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!
Shredded chicken tacos by Carlsbad Cravings
Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken with Avocado Peach Salsa
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:
- 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.
- 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!
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 1-2 hours prior to cooking to bring to room temperature.
- Preheat the grill to medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- 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:
- Place all ingredients into a medium bowl and gently stir to combine. Taste and add more lime or seasoning as needed.
- 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
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
16 Comments on “Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken”
Your photos alone make me want to prepare your chicken dish. Great summer eating.
Thank you so much Karen! 🙂
I couldn’t agree more with you, Marcie, blogging sure can seem like a black hole with it’s endless cycles! So glad you took time off of it and enjoyed last week with your family – and so glad you are back with this stunning recipe! Your photos are stunning AND making me drool! I’d lick the bowl clean after that peach avocado salad!
It’s a vicious cycle! I have so much that I want to create or re-do but I need my sanity. 🙂 Thank you so much Sashi!
I’m so glad you enjoyed your time off, Marcie! Blogging can definitely be a black hole that I get into way too much at times. This chicken looks perfect for a summer meal! I love the fresh lime flavor and that salsa. Just what I want for dinner tonight!
Thank you so much Gayle!
I hear you – I’ve been taking time off this summer (and plan to continue to do so). I’ve realized that taking a step back can actually do wonders for me – both personally and professionally 🙂 haha ANYWAY this chicken sounds delicious!!
I’m glad I’m not alone! Taking a break always helps me recharge and refocus on what’s important. Thanks Ashley and enjoy your break! 🙂
That avocado peach salsa is ahhhhmazing!
Oh thank you! I love it with chips too!
I was of the same mentality this past week. Sometimes it’s good to take a little break from the never ending black hole that is blogging, haha! I’ll probably be taking some time off if our house isn’t finished in time because I won’t have a kitchen, eeesh.
I’m glad you had a nice little break. The marinade and the salsa in this recipe sounds incredible. So creative and packed full of flavor!
It was nice to step back but then I had no content and felt stressed. LOL Hope your house is finished on time Sarah and if not enjoy a break! 🙂
Oh my goooooosh. This chicken is legit summertime goals, Marcie!! I’ve never made tequila chicken before but I’ve always wanted to! And that salsa? Freaking goals, girl!!
Thanks so much Sarah! This meal and salads are pretty much all I want to eat right now!
I love the flavors going on here – little bit of booze and that tang of lime. It looks like a great recipe with peach salsa.
Thank you Balvinder! This is how I love to eat in the summer. 🙂