Tequila Lime Chicken

Tequila Lime Chicken is Mexican chicken recipe with flavorful marinade of chili, lime, garlic and tequila. So simple to put together, but vibrant and zesty, Tequila Chicken is a must try for every Mexican food lover! With just 10 minutes prep and pantry staples, this Mexican chicken main course is much easier to prepare at home than you might imagine. Easy to cook and taste better than your favorite restaurant. Gluten free, low-carb, paleo, and whole-30 diet friendly.

If you can use outdoor grill, try grilled Tequila Lime Chicken skewers. No worries if you not looking to grill. I have included instructions to prepare Tequila Chicken in oven. you can also prepare it in Instant Pot! IP is my special favorite to make all-season Tequila Chicken for Tacos. (Don't miss the Notes.)

Let's cook some boozy chicken today :-) Shall we? 

Tequila Lime Chicken

If you like Mexican food, I'm sure you are not new to flavor combination of Chili, and Lime. This two flavors with Tequila make chicken The Tequila Lime Chicken! The Chili Lime Marinade for the recipe is all you need cook this recipe. 

In simple words, there is no Tequila Chicken without Chili and Lime. Period. Of course, Tequila, garlic, and olive oil are also important ingredients in the marinade.. but chili, lime are the Star! My personal touch in this marinade is cumin powder for earth depth-of-flavor, Tabasco for extra kick, and little sugar to round the flavor. Seriously, the resulting marinade is so delicious. I even use it as dipping sauce.

To summarize, here is what you need to make Tequila Lime Chicken Marinade:

1. Chili (sweet paprika)
2. Lime Juice
3. Olive Oil (or avocado oil)
4. Tequila
5. Cumin Powder
6. Tabasco
7. Onion
8. Salt and Pepper

Worth a mention, marinade is very versatile. Use it for seafood such as to make Tequila Lime Shrimp, Wings - Tequila Lime Wings. Even baked tofu tastes delicious with this marinade.

To prepare chicken tequila, I start by mixing marinate ingredients, chili, lime, tequila, garlic, olive oil, sugar, seasoning, and cumin powder in a bowl or a seal-able plastic bag. Once marinade is ready, I either slice chicken into bite-size pieces or pound chicken tenders into flat strips to make (little fancy) skewers. Either ways, for good flavor, it is important to marinate chicken for at-least 30 minutes. This is what brings out the flavor of marinade. 

Note: Tequila Chicken does not need longer margination as Tequila in marinade act as natural meat tenderizer.

When ready to grill, I thread chicken onto skewers, and throw on pre-heated grill until chicken is fully cooked from all sides and kabobs have nice char.

That's it! Tequila Chicken is really THAT easy recipe.

Note: Be careful while brushing/moping extra marinade on cooking chicken as trace of tequila in marinade can cause flares.

Instant Pot Tequila Chicken

To make Tequila Chicken in Instant Pot, start with marinated chicken from Step-2. Heat Instant Pot on Saute setting. When hot, add 1 tbsp. of oil. Take chicken out of marinade and add to the pot. Saute until chicken is no longer pink. 2-3 minutes. Add in reserved marinade and 1/4 cup of chicken stock. Cover and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Saucy, and flavorful Tequila Chicken is ready to serve!

Baked Tequila Chicken

There are two ways to prepare baked Tequila Chicken.

1. To bake kabobs-style skewers, thread marinated chicken on metal skewers. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. For charred flavor, turn on broiler for last 1 minute.
2. You can also bake tequila chicken in a baking dish, covered with aluminum foil. The resulting chicken is moist and has sauce to serving over rice! Very good for filling in tacos or eat with side of rice.

Plan to try something new this week? Start with this delicious Tequila Lime Chicken.

-Savita