Tequila Lime Chicken

Cue the Tequila song. I bet the song is stuck in your head now. My apologies in advance! If you love tequila and a good margarita, then you’ll love this chicken dish. With one bite, you’ll be experiencing a party in your mouth!

My Tequila Lime Chicken is made with the simplest of ingredients - chicken thighs, tequila, limes, honey, spices, garlic and cilantro. It starts with the tequila and lime marinade, which works double duty here! Not only does the marinade tenderize and flavour the chicken but it cooks down into the most beautiful, silky, refreshing, citrus forward and flavourful sauce. Serve it alongside my Three Bean Salad, rice and corn on the cob and let’s get this party started!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Serves: 4 - 6

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs chicken thighs, boneless and skinless (See Notes below)

• 3 Tbsp olive oil

• 1/4 cup Tequila Blanco (See Notes below)

• 1/4 cup lime juice (approx. 2 limes)

• Zest of 2 limes

• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• 2 Tbsp honey

• 1/2 Tbsp chilli powder

• 1 tsp ground coriander (See Notes below)

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped (See Notes below)

• Extra cilantro leaves and lime slices, as garnish

Instructions:

1. Preparing the Marinade: To a 9” x 13” baking dish, add the oil, tequila, lime juice and zest, garlic, honey, chilli powder, coriander, salt and pepper. Whisk until fully incorporated and set aside.

2. Marinating the Chicken: In a single layer, add the chicken to the marinade, turning it over to ensure that it is evenly coated. Transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to allow the flavours to meld and the meat to tenderize.

3. Preheat the oven to 425F. While the oven preheats, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

4. Cooking the Chicken: Bake the chicken with the marinade for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes.

5. Garnish with fresh cilantro and lime slices. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

1. Preparing the Chicken Thighs: You want to give the chicken thighs ample time to come to room temperature prior to baking. This will allow for even cooking and produce the juiciest chicken thighs.

2. Not a Fan of Cilantro: You can simply substitute the coriander and cilantro with dried and fresh parsley on a 1:1 basis.

3. Choosing the Tequila: I like using Tequila Blanco in this recipe, given its stronger taste and profile, but you can certainly use Reposado Tequila for a mellower flavour.

4. Resting the Chicken: As soon as the chicken thighs come out of the oven, you’ll want to dig right in, but, don't! Slicing the chicken thighs too early will cause the juices to run. You want to let the chicken rest for 5 minutes after baking. This will allow the juices to be absorbed by the chicken and distributed throughout, producing tender and juicy chicken thighs.