The best cilantro-lime chicken with a mango avocado salsa.
Prep Time 25 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Marinate 2 hrs
Total Time 35 mins
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
-
1 and 1/2
pounds
boneless skinless chicken breasts
-
3/4
cup + 1 tablespoon
freshly squeezed orange juice,
separated
-
1/2
cup + 1 teaspoon
olive oil,
separated
-
1/3
cup + 2 tablespoons
freshly squeezed lime juice,
separated
-
1 and 1/2
teaspoons
lime zest,
separated
-
1
tablespoon
honey
-
1
teaspoon + 1/4 teaspoon
cumin,
separated
-
2 and 1/2
tablespoons
soy sauce
-
2
teaspoons
minced garlic
-
1/2
cup
coarsely chopped cilantro,
separated
Mango Avocado Salsa
-
1
ripe mango
-
1
ripe avocado
-
1/4
cup
finely diced red onion
-
1/4
cup
finely chopped red pepper
-
1
tablespoon
finely chopped jalapeno,
optional
-
Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
-
Optional: cilantro-lime rice or quinoa (see recipe notes)
Instructions
-
Whisk together all of the
marinade ingredients: 3/4 cup orange juice, olive oil, 1/3 cup lime
juice, 1 teaspoon lime zest, honey, 1 teaspoon cumin, soy sauce, garlic,
and 1/4 cup cilantro in a medium-sized bowl. Add salt and pepper to
taste (I use about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, but add to
personal preference and reduce depending on sodium in soy sauce). Remove
about 1/2 cup (put in an airtight container in the fridge for later)
and pour the rest into a large sealable bag.
-
Trim the chicken of fat and
pound the breasts to even thickness or slice in half to get evenly sized
breasts and place in the bag with marinade.
-
Place in the fridge for at
least 2 hours making sure to flip the bag halfway through the time it is
in the fridge. I recommend marinating for 6-8 hours.
-
Lightly oil the grill grate and then place the marinated chicken (discard marinade in bag) on the grill.
-
Cook for 10-12 minutes turning
as needed (depending on the size of your pieces) or until chicken
juices run clear and internal temperature is at 165 degrees F.
-
As you flip and cook the chicken, brush it generously with the reserved 1/2 cup marinade occasionally.
Salsa
-
For the salsa, take the
remaining 1 tablespoon orange juice, remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice,
remaining lime zest, and remaining 1/4 cup cilantro and toss together.
-
(OPTIONAL: When grilling
the chicken, also grill the mango. Brush with oil and grill on one side
for about 4-5 minutes at medium-high heat.)
-
Chop the grilled mango and
avocado into small bite-sized pieces. Add to the salsa along with the
finely chopped red onion, red pepper, and jalapeno. Season the salsa to
taste with pepper, salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin. Toss together
and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil if desired.
-
Serve grilled chicken over a
bed of cilantro lime rice or quinoa if desired and add spoonfuls of the
salsa to top. Enjoy immediately!
Recipe Notes
Cilantro Lime Rice/Quinoa:
- 1 cup quinoa or rice and 2 cups chicken stock, chicken broth, or water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large lime (2 tablespoons juice and 1 teaspoon zest)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Bring 2 cups of stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the butter and rice (or quinoa) and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the rice (or quinoa) is cooked through and tender. Stir in the lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, and salt + pepper to taste.