A simple margarita flavored marinade is all that's needed to add flavor to your grilled chicken breast. This recipe is a copycat of a popular Chili's recipe, and once you try it you'll realize how easy it is to make in your own home!
You have flexibility for cooking this on a grill or stove top, and also for how you serve it, as you will see below!
Recipe Highlights
- An easy marinade is all you need to flavor the chicken breast.
- Adding cocktail flavors puts a fun twist on a standard chicken breast.
- Grilled chicken has universal appeal, perfect for family dinners and weekend gatherings!
Ingredients Needed
How to Make this Margarita Grilled Chicken
This tender chicken breast comes down to the simple marinade. First, pound the breasts to flatten and tenderize a little. Use the flat side of a meat mallet if available, the toothy side is usually too much for chicken.
Place the marinade ingredients in a zip top bag, then add the chicken. Close the bag and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.
I typically use this marinate time to make a quick batch of pico do gallo for serving: tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
To cook, preheat your grill or stove top pan to medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook about 5 to 8 minutes per side, until fully cooked. Cooking time will vary according to your grill/stove/pan/and the size of the meat, so cooking to temperature is best. Use a meat thermometer to verify the internal meat temperature is at least 165F.
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I also like to cover and rest the meat off the heat for at least 5 minutes after cooking, to promote juiciness. I use this time to start assembling the plates.
Serving Suggestions
Since this is a bit of a copycat, certainly we have to think of serving this Chili's style. The way they serve their margarita grilled chicken is on a bed of cooked black beans.
You can of course serve pico de gallo on side as I did above, or sometimes I just like to pile it right on top of the chicken.
And another way I really enjoy this chicken is on a salad. Just prepare a nice bed of salad greens (I use romaine lettuce, usually) then add the sliced chicken breast, a scoop of pico de gallo, some black beans, sliced avocado, and whatever else you like on your salad. For the dressing I mix a little sour cream or Greek yogurt into some salsa and spread that around. Margarita chicken taco salad!
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course! Just add a little tequila to the marinade before adding the chicken. But be sure to save enough for a margarita!
More Copycat Recipes to Try
If you're going to make this margarita grilled chicken, a Patron Especial margarita would be an excellent beverage to pair with it!
Another favorite of mine is the Caribbean chicken salad, full of delicious fruit flavors. And once you make that honey lime salad dressing, you'll find yourself using it on all your salads!
And salad lovers will also want to try the pecan crusted chicken salad (a T.G.I. Friday's copycat).
📖 Recipe
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Margarita Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
Marinade
- 1 cup margarita mix
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Pico de Gallo (optional)
- 2 Roma tomatoes diced
- ¼ cup white onion diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper diced
- ½ cup cilantro leaves minced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ⅛ teaspoon cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Use a meat mallet to pound the chicken breasts to about ½ inch thickness.3 to 4 chicken breasts
- Add all the marinade ingredients to a large zip top bag, then add the chicken breasts. Close and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.1 cup margarita mix, 1 lime, 1 clove garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- (Optional): to make the pico de gallo, dice the ingredients and mix together in a bowl. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.2 Roma tomatoes, ¼ cup white onion, 1 jalapeno pepper, ½ cup cilantro leaves, 1 tablespoon lime juice, ⅛ teaspoon cumin, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder, salt
- Preheat your outdoor grill or a pan on the stove top to medium high heat. Oil the grates or pan a little to prevent sticking.
- Cook the chicken breasts for about 5 to 8 minutes each side, until fully cooked. Use a meat thermometer to verify the internal temperature has reached 165F.
- Remove from heat, cover and rest the meat for 5 minutes while you assemble the rest of your meal.
- Slice and serve with beans, pico de gallo, and/or salad.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Dave
Delicious stuff!
Sula
Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Bryan
Perfect dinner and high in protein!
Sula
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!