Easy Tex-Mex Grilled Chicken

A quick and easy marinade recipe for delicious, Tex-Mex grilled chicken breasts perfect for tacos, nachos, salads, burritos... you name it! Skip to recipe.

Glance over our recipe index and, given the relatively young age of our blog, you might get the idea that my husband and I have an affinity for Mexican food. This is absolutely true. I don't think you can live in Southern California (or California in general) without developing an appreciation for the delicious flavors from our southern neighbors. I am fully convinced that good street tacos are a gateway drug to a lifelong addiction to light and spicy Latin flavors.

This doesn't mean we don't occasionally enjoy Taco Bell and the like; we do have a mean recipe for what we call Gringo Tacos (ground beef, lettuce, cheese-- check back for that recipe later!), but there's something about grilled meat in tacos that takes them to the next level. I mean, look at that picture, perfectly grilled chicken always makes my mouth water, yummmm!

That's not to say that this chicken recipe has to be eaten in taco form, you could also use the chicken in a salad, burrito, tostada... or on its own as a main dish. However, if you do decide to go one of the aforementioned Tex-Mex routes, we highly recommend tacos topped with our Better-Than-Chipotle Corn Salsa, a bright, fresh side dish that pairs perfectly with grilled meats. Side note: I feel like there should be a California version of the phrase Tex-Mex like Calexican food or Mexicalin food or Cal-Mex... what do you think? 😉

Give it a try! Grilled chicken makes some of the best tacos around... Happy grilling!

Easy Tex-Mex Grilled Chicken

by Smoke & Vanilla


The yield of the recipe depends only on the number of chicken breasts you'd like to prepare. Three half breasts makes enough tacos for two hungry adults plus leftovers for a second meal (or two!). The marinade can sit for up to four hours, but if you don't have the time, just mix it up and get the chicken on the grill, no need to wait around!

Yield: 3-4 chicken breasts
Prep time: 00:10
Cook time: 00:15
Total time: 00:25

Ingredients:
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
⅓c olive oil
1-2 lemons, juiced (*see tip)
4T chili powder
1T garlic powder
1T cumin
1T dried onion flakes (*see tip)
1 ½t salt
1t fresh ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Optional: Lightly pound thicker end of breasts a few times with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or canned food (e.x. can of chili, not can of Coke).
2. Combine all ingredients in a gallon-sized zip-topped bag and refrigerate up to 4 hours (or grill right away, whatever works for you!).
3. Pre-heat grill. Go here if you need tips on how to start a charcoal grill.
4. Grill chicken over direct heat for 6-8 minutes per side, until thickest part of breast is 165°F. (*see tip)
5. Remove from grill and let it rest for ~5 minutes before serving.

Tips:

• Use either lemons or limes here, 1-2 lemons or 3-4 limes will work just fine. Microwave your citrus fruit of choice for 10 seconds before juicing to increase juice yield.
• Granulated onion will work in place of onion flakes in a pinch.
• I highly recommend an instant read thermometer, it takes the guess work out of cooking meats and really helped to boost my cooking confidence when I was just starting out.

Are you interested in trying out this simple grilled chicken recipe? We'd love to hear from you in the comments!