Honey Lime Jalapeño Chicken
My inspiration for this recipe came about when one of my good friends gave me a boat load of fresh peppers. She loaded me up with everything from little red spicy peppers to sweet banana peppers. The best part of the stack of peppers was that my friend had hand-picked them from her family farm, loaded them up and had them on my door step in a matter of days. Fresh produce for a cook is like a blank canvas for an artist. So to the chopping block is was!
I think it’s fair to say that many of us rely on chicken for quick meals. It’s easy enough to cook and works great in a lot of recipes. A simple marinade is a way to tenderize the chicken and add plenty of flavor. A marinade doesn’t have to be fancy and can be fun to experiment with flavors. Use garlic, an oil, something acidic and lots of herbs and you’ll be in good shape. This marinade is a little sweet, a little citrus-y and a little spicy. I used it twice, both to bake the chicken and to grill it. Both ways tasted great.
Honey Lime Jalapeño Chicken Recipe
Makes 4 chicken breasts.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts
Marinade
- 4 jalapenos, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 7-8 springs of cilantro (leaves and stems) (substitute 1 Tbsp dried cilantro)
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp. water
- 1/8 tsp salt
Directions
Make the Marinade
- Remove the stems and seeds from 4 jalapenos. Roughly chop the peppers into chunks.
- Peel and mince 3 cloves of garlic.
- In a food processor add the jalapenos and garlic along with 1/3 cup honey, 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 7-8 springs of cilantro (both leaves and stems), 1/4 cup Tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp paprika, 1 Tbsp. water and 1/8 tsp salt.
- Run the food processor until pureed.
Make the Chicken
- Prepare the chicken breast by placing it between two pieces of plastic wrap or in a plastic bag. Pound the chicken with a handheld meat tenderizer or a can from the pantry until the chicken is an even thickness across the breast (about 1/4-inch).
- Place the chicken breast in a dish and cover with enough marinade to coat the chicken. Marinade the chicken for at least 20 minutes or up to an hour.
- Grill the chicken:
- Heat a grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium heat. Cook the chicken until thoroughly cooked, about 4-5 minutes per side. Brush the chicken with additional marinade after turning it to the second side.
- Set the chicken aside to cool for a few minutes before slicing.
- Bake the chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- Place the chicken into a casserole dish and cover with a spoonful of excess marinade.
- Bake the chicken for 20 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken – check for doneness) and slice.
The marinade can be made several days in advance and saved in the refrigerator. I cook meals for 1 so I only used a few spoonful of the marinade at a time. If you do this, be sure to spoon out how much marinade you want without contaminating the entire container of marinade with raw meat. I listed 4 chicken breasts in this recipe, but you can cook as many as needed at a time. The marinade may stretch up to 6 chicken breasts.
The marinade works great for both grilling and baking the chicken. The cooked chicken makes great tacos, enchiladas or fajitas; or serve with a side of roasted vegetables or rice.
Depending on your taste for heat you can incorporate a spicier pepper in addition to the jalapenos. I used two green jalapenos and two red jalapenos because the red are a little spicier. It added a bit of heat without being overly spicy.
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