|
Baking Corner
| Regional
Foods | Cooking
Articles
|
Hints & Tips
| Culinary
Dictionary
|
Newspaper
Columns
This recipe and photos are courtesy of Cynthia Detterick-Pineda of Andrews, TX. More of Cynthia's
Southwest Recipes.
This recipe is one that I came up with after eating at one of the popular chain
restaurants. I had looked around for a similar recipe, and I did find one, but
it just wasn’t the same. I wanted something that would pack some great flavor
and “wow” my husband. So I just started pouring the tequila; no, not into a
shot glass, but into a measuring cup. Here is what came of all that tequila,
some limes and all the other that is in here. I hope you enjoy!
Barbeque
and grilling are often considered a Southwest tradition. I know in my
household they are. Perhaps it is the many days of fair weather that allows
for cooking outdoors, or the wonderful taste that comes from a smoky fire
cooking meats until they are tender and succulent. Whatever the reason, the
grill on our back patio seems to stay lit for most of the Spring, Summer and
Fall. Besides, when I can walk out the back door and break off a few limbs
from a Mesquite bush to smoke the grill with, it must be meant for me to be
firing up the grill! I have even been known to be out there cooking while
wearing a coat, gloves, thermals and ear muffs! There just isn’t a of
weather out here that can really stop our grill from burning.
More great
Poultry
Recipes
and learn how to
Brine Poultry
for a moister and tastier dish.
Tequila Lime Chicken Recipe
Recipe Type:
Poultry,
Chile Peppers,
Chicken, Entree
Yields:
6 servings
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients:
6 large chicken breasts, deboned and skin removed
1/4 cup gold tequila liquor
1/2 cup
lime juice (bottled is fine, as long as it is pure juice)
1 small
onion, diced finely
3 cloves
garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeņo
chile pepper, seeded, deveined, and minced
1 teaspoon liquid smoke (preferably mesquite, but others will work)
2 tablespoons firmly-packed brown sugar
Spicy sauce (see recipe below)
Crushed tortilla chips, about 1 cup
1 cup of grated cheese, Colby, mild Cheddar, Monterrey or a mixture of your
choice
Preparation:
In a large
bowl, mix together tequila, lime juice, onions, garlic, chile pepper, liquid
smoke, and brown sugar. Make sure the brown sugar is
dissolved and all the other ingredient are distributed well. Pour the
mixture into a heavy-duty zip lock bag and add the chicken breasts. Zip up the
bag and “slosh” the mixture to cover the chicken entirely. Place this in the
refrigerator to marinate for a minimum of 4 hours, preferable overnight.
After the
mixture has marinated sufficiently, light your grill. It really doesn’t matter
if you use a gas grill or coals, or even grill these indoors under the broiler
or on a hibachi. The fire should be about medium flame, or the coals should be
red hot.
Place the
marinated chicken breast on the grill and
cook approximately 25 minutes or until a
meat
thermometer registers an
internal
temperature of 165°F (juices will run clear when cut with the tip of a knife). Do not
close the lid on the barbecue. Turn
the breast frequently to keep from charring. If you are using coals to grill with, make sure
that you have not placed the breast over a hot spot that causes the outside of
the chicken to overcook and leaves the insides pink. Cooking too long will cause
the meat to be rubbery; cooking to short of a time will leave the center
underdone and pink.
 This
is the type of cooking and meat thermometer that I prefer and
use in my cooking. I get many readers
asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my
cooking and baking. I, personally, use the
Thermapen Thermometer
shown in the photo on the right. Originally designed
for professional users, the
Super-Fast Thermapen
Thermometer is used by
chefs all over the world. To learn more about this excellent
thermometer and to also purchase one (if you desire), just click
on the underlined:
Thermapen Thermometer.
Once you
have reached doneness, move the chicken breasts to a warming area of your
grill. If you do not have a warming rack
on your grill, place it off to the side where there is not enough heat to cook
the chicken further, but enough to keep it warm.
To serve,
spoon enough of
the Spicy Sauce mixture over the chicken to cover the top. Sprinkle with the
crumbled chips and then the grated cheese. Carefully move the chicken breast
back to a warmer part of the grill and allow the cheese to melt before serving.
Makes approximately 6 servings.
Spicy Sauce:
If made properly, this recipe yields a slow heat sauce. At first you might not
think it has any heat, but be prepared for at least a little spice to hit your
palate slowly. This sauce also makes a great dip with chips.
1/2
cup mayonnaise (low fat is ok to use, but not fat free)
1/2 cup sour cream (low fat is ok to use, but not fat free)
1 teaspoon milk
3 tablespoons minced onion
2 cloves of
garlic, crushed
1 large jalapeņo
chile pepper,
seeded, deveined, and minced
3 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons salsa, commercial jarred salsa of your choice
1 teaspoon of chile powder
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried dillweed, crushed to release oils
1/2 teaspoon Mexican Oregano, crushed to release oils
In the
small cup of a food processor or blender, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, milk,
onion, and garlic. Blend until combined and the onion and garlic is finely
chopped. Add the jalapeņo chile pepper and red bell pepper; pulse 4 to 5 times
to chop and incorporate these into the mixture. Add the salsa, chile
powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, dillweed, and oregano; pulse 2 or 3 times, just
enough to mix these in.
Place the
mixture in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, or while the chicken cooks
on the grill. It will be ready to use after allowing to set long enough for the
flavors to begin to blend.
|
