Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken

Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken is juicy, flavorful tequila lime chicken topped with a fresh avocado peach salsa.  It’s the perfect summer meal!

I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July week!  We had a nice relaxing holiday.  I took some unplanned time off because I told myself that I needed to take a step back and enjoy the summer instead of falling into the black hole of blogging.

Yes — blogging can be a black hole.  It’s an endless cycle of bringing new recipes to life, reshooting old recipes (because my old photos make me cringe),  bookkeeping and finding a balance between being present on social media and family!

I’m my own worse enemy most of the time because my mind is always swirling with ideas for new content and it’s hard to slow it down.

As hard as it is, I need to reign things in to keep myself from becoming a crazy lady. 🙂

That said, the recipe for this Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken with Avocado Peach Salsa has been waiting in the wings.  I’ve made it several times with a variety of salsa recipes and finally landed on this creamy avocado – juicy peach medley.

Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken

I rarely grill boneless skinless chicken breast anymore because it’s so unforgiving.  In contrast, chicken thighs, drumsticks or skin-on bone-in chicken breast are very forgiving because the fat from the skin and bone keeps the chicken tender and juicy.

You can definitely opt to use skin-on, bone-in chicken for this tequila lime chicken recipe, but I chose to use boneless skinless chicken breast because I felt that it would work the best for this recipe and it cooks up so quickly.

How to Grill Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

There are only a few simple steps required to grill juicy, flavorful boneless skinless chicken breast.

• First, make sure that your chicken breasts are uniform in thickness to ensure that cooking time is the same.  Place the chicken in a zip top bag, seal it, and pound the chicken to 3/4″ – 1″ thickness.
• Second, marinate the chicken breast for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.  I know marinating requires a bit of planning, but the longer your chicken has marinated the better the results will be!  This tequila lime marinade tenderizes the chicken breast and imparts so much flavor.  Trust me…it’s worth it!
• From there, allow the chicken to come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before grilling.  This will ensure that the chicken cooks more evenly and it cuts down cooking time.
• Finally, once the chicken has reached 165 degrees, remove it from heat and cover loosely with foil for 10 minutes.  If you slice your chicken without adequate resting time, all of the juices will run out onto your plate resulting in very dry chicken.

Now that we’ve grilled our chicken perfectly, let’s talk SALSA!

I love creating sweet and savory salsa and guacamole recipes with whatever types of fruit and veggies that I have on hand.  The sweet, juicy peach and creamy avocado worked wonderfully together and was perfect for this tequila lime chicken!

The avocado peach salsa is rounded out with red onion, lime juice, freshly chopped cilantro and a kick of jalapeño pepper.

Change things up by substituting the peach with mango or pineapple, or go the traditional route by topping the chicken with my Homemade Guacamole.

Store bought salsa is also a viable option if you’re short on time.

Recipe Notes

• The tequila lime chicken may be marinated in advance and frozen!  Remove from the fridge, thaw and voila! — you have perfect marinated chicken.
• The salsa is best made no more than 1 hour prior to serving for freshness and color.  I prefer to make the salsa while the chicken is cooking or resting.
• To save time, simply chop all of your ingredients minus the avocado and keep separate until you’re ready to prepare your salsa.
• The chicken may be served as-is or as tacos or burrito bowls with my cilantro lime rice or black beans!

More quick summer recipe inspiration!

Fish Tacos

Portobello Mushroom Fajitas

Fish Taco Bowls

Santa Fe Chicken Salad

Shredded chicken tacos by Carlsbad Cravings

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Yield: 4 servings

Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken with Avocado Peach Salsa

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Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken is juicy, flavorful tequila lime chicken topped with a fresh avocado peach salsa.  It's the perfect summer meal!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Total Time 31 minutes

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 3/4"-1" thickness
• 1/4 cup tequila
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 large limes)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

For the salsa:

• 2 medium peaches, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1 avocado, pitted and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1 small jalapeño, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Prepare the chicken:

1. Place the chicken breasts in a zip top bag, release the air and seal.  Pound to 3/4"-1/2" thickness and place in a baking dish or zip top bag.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the tequila, lime juice, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, cumin and smoked paprika until combined.  Pour the marinade over the chicken and flip until it's well coated or massage into the chicken if using a zip top bag.  Marinate chicken in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.  The longer you marinate your chicken the better!
3. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 1-2 hours prior to cooking to bring to room temperature.
4. Preheat the grill to medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
5. Grill for 6-8 minutes on the first side until grill marks form, then turn and cook another 6-8 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.  Remove from heat and allow and cover loosely with foil for 10 minutes before serving.

Prepare the salsa:

1. Place all ingredients into a medium bowl and gently stir to combine.  Taste and add more lime or seasoning as needed.
2. Serve the chicken topped with salsa and enjoy!

Notes

• The chicken may be marinated in advance and frozen!  Remove from the fridge, thaw and voila! -- you have perfect marinated chicken.
• The salsa is best made as close to serving time as possible.  I prefer to make the salsa while the chicken is cooking or resting.
• To save time, simply chop all of your ingredients minus the avocado and keep separate until you're ready to prepare your salsa.  You may also use your favorite store bought salsa if you're short on time.
• The chicken may be served as-is or as tacos or burrito bowls with my cilantro lime rice or black beans!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

6 ounces of chicken with 1/4 of the salsa
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 423Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 494mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 5gSugar: 7gProtein: 35g

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