Baja Chicken

Photo from Amanda's Cookin'

The BFF came over for dinner and a movie last night, and since the weather was perfect, I was in the mood to fire up the grill. I'd bookmarked this recipe from Amanda's Cookin' a couple of months ago, and luckily I already had everything I needed on hand.

The real secret to this recipe is giving the chicken enough time to soak up all that flavor. The original recipe recommends marinating it for 12 hours, but that's a little too long for my liking when there's this much citrus involved. I've found that five hours is my sweet spot. In my opinion, it's the perfect amount of time to get plenty of flavor without the citrus starting to change the texture of the chicken.

Instead of grilling whole pieces, I cubed the chicken and threaded it onto skewers. More surface area means more marinade on every bite, and skewers are always easy to manage on the grill. It was a win-win.

This marinade was fantastic. The citrus really takes center stage, giving the chicken a bright, bold flavor that stands out without overpowering it. It's fresh, flavorful, and exactly what I want from a summer grilling recipe. This one is definitely making its way into my regular rotation.

Baja Chicken

Recipe from Amanda's Cooking

Serves 4

• 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup lime juice about 2-3 medium limes
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 large jalapeno pepper chopped
• ½ teaspoon lime zest
• ½ teaspoon orange zest
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Place chicken breasts into a glass baking dish.

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

Combine all remaining ingredients in a mini food processor. Process ingredients until smooth.

Pour the marinade over the chicken, flipping and moving chicken to ensure all parts are in contact with the marinade. Tuck chicken under the marinade as best you can.

Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

30 minutes before cooking, remove chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Removing surface moisture prevents the meat from steaming and allows for a better sear and flavorful crust formation.

Prepare grill (or you can cook in a skillet on the stovetop) by preheating to medium-high (about 375-400F). Clean grill grates with a grill brush then apply a thin coating of high point oil using long tongs and a piece of wadded up paper towel dipped in the oil.

Place chicken breasts on grill and cook for several minutes without disturbing. Turn chicken over and cook several more minutes. Continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 165F.

Remove to a clear plate and cover with foil, let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.