You’ve heard of lemon pepper chicken, right? A favorite standby that everyone’s had a few times. And, it’s delicious. But, recently I wanted something similar, but with lime, garlic, cilantro, pepper and a kick of spice. Something that could be made in 20 minutes or less. Sometimes you hit it out of the ballpark on the first try, which is exactly what happened with this recipe — it’s easy and flavorful!
I wanted to call it lime pepper chicken, but the first reaction at the StyleBlueprint offices was (imagine this said veeeery slowly with a confused tone) “L-i-m-e p-e-p-p-e-r c-h-i-c-k-e-n?” Thus, it became spicy garlic lime chicken — ready in a nanosecond. Too long? Well, whatever you call it, this recipe is too darn good for the name to ruin it!
This chicken is so tender and delicious.
This chicken recipe would work well served atop some rice with a side of Mexican vegetables or shredded and used as taco meat. And, speaking of tacos, this chicken (served both cold or hot) makes a delicious addition to a taco-type salad.
Like most of my recipes, this one can be heavily doctored to meet your tastes. Love garlic? Add more. Is cumin your favorite spice? Double the amount I use. You want more lime? Zest another one. You’d like less liquid in the end? Only use a half-cup of stock. Seriously, try this recipe and then tweak it to make it your own. It’s a winner, winner chicken dinner.
This is quick enough for a weeknight meal and it saves well, which means maybe cook more than you’ll eat as the leftovers are fabulous.
And, you can shred the chicken for tacos, burritos, nachos … the options are endless!
Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 2 limes
- 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise (I really like Kroger's Simple Truth natural chicken breasts, which come three to a pack, each individually sealed. Thus, the breasts stay fresher longer if you don't cook all of them at once.)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2/3 cup Simple Truth chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1-2 jalapeños, sliced (keep seeds or de-seed depending on your desired level of spice)
- Chopped cilantro
- Option: another fresh jalapeño, diced, to add as garnish and you can even throw some shredded cheddar on at the end if you want
- Preheat oven to 400°. Combine flour, pepper, salt, cumin, garlic and zest of one lime. Dredge chicken in flour mixture and set aside. Slice 1 lime into thin pieces.
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet (or one that can go from stovetop to oven) big enough to fit all your chicken (chicken will shrink a bit when cooking). Once warm, add the chicken halves, coated in flour mixture, to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes (will be golden and crisp on the bottom). Flip chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes.
- While chicken is cooking on the second side, add the chicken broth, butter, garlic, lime and jalapeño slices to the skillet. Place skillet in the preheated oven and bake until the chicken is cooked (170 degrees) which takes approximately 8-10 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and a pinch of coarse salt. Add diced fresh jalapeño if you like it extra spicy.
- Variation: Add sliced oranges while cooking. Also, you can shred the chicken, once cooked, and mix with the juices.
For some delicious vegetables that pair nicely with this chicken recipe, see The Perfect Vegetable Recipe for Mexican Food.
This side of Mexican vegetables is so tasty … see recipe here.
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