts: Bake at 350 for 15 to 25 minutes (depending on thickness). Baste with pan juices, then broil for 5-8 minutes. Chicken breasts are cooked through once they reach 165 degrees or higher. They will continue cooking after they are removed from the oven, so you can pull them out at 160 if you'd like.
Grilling Instructions:
- Use a wire brush to brush any food particles off the grill grates that are leftover from the previous grilling session.
- Preheat a gas grill to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. For a charcoal grill, ignite the coals in a charcoal chimney then spread them over half of the bottom of the grill.
- Place the chicken pieces on the hot grill over direct heat.
- For Chicken Thighs: Grill thighs for 3-5 minutes per side, until deep grill marks appear. Continue grilling and flipping every 2-3 minutes, until thighs are cooked through. Note that bone-in thighs require much longer than boneless, so flipping every 4-5 minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 180 degrees F or higher.
- For Chicken Breasts: Grill for 2-4 minutes per side over direct heat, until grill marks appear. Move to a cooler part of the grill and continue grilling for another 2-4 minutes per side, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 to 165 degrees F.
- No matter the cooking method or the type of chicken, let the chicken rest at least 10 minutes before slicing into it.
Notes
*Use 3 to 4 lbs bone-in skin on chicken thighs (8 thighs)
Nutrition Facts vary depending on the cut of chicken you use. I calculated the nutrition info based on boneless skinless chicken breasts. Use a macro calculator if you use bone-in thighs or boneless thighs for accurate results.
Nutrition
Serving: 1breast, Calories: 425kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 45g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 240mg, Sodium: 807mg, Sugar: 2g