I went for a Southwestern-themed dinner the other night: spicy chipotle chicken, corn and black bean salsa, and margaritas! We’ve been experiencing some screwy weather in New Jersey lately – cool fall days mixed with hot summery days. I made this chicken on one of those 85° days and we even grilled outside, but you could just as easily cook the chicken on a grill pan or in the oven. The chipotle-lime marinade provides the chicken with a little bit of spice and some bite, but it’s not a very overpowering flavor.
Chipotle-Lime Chicken
serves 4 as a main course
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs (you can also use breasts)
1 lime, juiced and zested (about 1/4 cup of juice)
1/4 cup orange-tangerine juice (or plain orange)
1 tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp chipotle chili powder (you can also use one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped up, in place of the chili powder)
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut milk or cream
1/4 cup water
- Mix together all the ingredients except for coconut milk & water in a glass dish or a ziplock bag and let marinade. Put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours (you can leave it overnight if you want to). Take it out about half an hour before you’re ready to cook it.
- Heat your grill to medium-high heat and cook the chicken several minutes on each side, until cooked through. Time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken. Ours took about 5 minutes per side.
- If you can’t grill outside, sear both sides of the chicken on a frying pan (2 minutes per side) and then put into a 375° F oven to finish cooking through, about 7 minutes.
- While chicken cooks, pour the marinade into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Add coconut milk or cream and water to the pan and cook about 5 minutes. Don’t taste the sauce until this point – remember that there used to be raw chicken in it! Season to taste and serve alongside the chicken.
Chipotle-Lime Chicken served with Corn and Black Bean Salsa
Chicken thighs in the chipotle-lime marinade. They can sit in the marinade in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight, just make sure to let the chicken come to room temperature before cooking it. This step makes for juicier and more tender meat.
