Tequila Lime Chicken with Tomato Corn Salad
Tequila Lime Chicken is tender, juicy tequila lime chicken made easy right in your oven. Bursting with bright Southwest flavors and served up with a side of tangy tomato corn salsa, this Margarita Chicken recipe is anything but boring!
Tequila Lime Chicken
Tequila lime chicken just became my latest obsession! Also known as Margarita Chicken, this bright and flavorful Southwest chicken recipe is the perfect way to spice up your average chicken dinner. So what is tequila lime chicken and why do you need it in your life … like pronto?? Tender juicy chicken marinated in a tequila lime sauce peppered with fresh garlic, spicy honey and diced jalapeno? Um .. yes, please!!! And if that wasn’t enough, serve your Southwest chicken along side of my super easy, super tangy tomato corn salad and you officially have your new favorite springtime chicken recipe and you don’t even know if yet!
Margarita Chicken vs Tequila
If you are like me and have a love/hate relationship with tequila (too many birthday tequila shots seemed like a good idea at the time!), let me say this.
This tequila lime chicken recipe is completely family friendly and won’t have you regretting your 20’s all over again.
The tequila flavor is very mild and mixed with so many other amazing spices and flavors, I promise you will love it.
Alcohol mostly evaporates during the cooking process and it adds a nice flavor and aroma to the chicken. For anyone who doesn’t care to consume alcohol, check out my Cilantro Lime Chicken instead.
Best Tequila Chicken Recipe
So why is this easy tequila chicken recipe the BEST? Let me tell you.. !
- Talk about an easy chicken marinade, this one takes all of 5 minutes to whip up this tequila lime marinade.. add your chicken and you are done!
- This margarita chicken is flavored with your favorite Southwest seasonings so your chicken is not too spicy and loaded with flavor.
- You can grill or bake this chicken dinner depending on your preference. This particular post is to bake the tequila chicken it in the oven so you don’t even need to own a grill.
- Perfect for summer barbecues and pool parties, this summer chicken recipe is everyone’s favorite.
- The tangy tomato corn salad takes all of the guess work out of complicated side dishes and extra work.
- Do you crave juicy, moist, mouthwatering chicken? Yes?? Then THIS is your dish!!
Tequila Lime Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken breasts
- Tequila
- Limes
- Olive oil
- Jalapeno
- Garlic
- Honey
- Spices
And for the Tomato Corn Salad, you will need:
- Lime
- Corn
- Tomato
- Red Onion
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Chicken Stock
- Brown rice, quinoa or a mix of both
Tequila Lime Marinade for Chicken
This is such a flavorful chicken marinade and perfect for all year long but especially spring and summer. These chicken breasts turn out so moist and delicious and it’s all about the marinade.
This tequila lime marinade had tequila and lime (yup! got that part!!) but then it also had fresh garlic for a bit of spicy bite, a touch of oregano and smoked paprika for depth and honey for sweetness to balance it all out.
Want to get really crazy? See if your local grocery store carries spicy honey.. it’s to die for!
How to Make Tequila Lime Chicken
Start this recipe with the most important part .. the tequila lime chicken marinade. To make your tequila lime marinade, grab a large zip-top bag and add tequila, lime juice, lime zest, crushed garlic, olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and honey.
Using your hands, moosh (real world, people!!) it around so it’s well combined.
Add in your chicken breasts and again, moosh it around so that all sides of your chicken are coated in the marinade.
Move your tequila lime marinade bag to a refrigerator safe container to contain any possible leaks and let your chicken marinate in your fridge for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Cook the Tequila Chicken
Once your marinating time is done, remove chicken from the bag. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes or until chicken reaches 160 degrees internally.
You can also add your chicken to a cast iron grill pan if you have one, cook on medium high 3 minutes each side before moving the grill pan to the oven to finish baking for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Tomato Corn Salad
While your chicken is cooking, prepare your tangy Tomato Corn Salad.
Bring 2 cups of chicken stock to boil in a medium sized cooking pot. Once boiling, add in brown rice or a mix of brown rice and quinoa and cook following package instructions. Cover pot with lid and remove from heat.
In a large bowl, add corn, diced red onion, chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper, halved tomatoes and diced avocado.
Once rice has finished cooking, add to the mixing bowl with the other ingredients and gently stir together.
Finish with another squeeze of fresh lime juice and serve up with your Tequila Lime Chicken.
Pro Tips for Perfect Southwest Chicken
- Hate cilantro? Leave it out! Substitute with fresh parsley instead.
- This tomato corn recipe can be made using brown rice, quinoa, barley, farro or a combination of any or all of them together. I found in the rice aisle of my grocery store a brown rice/quinoa mix that was perfect for this recipe.
- I used spicy honey for this recipe because I had it and hadn’t tried it in any recipes before but any honey you like would be perfect.
- Be sure to zest those limes before you squeeze them. So much extra concentrated lime flavor in the zest.
- This Tequila Lime Chicken recipe also works great with chicken thighs and wings.. just be sure to adjust the cooking times.
- Add your large zip-top bag to a large cup or bowl before adding your ingredients. It helps hold your bag upright and open.
- Use a mini food processor to chop your garlic and jalapeno .. super easy, super time saver and no more spicy fingertips.
- Still not sure about the tequila? Leave it out and substitute it with agave. It will still be amazing!
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Crispy Baked Lemon Chicken and Veggies
- One Pan Keto Cheesy Jalapeno Chicken
- Teriyaki Chicken Meatball Bowl
- Spicy Korean Chicken
- Swedish Chicken Meatballs
- Chicken Enchiladas
Enjoy!
Tequila Lime Chicken with Tomato Corn Salad
Ingredients
TEQUILA LIME CHICKEN
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons tequila
- 2 limes, juiced and zested
- 5 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons honey
TOMATO CORN SALAD
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup brown rice / quinoa
- 15 ounces canned whole kernel corn, drained
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno ribs and seeds removed, diced
- 1/2 avocado, diced
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
TEQUILA LIME CHICKEN
- Start this recipe with the most important part .. the tequila lime chicken marinade. To make your tequila lime marinade, grab a large zip-top bag and add tequila, lime juice, lime zest, crushed garlic, olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and honey.
- Using your hands, moosh (real world, people!!) it around so it's well combined. Add in your chicken breasts and again, moosh it around so that all sides of your chicken are coated in the marinade.
- Move your tequila lime marinade bag to a refrigerator safe container to contain any possible leaks and let your chicken marinate in your fridge for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
- Once your marinating time is done, remove chicken from the bag. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes or until chicken reaches 160 degrees internally. You can also add your chicken to a cast iron grill pan if you have one, cook on medium high 3 minutes each side before moving the grill pan to the oven to finish baking for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
TOMATO CORN SALAD
- While your chicken is cooking, prepare your Tomato Corn Salad. Bring chicken stock to boil in a medium sized cooking pot. Once boiling, add in brown rice or a mix of brown rice and quinoa and cook following package instructions. Cover pot with lid and remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, add corn, diced red onion, chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper, halved tomatoes and diced avocado. Once rice has finished cooking, add to the mixing bowl with the other ingredients and gently stir together. Finish with another squeeze of fresh lime juice and serve up with your Tequila Lime Chicken.
Notes
-
Pro Tips for Perfect Southwest Chicken
- Hate cilantro? Leave it out! Substitute with fresh parsley instead.
- This tomato corn recipe can be made using brown rice, quinoa, barley, farro or a combination of any or all of them together. I found in the rice aisle of my grocery store a brown rice/quinoa mix that was perfect for this recipe.
- I used spicy honey for this recipe because I had it and hadn't tried it in any recipes before but any honey you like would be perfect.
- Be sure to zest those limes before you squeeze them. So much extra concentrated lime flavor in the zest.
- This Tequila Lime Chicken recipe also works great with chicken thighs and wings.. just be sure to adjust the cooking times.
- Add your large zip-top bag to a large cup or bowl before adding your ingredients. It helps hold your bag upright and open.
- Use a mini food processor to chop your garlic and jalapeno .. super easy, super time saver and no more spicy fingertips.
- Still not sure about the tequila? Leave it out and substitute it with agave. It will still be amazing!
Update Notes: This post was originally published in March of 2020 but was republished with an updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions and tips in March of 2024.
