grilled tequila lime chicken

recipe adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

I love so many of The Barefoot Contessa's recipes.  This particular dish tastes like summer on a plate to me.  The original recipe uses split chicken breasts with the skin on which of course works well too.  On this particular day I used chicken tenderloins because that was what I had mistakenly ordered from peapod.  I usually make it with boneless skinless chicken breasts because that is what we prefer.  I marinate about 2 pounds of chicken and use the leftovers to toss in our salads during lunch.

It takes about 15 minutes to make and clean up the marinade the night before and another 15-20 minutes to grill it the next day!  Quick and easy!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup gold tequila (Don't worry, the alcohol cooks off!)
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5 to 6 limes)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeno pepper (1 pepper seeded)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins  

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken breasts. Refrigerate overnight.*

Heat up the grill and brush the rack with oil to prevent the chicken from sticking. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, sprinkle well with salt and pepper, and grill them  for a few minutes, (or more) depending on the thickness. Turn the chicken and cook for another few minutes ( or more), until just cooked through. Remove from the grill to a plate. Cover tightly and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

*I mix mine in a large ziploc bag.  Be careful if you do this.  There is quite a bit of liquid.  It gets difficult to hold the bag and add ingredients without spilling!