A simple pantry-staples marinade delivers: Chili Lime Grilled Chicken

A mix of basic ingredients you probably already have creates a marinade that produces flavorful, tender grilled chicken. Recipe below.

THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME WE’VE SAID THIS HERE and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Like most of you, we’re relying heavily on things we have on hand when we cook these days. Instead of chasing down trending esoteric ingredients, we’re looking for new ways to use the tried and true staples in our pantry and fridge. This make-it-again flavorful grilled chicken is the happy outcome of just such an adventure.

And we’re talking basic staples here. Oil, vinegar, lime juice (freshly squeezed or bottled, either will work). And dried spices that are already in your pantry or need to be. Prepping and cooking is just as basic. No chopping or slicing—just measuring, mixing, marinating and then grilling.

The lime juice and vinegar add a nice, subtle tang to the grilled chicken and also help tenderize it. The oil tempers that tenderizing, so the chicken doesn’t turn mushy. And it helps the mix of spices cling to the chicken. Because it’s a mix of five spices, plus salt and pepper, no one flavor dominates. It just all works together to create mouthwateringly savory, tender chicken with an underlying bright note.

To accompany this simple chicken dish, we chose two even simpler sides—a salad with a vinaigrette dressing and grilled corn on the cob. Just shuck the ears of corn, put them on the grill and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, turning every couple of minutes until they’re nicely charred and cooked through. Corn is so good this way, you don’t need butter or even salt—just eat it plain.

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Chili Lime Grilled Chicken

A mix of basic ingredients you probably already have creates a marinade that delivers flavorful, tender grilled chicken.

Course Grilling, Poultry

Cuisine American

Servings 4 to 6 people

Ingredients

• 4 – 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (see Kitchen Notes)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (to substitute garlic salt, see Kitchen Notes)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice (see Kitchen Notes)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions

• Trim any excess fat from chicken thighs and place them in a zippered plastic bag.
• Combine all dried spices in a small bowl. Combine olive oil, lime juice and vinegar in a measuring cup, and stir in spice mixture.
• Pour mixture over chicken in bag, zip closed and work the marinade around the chicken pieces to coat them all. Marinate in fridge for at least an hour and up to 8 hours, turning bag a time or two to redistribute the marinade.
• About 1/2 hour before you’re ready to grill the chicken, remove it from the fridge to bring it at least partially to room temperature.
• Prepare grill for indirect grilling, with the coals to one side. When the coals are good and hot, remove chicken from marinade, shaking off excess. Discard marinade in bag. Start the chicken on the side away from the coals, skin side down. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then turn and cook skin side up for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Move the chicken thighs directly over the coal, skin side down, and close grill (peek through the vents to see if there are any flare-ups—if so, partially close vents to make them subside). Cook for about 2 minutes, then turn and cook skin side up for another 2 minutes, again watching for flare-ups.
• Start checking the temperature on the chicken with an instant read thermometer. The chicken is done when it’s at least 165ºF in the thickest part. If some pieces cook faster than others—and they inevitably will—move done pieces to the indirect heat side of the grill or transfer to a platter and tent with foil.
• When all chicken is done, let it rest for 5 minutes, then serve. And honestly, if it comes to room temperature as you finish preparing other parts of the meal, that’s totally fine.

Kitchen Notes

Chicken thighs or… Chicken thighs are great for grilling—meaty and juicy and flavorful. But substitute whatever chicken you have on hand or prefer. Chicken breasts are also a good choice.

Garlic powder? Garlic salt? Fresh garlic? Garlic powder is handy to use for recipes like this. Unlike fresh garlic bits, it mixes into the marinade and won’t burn on the grill. The 1/4 teaspoon in this recipe equals 2 cloves of garlic. Garlic salt, as the name implies, has salt in it—a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt, the equivalent of 1 clove of fresh garlic, has 3/8 teaspoon of salt. So for this recipe, use 1 teaspoon of garlic salt, but only add 1/4 teaspoon of salt, not the full teaspoon the recipe calls for. Of course, fresh garlic works too—just mince it very fine so there aren’t chunky pieces to burn.

Lime juice, fresh or bottled? Yes. If you have limes, fresh juice is great. But bottled lime juice works perfectly well. It’s 100% lime juice and nothing else, and it keeps nicely in the fridge—given the current state of affairs, we’ve been keeping it and bottled lemon juice on hand all the time.