Grilled Chicken with Hot 'n' Spicy Tequila-Orange Marinade
I created this dish for a poolside barbecue with a Mexican grill theme, and it went over really well with my friends. I like to serve it with spicy black beans, fruit salsa, and tortillas (although tortilla chips will also work). There are never leftovers.
I created this dish for a poolside barbecue with a Mexican grill theme, and it went over really well with my friends. I like to serve it with spicy black beans, fruit salsa, and tortillas (although tortilla chips will also work). There are never leftovers.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- marinade:
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 cup onion chopped
- 4 jalapeno peppers seeded and chopped
- 4 oranges peeled and sliced
- 1 cup tequila
- 2 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 teaspoon fresh cilantro minced
- 2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- chicken:
- 2 pound chicken pieces skinned
- cooking spray spray
- Carbohydrate 27.131357302216 g
- Cholesterol 170.09713875 mg
- Fat 36.6765933785738 g
- Fiber 4.63839805330351 g
- Protein 44.7659622858333 g
- Saturated Fat 10.1397171569629 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (522g)
- Sodium 756.739412834905 mg
- Sugar 22.4929592489125 g
- Trans Fat 3.17061925143907 g
- Calories 747 calories
Step-by-step
- To prepare the marinade, heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saut? for 3 minutes. Add jalape?o peppers and oranges; cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add juice; cook 2 minutes. Add tequila; cook 3 minutes. Add rosemary, cilantro, and vinegar; cook 1 minute.
- Place marinade in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Discard solids. Reserve 1/2 cup marinade. Place remaining marinade in a large zip-top plastic bag.
- To prepare the chicken, pierce with a fork. Add the chicken, chili powder, salt, and pepper to marinade in bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.
- Prepare grill.
- Remove the chicken from bag; discard marinade. Place the chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; cook 12 minutes on each side or until chicken is done, basting frequently with reserved marinade.
Why does the chicken stick to the grates despite an oiled rack? The answer lies in sugar caramelization and protein bonding, both of which accelerate when citrus juice and tequila reduce down into a concentrated glaze. Managing direct heat requires precise technique.
- Pierce the chicken pieces deeply with a fork before bagging to allow the marinade penetration past the surface moisture barrier.
- Sauté the onions and garlic over medium-high heat for exactly 3 minutes to break down harsh allium compounds before adding the liquids.
- Process the cooked aromatics and orange slices in a blender until completely smooth, then pass through a sieve to remove fibrous bits that might burn prematurely on the grill.
- Refrigerate the meat in the marinade for 2 hours, turning the bag periodically to ensure even acid contact across every surface.
- Baste the pieces frequently during the 12 minutes per side cook time using the reserved half-cup of clean liquid, keeping raw cross-contamination away from cooked surfaces.
- Scale quantities linearly when adjusting yield, but keep marinading times identical since 2 hours is optimal for flavor absorption without altering meat texture.
Clean the grill grates thoroughly before cooking. Brush them with high-smoke-point oil right before laying down the chicken pieces.
