Sometimes I think I’m the Queen of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cheap and quick, they can be doctored to take you all over the world. Today, as reigning Queen, I’m going to take you deep into the Colorado Rocky Mountains. And I’m gonna declare you make these Grilled Southwestern Lime Chicken Breasts.
Grilled Southwestern Lime Chicken Breasts
I know what you’re thinking – Southwestern? Wasn’t that all over in the 90’s? And you’d be right – but if it was good then, well, it’s good, now. My inspiration was from Golden Annie’s in Frisco, Colorado, a recipe published in Bon Appétit, circa June ’98. Frisco was near my old stomping grounds, so of course, I had to make this, and of course, I had to tinker.
Frisco, Colorado, photo from the Random Fishbowl
About Grilled Southwestern Lime Chicken Breasts:
As is, the dish was long a family favorite, but I wanted more zesty lime flavor and a touch of crisp, clean heat. A dash of Worcestershire sauce, a Cook’s Illustrated trick, deepens the flavor without being discernible.
The few little changes take this dish over the top. It’s a standout and easy to toss together.
Making Grilled Southwestern Lime Chicken Breasts:
Super easy, just mix up the simple marinade, give the chicken half an hour, and grill.
- This marinade works well with turkey, pork, shrimp, or fish.
- Although not very spicy, it’s easy to adjust.
- A shot of tequila is great in this.
And anytime you’re marinating, you’re missing an opportunity if you don’t make extra and stash a bag in the freezer for another meal in the future.
Make Extra!
Make extra Southwestern Lime Chicken, more than just for tonight’s dinner. The leftover possibilities are almost endless.
- A crispy salad of lettuce, bell pepper, avocado, and a Creamy Lime Vinaigrette, all topped with some of this Southwestern Lime Chicken? Marvelous! Maybe a few fried tortilla strips for a little crunch to take it over the top.
- For a fantastic sandwich, pull out that pepper jack cheese after all, and serve the leftover chicken, just warmed through so the pepper jack is a little melty, on a flatbread, slathered with either the Sweet Cayenne Mustard or the Creamy Lime Vinaigrette, maybe a little bacon, and lettuce, tomato, and/or avocado?
You’ll look like a genius, anyway you go with this dish, and I guarantee your family will fall on it like wild wolves.
Grilled Southwestern Lime Chicken Breasts in a sandwich.
Serve your Chicken With:
This can be served with black beans (doctor a can of them with garlic & cumin, to taste), Mexican Rice, and tortillas, or go another direction as I did and saute bell peppers and onion (or use a grill basket), and build your own fajitas.
Golden Annie’s served their Grilled Southwestern Lime Chicken Breasts topped with Jack cheese, accompanied by an Ancho Chili Sauce. I never really liked the sauce, and I ditched the cheese and used my Sweet Cayenne Mustard Sauce – it’s easy, and the flavor sets off the lime in the chicken so well.
The Sparrow Sweet Cayenne Mustard Sauce
Saving Money on Groceries:
What you pay for groceries depends not only on WHERE you shop, but WHEN. Be strategic and stock up at rock-bottom prices.
- The best sales are before holidays; check out Win at the Grocers. Use these sales not just for your holiday, but to stock up at a low for the coming weeks to months.
- Take advantage of discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. The pricing at Buyer’s clubs is not always the lowest, but can trump in quality; be selective.
The best way to save money on this or any recipe is to have a well-stocked pantry, fridge, and freezer full of sale-priced items.
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast or Thighs:
There are options when it comes to purchasing boneless, skinless chicken breasts (and thighs, too). Generally, buying in larger amounts means you’ll pay less per pound.
- Chicken drops to a low once a quarter. Know the pricing in your area, what’s a good deal, and a great one, and never pay full price. Stock the freezer at rock bottom. Divide family packs into amounts for meals.
- Take it one step further and reduce today’s huge breasts into actual serving sizes. Large ones can be cut in half, and smaller ones trimmed to size. Package trimmings for stir-fries, casseroles, chicken strips, and so on.
- Compare sale pricing at all the available stores, and fresh to frozen. Frozen is often priced in ounces; learn how to compare to fresh, priced by the pound. Unless it’s a great sale, frozen is often more per pound than fresh on sale.
Grilled Southwestern Lime Chicken Breasts
Grilled Southwestern Lime Chicken Breasts
This chicken is delish, and so versatile. Serve as a meal, fajitas, bowls, or sandwiches.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes including marinade
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish Chicken
Ingredients
- zest and juice from 1/2 lime, save other half for serving
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar (brown or white)
- 3 cloves minced garlic, mashed with 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder or cayenne*
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut in 1/2 horizontally*
- 8 slices Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
- Sweet Cayenne Mustard Sauce
Instructions
Combine first seven ingredients, the lime zest and juice, Worcestershire, olive oil, sugar, garlic, chipotle or cayenne pepper and the pinch of red pepper flakes in a Ziploc or medium bowl and mix together. Add chicken, massaging & turning to coat. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes. (May be marinated overnight, and it is flavorful, but the heat will dissipate with the longer time period.)
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Remove chicken breasts from marinade, letting excess drip off. Grill chicken until just cooked through, turning occasionally, about three to five minutes, depending on thickness of breasts.
If using cheese, when turning the chicken, place 1 cheese slice atop each chicken breast half; cover barbecue and cook until cheese melts, one to two minutes. Transfer chicken breasts to plates.
Serve with lime & Sweet Cayenne Mustard Sauce.
*notes:
- A regular chili powder is mixed with a number of ingredients which tend to add a “muddy” flavor to the chicken – stick with a pure powder like a Chipotle or Cayenne.
- The breasts don’t have to be cut, but it speeds up cooking time and maximizes the flavor.
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