Tequila Lime Chicken w/ Pico de Gallo

We are knee deep into summertime so that means grilling is in full swing at our house.  Mr. Foodie and I share the responsibility in that I do all the prep (honestly, all the hard work) and he mans the grill, pun intended.


It all works out for me because it is HOT outside by the grill even when we try to wait until early evening to actually put the food on the grill.  He generally doesn't complain either way because when he gets stuff like this, this or even tequila lime chicken for dinner, his complaints simply vanish.

I found this recipe via the Pioneer Woman.

I hadn't made anything from her in a while but I'm sure you remember what a big fan I am. Her recipes haven't let me down yet.

Initially, I was skeptical of the tequila & chicken combo which is strange since I am always a big fan of the margarita.

Extra tequila please!

I decided to trust my instinct...and P'dub of course and after a couple of hours of marinating the chicken, I am glad my instinct was right on target.  The chicken was so full of flavor unlike anything I could have imagined.  I was very pleasantly surprised. Topped with sliced mozzarella cheese and fresh homemade pico de gallo...I'm just going to go and ahead quote Campbell's soup here...M'm, M'm, Good.

I used my own simple pico de gallo recipe, see below.  Any leftover is great with chips as a snack, to use with huevos rancheros for breakfast or even topping for your tacos.

Tequila Lime Chicken
Printable Recipe

4 limes, juiced
5 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
2 handfuls cilantro
3/4 cup tequila
6 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (I cut mine in half making the breast thinner and creating 8 chicken breast)
shredded jack cheese and pico de gallo for topping

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, add the lime juice, garlic cloves, jalapeno pepper, salt, cilantro and tequila.  Pulse a few times until combined.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until combined.

If you cut the chicken breast in half, there is no need to flatten or tenderize the chicken.  If you choose to leave them whole, place the chicken in plastic wrap and flatten using a mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Place the chicken in a plastic, resealable bag and pour the marinade over the chicken.  Let chicken marinate for a minimum of 2 hours up to 24 hours.

When ready to cook, heat the grill or grill pan to medium high heat.  Remove the chicken from the bag and place on the grill.  Cook until completely done, turning over once. When the chicken is almost done, place the cheese on each of the chicken breast to melt.

Serve chicken topped with pico de gallo


adapted from pioneerwoman.com

Pico de Gallo
Printable Recipe

5-6 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
a handful of cilantro, chopped
salt to taste

Combine the tomatoes, onion, jalapeno pepper and cilantro in a bowl.  Stir together so all the ingredients know one another.  Add salt to taste.

Note, pico de gallo doesn't hold up well past 24 hours in the fridge.  It's best to make it in small batches so it can be fresh.  You can always prep your ingredients ahead of time and mix together just before you prepare to serve.