Grilled Citrus Chicken
**Pictures updated 2023*
I saw a similar recipe to this in one of the Pioneer Woman's cookbooks (can we just take a moment to bask in her glory, blogger to empire girl boss?!) and I knew I wanted to make it my own. A little bit of spice and make it less of her taco spread and more of my healthy and easy dinner from the grill. I love dinners like this, I can get them marinading in a few minutes, and come home to dinner already on it's way to being awesome. I literally got this marinade together in 15 minutes and that was while taking pictures! It has beautiful citrus as a big part of the flavor so this would also be amazing in the winter to bring brightness to your table when citrus season is in full swing.
Our favorite veggies to grill to complete a meal are cherry tomatoes and zucchini. Tomatoes were never my favorite until I grilled them for a recipe (honestly for the aesthetic factor) and I was blown away by how delicious they were. I just made skewers of the veggies and threw them on the grill when the chicken was almost ready. My kids and husband loved this and the leftover chicken was perfect for lunches the next day. Give a kid a drumstick to chew on and they will be happy, unless you are my 5yo and bones inside are "creepy", then give her a thigh with the bone removed.
This is perfect party food as well, Labor Day is coming up soon, hint hint! Just multiply the quantities as needed for your guests.
Grilled Citrus Chicken
1/2 cup oil (olive or avocado)
1 orange, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
2 limes, juiced
1 jalepeno, deseeded and finely diced
1 Tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons chipotle powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large onion, chopped
7 garlic cloves, smashed
1 whole cut up chicken
- In a jar, combine the first 9 ingredients, oil, juices, jalepeno, and spices. As you juice the citrus, throw the fruit into a large bag. Shake the jar like you mean it until it is all combined.
- In the same bag, add the onions, smashed garlic, and chicken. Then pour the marinade over, seal, and shake the bag, ensuring the chicken is covered well. Place in a dish to prevent any leaking and refrigerate 8 hours, up to overnight.
- When ready to grill, preheat the grill to medium heat and bring the chicken to room temperature. Take the chicken pieces out and grill until internal temperature is 165, adjusting the heat and location as needed. Mine took about 45 minutes because I had a huge breast.
The marinade crew! Y'all know I am a sucker for bright colors...
Squeeze those juices into the jar and then toss the juiced fruit halves into a large bag. Get those jalepenos into the mix along with the spices and shake it up!
Add the onions, garlic, and chicken into the bag (I found these amazing 2 gallon bags that are perfect for this at Target). Then pour the marinade over! So easy.
Seal it up and mix it all around.
Pop it into a dish to catch any juices because who wants to deep clean their fridge? Also, anytime you open the fridge, rotate the bag so the marinade is evenly distributed. Let it hang all day or even overnight.
Grillin' time!!!
