Tequila Lime Marinated Chicken

I love grill season.  Well, for us grill season is year round or unless there's so much snow on the deck we can't find the grill. But there is something awesome about grilled meat in the summer.  Plus I feel like we use more marinades and made more interesting food on the grill in the summer than in the winter.  In the winter it's just throw some steaks on the grill and make sure they're cooked so you can get back in the house.  But this Tequila Lime Marinated Chicken is awesome.  Lots of flavor going on in that marinade and it all blends beautifully while it's cooked on the grill.  And to top it off, once you put the meat on the grill, you can cook the reserved marinade to make an awesome sauce like nothing else you've had before.  The tequila shines, but is still cut by the lime and the slight heat from the chili powder. It's quite a combination and we used the sauce as a vinaigrette for our salads.

For our wedding shower, my Mom bought Dave a couple of cookbooks. This recipe comes from Marinades and Rubs: 40 Tantalizing Recipes to Stimulate your Palette and Add Sparkle to Your Meals from the Love Food Collection.  It's easy and accessible, with ingredients you likely have on hand.  I whipped this up before work one morning and let it sit all day.  When I came home, Dave had the chicken grilled perfectly, boiled down the leftover marinade and together we built these killer salads.  We will certainly use this again--maybe this winter when we're in need of a little summer sunshine.



Tequila Lime Marinade

Ingredients

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
4 Tablespoons tequila
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 pound chicken breasts

In a nonmetallic dish or small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients.  Cover and let stand for 20 minutes at room temperature.

Score the chicken and arrange in a shallow nonmetallic dish.  Pour marinade over top of chicken.  Turn to coat.

Seal or cover tightly and marinate in refrigerator for up to 8 hours (no less than 1 hour).  Remove chicken from marinade, but reserve liquid. Grill chicken until cooked through.

While chicken is grilling, boil reserved marinade in a small pan for 5 minutes.

Drizzle marinade over cooked chicken and serve.  Alternately, slice chicken on top of salads and drizzle marinade over top in place of dressing.

Makes 2-4 servings, depending on size of chicken breasts.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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