Tequila Lime Chicken is made from a zesty marinade of flavorful spices, fresh lime juice, tequila, and fresh cilantro. Some call it Margarita chicken, but whatever you want to call it, it'll still be delicious. No leathery texture in this delicious grilled chicken recipe.
Have meat lovers to cook for? Want more healthy meals? Our Cast Iron Steak and Smoked Boston Butt are two delicious recipes you won't mind cooking up!
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Why you should make Tequila Lime Chicken
It's easy, light, and delicious.
When we're short on time and have to feed our family, we sometimes turn to convenience foods. This recipe has less than 5 minutes of prep time. The cook time is about 20 minutes. So in less time it takes to go through a drive-thru, we can prepare a great dish we'll feel great feeding our family.
With just a few ingredients you probably already have on-hand and a cast iron grill pan, you'll on your way to a delicious meal of grilled tequila lime chicken.
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken — we used boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- Produce — limes for fresh lime juice and fresh cilantro.
- Spices — cumin, chili powder, granulated garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Liquids — olive oil and tequila make the base of the marinade.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Chicken — any cut of chicken will work in this recipe. The cooking time will vary.
- Spices — play with the flavor: add some onion powder, use garlic powder or freshly minced garlic instead of granulated. Turn up the heat and swap the chili powder for chipotle powder. For an extra bit of zip, top chicken with a bit of freshly grated lime zest.
How to make Tequila Lime Chicken
Step 1 — Preheat an oven to 350°F. Mix the tequila, olive oil, lime juice, and spices together in a bowl and roughly chop the fresh cilantro.
Step 2 — Add the chicken to a Ziploc bag and then toss in the chopped cilantro. Pour marinade in over the chicken. Seal the bag and give it a good shake, mixing the meat, cilantro, and marinade all together. Conversely, you can mix the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, then add the chicken and cilantro to the bowl, stir it all together, and cover with a lid or plastic wrap.
Step 3 — Once the marinade and cilantro are thoroughly coating the chicken, place in the refrigerator. Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes, but a couple hours is better. You can also marinate the chicken overnight.
Step 4 — Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Remove chicken from the marinade and pull off any large pieces of clinging cilantro. Discard the marinade. Sear each side of the chicken breast until nice grill marks appear and it's nicely browned. Finish cooking in the chicken in the oven, about 15 minutes. Check for doneness by using an instant read thermometer and the chicken reached an internal temperature of 165°F.
What to serve with tequila lime chicken
Rice — Cilantro lime cauliflower rice, Spanish cauliflower rice, and Mexican Spanish rice.
Beans — Instant Pot Mexican Beans, Charro beans, and Refried beans.
Toppings — Minced cilantro, lime wedges, guacamole, fajita veggies, and salsa roja.
Other — Chop the chicken up and use as filling for tacos, burritos, or in a salad.
Recipe FAQs
If you're wanting to omit the tequila, we recommend using orange juice instead.
Yes, you can.
Place leftover chicken in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Need more chicken recipes
- Mexican Chicken Sweet Potato Skillet
- King Ranch Chicken Casserole
- Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken With Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Other Related Side Dish Recipes
If you tried this Tequila Lime Chicken or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Get the Recipe
Tequila Lime Chicken
Equipment
- cast iron grill pan
Ingredients
Marinade
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup tequila
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- ⅓ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup cilantro chopped, plus more for garnishing
Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350°F.
- Mix the tequila, olive oil, lime juice, and spices together in a bowl and roughly chop the fresh cilantro.
- Add the chicken and cilantro to a Ziploc bag and pour in the marinade Seal, shake, until the chicken is well coated.
- Place it in the refrigerator. Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes to overnight.
- Heat a grill pan over medium high heat.
- Remove chicken from the marinade and pull off any large pieces of clinging cilantro. Discard the marinade.
- Sear each side of the chicken then finish cooking the chicken in the oven, about 15 minutes.
Notes
Variations ∗ add some onion powder to the marinade. ∗ use freshly minced garlic instead of granulated. ∗ swap the chili powder for chipotle powder for a spicier meal.
∗ for an extra bit of zip, top chicken with a bit of freshly grated lime zest. Serving Suggestions ∗ serve with rice and beans. ∗ top with salsa or guacamole. ∗ use as filling for tacos, burritos, or in a salad.
Nutrition
Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Edward
What an awesome flavorful chicken!! Awesome to make ahead and cook the next day. Thank you for this recipe!
D
Great taste!!
Dina Miller
Made this for the family and everyone asked for 2nds!
Ned Adams
So glad they loved it!
Travis
I loved the fresh lime. It was a nice pop of flavor.