Spicy Chipotle Chicken Marinade
This marinade will change your chicken and your life ✨
As someone who grew up eating a LOT of dry chicken, as an adult it’s very important to me that every piece of chicken consumed in my household is juicy and flavorful. My college dining hall practically dehydrated their chicken and seemed to think seasoning was a crime. I refuse to be punished with one more lifeless chicken puck, so I am a big marinade gal and this is my current favorite. This recipe is spicy, colorful, and perfect for delicious summer grilling. It’ll make your whole neighborhood smell amazing. It doesn’t take a lot to make chicken delicious so I’m going to break down what makes this recipe work.
Meat is made up of proteins, which are coiled up tightly and hold the meat together. Salt and heat unravel these proteins and break them down. When you eat a piece of chicken and it’s tough; it’s because those little proteins are tightly wound up. But if you think of tender chicken that falls apart it’s usually been slow-cooked for a while (think of pulled chicken sliders). And if you think of chicken that’s tender and soft that you don’t have to saw through, it’s typically been brined or marinated. Acid has a similar effect to salt and heat; it helps denature the proteins. You won’t come across a piece of chicken in any Michelin-star restaurant that hasn’t been brined or marinated.
This marinade targets the chicken on 3 fronts: adding flavor, tenderizing the meat, and keeping it juicy. The chipotle peppers and raw garlic add significantly more flavor than any dried spice would. Blending them with oil helps them bloom and release their flavor even more. The lime juice denatures the proteins keeping it tender. And the salt keeps it juicy and carries the flavor throughout the meat.
This marinade is part of this week’s meal plan but I wanted to share it with everyone for free because it’s so good.
Ingredients
Up to 2 lbs of chicken
1 can chipotle peppers in adobo
juice of 2 limes
big pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup avocado or olive oil
1/4 cup water
5 cloves of garlic
Instructions
Add the peppers, lime juice, sea salt, oil, water, and garlic to a large deli container or immersion blender container.
Immersion blend for about a minute till bright orange and creamy. You can also use a regular blender for this but immersion blenders are so much easier to clean and my preferred method.
Put your chicken in a bowl or on a tray and use a fork to poke little holes to allow the marinade to penetrate.
Pour the marinade over and cover with saran wrap. Let the chicken marinate for at least one hour but up to 24.
If you’re grilling your chicken, heat your grill to high, oil it a bit and add your chicken and cover the grill. You want to just shake a bit of the excess marinade off but leave some on to add flavor. DON’T TOUCH IT until you’re ready to flip it. You want to form a nice crusty sear to lock to moisture in.
Cook for about 8 minutes on one side if you’re cooking thighs, flip it, cover the grill, cook for another 6-8 minutes till 165 internal, and remove from the grill.
Let your meat rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. This keeps it from being dry.
Serve and enjoy!
This was SO delicious. The marinade is so simple - so few ingredients - but the flavor is amazing. I made some for a crowd of nieces and nephews and wished I’d made more. Everyone loved it, even the kids with fairly low spice tolerance. I’ll be adding the ingredients to my next grocery order so I can make it again!
I love this recipe! I don't have the option for a grill so I air fry the chicken instead and it still comes out super juicy with great color and texture.