Tequila Lime Chicken

So here's a little Mexican recipe that I wasn't able to fit in during our month of Mexican meals.  It more relevant now anyway since we're in the prime grilling season.  This is a perfect meal for a hot July afternoon where you don't want to cook a whole meal indoors.

I know that we've done a lot of marinades, rubs and brines on our recipes.  But there's a reason for that, especially when you're cooking chicken on the barbecue grill.  Soaking meat in a marinade or a brine is a great way to infuse more moisture into the meat.  It all goes back to your science classes in junior high school and osmosis.  Whenever the amount of salt and water is higher on one side of a membrane, salt and water will migrate through the membrane to equalize itself.  Conveniently, some of the flavors will come along for the ride.

When you're cooking on the barbecue, you need as much moisture in the meat as possible.  Cooking over charcoal or an open gas flame is very hot and extremely dry, so a large amount of moisture will naturally disappear.  Any extra moisture you can sink into the meat will help it stay juicy and flavorful, instead of burned and tinder-like.

This particular marinade has a great flavor with the spiciness of the chili powder and cumin, the sourness of the lime, and the richness of the GOOD tequila.  Yes, I said GOOD tequila.  Don't just buy the cheap stuff.  Remember the first rule of cooking with alcohol: Don't cook with alcohol you won't drink.  For those of you tea-totalers, don't worry about getting drunk off the chicken.  We're using roughly 3 shots worth of alcohol in this marinade and even if you soaked the breasts for a whole day, the breasts may take on 1 shot combined.   So each of the breasts will have that great tequila-lime flavor and about 1/4 of a shot of alcohol, just slightly more than a virgin margarita.  And any alcohol on the surface of the meat will evaporate during the cooking process.

Tequila Lime Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs


Marinade
1/2 cup tequila
Juice from 4 limes
1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro



We're following our marinading steps again.  Add all of the marinade ingredients into a gallon ziploc bag and shake or squish it to mix well.  Add the chicken breasts, re-seal and shake or squish to coat the meat.  Place that bag into another ziploc bag or a large container to prevent any unexpected spills and return it to the fridge.  Allow it to soak for 4 hours, all day or even overnight is even better.

Fire up the barbecue and set the burners to medium.   You can also place a skillet over your stove set on medium and allow the pan to heat thouroughly.  Place the chicken on the cooking surface for about 5 minutes.  Flip and cook on the other side until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.  Remove from the heat and allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes so the juices can relocate and stay in the meat, instead of your plate if you cut them too soon.

Serve with Spanish rice, black beans beans, some salsa and other garnishes.