Tequila lime chicken marinade makes tender, juicy chicken with bright lime flavor and a light kick of spice. It’s perfect for tacos, burrito bowls, salads, and easy weeknight meals.
If you love fresh lime flavor with just a little heat, this tequila lime chicken marinade is an easy way to add some flavor to dinner. The lime helps tenderize the chicken while the spices add just enough flavor without overpowering the dish.
It’s incredibly versatile and can be used to make chicken for tacos, burrito bowls, wraps, salads, or simple grilled chicken plates.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Tequila: White or gold tequila works.
- Salt: Or 1/4 teaspoon table salt.
- Chili powder: Ancho or plain chile powder ok.
How to make tequila lime chicken
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Stir together the ingredients for the marinade.
Step 2: Add chicken and marinade to desired container.
Step 3: Let chicken sit in marinade, covered in the fridge, for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
Recipe Tips!
- How to marinate chicken: I wrote a post with tips on how to freeze chicken in marinade, the best containers for marinating chicken, and more. You can find all of those tips in my how to marinate chicken post.
- Serving suggestions: This chicken goes well with rice and beans in a bowl, in tacos, burritos, over salad, and more!
Storage
Let chicken sit in marinade, covered in the fridge, for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
More chicken marinade recipes!
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Tequila Lime Chicken Marinade
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup bottled margarita mix
- ¼ cup tequila
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1-1 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
Instructions
Marinade
- Stir together the ingredients for the marinade.½ cup bottled margarita mix, ¼ cup tequila, ¼ cup fresh lime juice, 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 cloves garlic
- Add chicken and marinade to desired container.1-1 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- Let chicken sit in marinade, covered in the fridge, for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
Grill
- Preheat grill to medium high heat and lightly grease the grates.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, and let the excess marinade drip off.
- Discard remaining marinade.
- Grill chicken until chicken reaches 165F. The grilling time will vary depending on thickness of the chicken.
- Remove chicken from grill, and tent loosely with foil.
- Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Oven
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Add the chicken and marinade to a baking dish. An 11×7-inch dish works well for 1-1.5 pounds of chicken.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Flip the chicken over, and continue to cook for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken registers 165F.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Slow Cooker
- Add the chicken and marinade to the slow cooker insert.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 3-5 hours, or until chicken registers 165 F.
Notes
- Tequila: White or gold
- Chili powder: Ancho or plain chile powder ok
- Salt: Or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- Nutrition values are estimates and do not take into account discarded marinade.
Nutrition
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