I’ve been collecting recipes to try ever since I was first married. The recipes used to be printed in magazines & newspapers & on packages of food. If the recipe interested me, I cut it out & saved it in a very unorganized fashion. It is so much easier to find recipes now with the internet and fast search engines. My unorganized collection of clippings has (mainly) been replaced by categorized binders of recipes we tried and liked, while the recipes with potential only take up disc space on my computer. It’s a much better system than the mass of loose, odd-sized pieces of paper I used to have!
Despite all that collecting, it has only been in the past few years that I started cooking often. My mom was a wonderful cook and I was happy to eat whatever she made for us. I never had the desire to learn to cook. I was a baker. Sure, I could cook basic stuff and follow the directions on any number of boxed or frozen products, but I only did the cooking when Eric wasn’t home for dinner. He learned to cook at a young age and enjoyed the process far more than I did. So, he cooked and I cleaned up afterwards. It still pretty much works that way. Except for when Eric travels for work. That’s frequently these days. Out of necessity, I am doing more in the way of cooking. And I am finally getting some use out of all those recipes I started saving long ago. This recipe wasn’t found long ago, but it is one I found the old-fashioned way, in printed form. It came from an in-house publication at one of our local grocery store chains. I still can’t resist picking up recipe brochures in search of new dishes to make! I used boneless breasts when we prepared it because that is my preference, but the original recipe called for bone-in breasts, wings thighs & legs.
Margarita Chicken
Margarita Chicken (adapted from Big Y Life In Balance magazine) Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup tequila
- 1/2 cup orange liqueur (like Grand Marnier or Triple Sec)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2-3 pounds chicken breasts
Start with the marinade. In a large bowl, combine the lime juice, orange juice, tequila, orange liqueur, olive oil, hot sauce, lime zest, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, salt, & garlic, whisking them all together.
Whisk together the marinade.
Place the chicken in a large zipper-seal bag and add the marinade to it. Seal the bag, pressing out the excess air and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours and as long as overnight. A bolder flavor will develop with a longer marinating time.
Place the chicken in the marinade and refrigerate for 2 – 8 hours.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Place the chicken and the marinade in a baking dish. Bake the chicken for 40 minutes, turning it once, or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat is 180ºF. Serve immediately.
I think they serve this in Margaritaville!
This is a dish to enjoy while eating al fresco with a margarita in hand! ~Linda
Margarita Chicken (adapted from Big Y Life In Balance magazine) Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup tequila
- 1/2 cup orange liqueur (like Grand Marnier or Triple Sec)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2-3 pounds chicken breasts
Start with the marinade. In a large bowl, combine the lime juice, orange juice, tequila, orange liqueur, olive oil, hot sauce, lime zest, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, salt & garlic, whisking them all together. Place the chicken in a large zipper-seal bag and add the marinade to it. Seal the bag, pressing out the excess air and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours and as long as overnight. A bolder flavor will develop with a longer marinating time.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Place the chicken and the marinade in a baking dish. Bake the chicken for 40 minutes, turning it once, or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat is 180ºF. Serve immediately.