The perfect chicken to add to tacos, lettuce cups, taco bowls or salads. No need to fire up the grill, this chicken cooks right in your favorite pan (cast iron is my go-to) and can be topped with this tangy, creamy Avocado Crema. But sure does cook like a dream on the grill too!
WELCOME to my first blog post and more importantly, one of my favorite recipes! If you know me at all, or even just follow me on Instagram, then you already know that I love love love to cook. What you may or may not know though is that most of what I cook are my own recipes, and sometimes highly tweaked recipes from *only the best* cookbooks. I have been wanting to, with quite a bit of encouragement from friends and family, start my own recipe blog for a while now. After finishing up my Nutritional Therapy Practitioner certification through the Nutritional Therapy Association and deciding to finally indulge in my entrepreneurial spirit of starting my own business, The Well Patel, adding a blog, including a recipe blog, seemed like a natural way to share not only my love of all things nutrition and wellness, but especially f-o-o-d. Because let's be honest, for most of us, f-o-o-d is what makes our world go round. That, and tequila.
My goal is to always provide you with high-quality, nutrient dense, recipes that you can feel comfortable making and turning into your own. Heck, tell everyone it's your recipe! Just make it with love and intention to fuel your body. *But also, feel free to send your friends & family here to see the OG recipe.*
Now let's talk more about this AMAZE recipe that you are going to love. I know you will because my two best friends have been cooking it since I shared it with them some time ago and not only do they love it, but so do their husbands. So what that tells me is, this recipe does NOT gender discriminate. So thank you Tequila Lime Chicken and Cilantro Avocado Crema, you da real #MVP.
What I love about this chicken is that whether you marinate it for 24 hours or for 2 hours, its still going to be delicious. Obviously the longer the better, but also, don't EVER feel like you can't make something because you didn't marinate it for the 365 days that a recipe calls for. If you've only got an hour, then do it! 30 minutes? No problem. Point is, it will still be better than bland BORING chicken. This is NOT bland, boring chicken. Promise. I also love that it can be served however you want. Literally. Use it like fajita meat for a taco with sautéed onion and bell peppers. Make taco bowls with lots of veggies and some rice (white or cauliflower, you do you boo boo). Quesadilla? Would be bomb. Kick-ass salad? Super bomb. In other words, you can't go wrong with how you want to serve and eat this juicy, flavorful chicken. PS. If you're going to do a salad, easily turn the Cilantro Avocado Crema into a dressing by adding olive oil until you reach your desired consistency.
Another thing I love is that it is SO easy to make this recipe #Whole30 compliant. You can 100% leave out the tequila and the honey and still get a delicious piece of meat. As for the crema, leave out the Greek yogurt all together to make it #dairyfree. Or, if you are feeling adventurous, use some coconut yogurt instead. I know that sounds crazy, but coconut yogurt gives it this really awesome tanginess and makes this recipe oh-so-trendy. My point is, any recipe I provide, or any recipe you see elsewhere, can be easily modified to suite your needs. Let's stop being afraid to make recipes our own and start L-I-V-I-N for some food freedom!
As a small aside, all of my recipes are made with sustainably sourced meats (organic, grass-fed, pasture raised), dairy is always organic and whole milk, most vegetables are organic as well (especially the Dirty Dozen), always #glutenfree, and free of #refinedsugars. I will always try to provide alternatives to make recipes Dairy Free, Whole30 compliant (free of sugar, refined grains and dairy) and whatever else I feel like you may be looking for in a recipe. In other words, I am here to help show you that eating healthy and sustainably is not as hard or as boring as you think. In fact, with some minor dedication, it is quite the opposite.
Now for what you have all been waiting for....the recipe!
Tequila Lime Chicken
1-1.5lbs. chicken breasts, butterflied & lightly pounded (makes ‘em tender AF)
2 limes, juiced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped + extra for garnish
1 jalapeño, de-seeded & minced
1 oz. tequila, preferably silver
2 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
for extra heat add a few pinches of cayenne pepper
¼ cup olive oil
Combine all ingredients except for olive oil in a small mixing bowl.
Slowly add in olive oil while continuing to whisk. Mix until fully combined.
Place chicken breasts in large dish, cover with marinade & refrigerate for 3+ hours. The longer the better, but whatever you have time for works great too.
Heat up grill or grill pan (I’ve used a solid 12” cast iron pan) and grease with avocado oil or animal fat. Once hot, take chicken out of marinade and place on grill or pan and cook 4-5 minutes on each side until chicken is cooked through (no pink!) and you have a nice crust on each side.
Let rest 3 minutes on cutting board, then slice thinly against the grain. Garnish with remaining cilantro. Serve over rice, on grain-free tacos, in a taco bowl, or over a salad. Tastes great with sautéed red onion & bell peppers! Or even better, pickled red onions.
Cilantro Avocado Crema
¼ cup organic whole milk Greek yogurt
1 large avocado
1 large handful of cilantro
1 lime, juiced
1 small jalapeño, de-seeded & chopped (add seeds if you prefer a spicy crema, which I do)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
pinch of black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender until fully combined. Store in refrigerator. Can use to top tacos, salads, bowls or as a dip with grain-free chips!