Tequila Lime Chicken with Grilled Veggies

 
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So this is a dish that my in-laws have made a few times this summer and it just seemed so simple and delicious that I decided to make it one Wednesday night. Well of course after I put the chicken in the marinade the downpour came on and we decided not to grill. The next night we had a scheduled dinner out, so I knew right away it wasn't happeneing on Thursday. Next on this list, Friday! Perfect. I had grabbed 4 chciekn breasts to marinate anyways thinking it would be nice to have leftovers, and then it turned out we had friends coming over for dinner Friday and voila - dinner.

I decided for the first occasion to make them into tacos - more of a fun, little dinner party food. We erved the tacos up with grilled zuchini & squash from my imperfect produce box plus lots of yummy chips nad dip. The only problem, I never took any photos!!!

I was determined to snap a good pic for you, so come Sunday, guess what was on the menu? THis time though we chose to skip the taco shells and pair it down to a slightly lighter meal, including tons of fresh veggies.

What I Used:

  • 4 chicken breasts (the second go-round I used cutlets to shorten the grilling time. This marinade would be fine for 2-6 chicken breasts depending on how many people you are serving, otherwise increase or decrease the ingredients)
  • 1-2 oranges worth of fresh juice (1 cup)
  • 1-2 limes worth of fresh juice (1/2 cup
  • 1/4 cup of tequila
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 2 ears of corn, shucked and grilled
  • 2 bell peppers, sliced & drizzled with olive oil and a pinch of salt, grilled
  • 10-12 Brussel sprouts, sliced & drizzled with olive oil and a pinch of salt, placed in a foil packet for the grill

How To:

  1. For the marinade, simply mix the orange juice, lime juice, tequila, chili powder, salt & pepper in a large bowl and add the chicken. Cover and place in the fridge until you're ready to grill. The first time they were marinating for about 2 days, the second time about 5 hours. I would say give them at least a couple of hours to absorb the flavor.
  2. When you're ready to cook them, grill on high heat on each side until fully cooked in the center. Slice and serve with more lime or a cilantro garnish! We also had sour cream & guac on the side with ours, yum.
  3. For the veggies, the corn can be grilled straight on the BBQ without any oil or seasoning until you find it has nice grill marks, occasionally flipping. 
  4. The bell peppers should be lightly tossed in oil, and salt/pepper per your taste preference and grilled until tender and golden.
  5. The Brussels can be sliced and tossed in oil, salt/pepper and placed on a piece of foil. Then seal the foil into a packet and place on the grill for about 15 minutes, maybe more depending on how thick the slices are.

You could also cook all of this inside:

  • Chicken: In a pan over high heat with oil or baked in the oven at 425 for about 20-20 minutes
  • Brussels: In the same foil packet in the oven at 425 for about 20 minutes
  • Bell Peppers: In a pan over high heat with oil, about 10 minutes occasionally flipping/tossing
  • Corn: Boiled in water