Grilled Chicken with a Tequila Orange Marinade

This recipe is a little more work that I am used to for a marinade. I typically like the easy throw-together-a-few-ingredients kind. I saw this one from Cooking Light and I thought I'd see if it was worth the extra trouble.


We loved this recipe and I definitely thought it was better than any other tequila based marinade I've made before. It's definitely worth the extra work!

Grilled Chicken with a Tequila Orange Marinade
Source: Cooking Light, May 2001
Serves 4

For the marinade:
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 cups chopped onion
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 4 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
* 4 oranges, peeled and sliced
* 1 cup orange juice
* 1 cup tequila
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
* 2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
* 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Chicken:
* 2 pounds chicken pieces, skinned
* 2 teaspoons chili powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
* Cooking spray

Preparation

To prepare the marinade, heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté for 3 minutes. Add jalapeño peppers and oranges; cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add juice; cook 2 minutes. Add tequila; cook 3 minutes. Add rosemary, cilantro, and vinegar; cook 1 minute.

Place marinade in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Discard solids. Reserve 1/2 cup marinade. Place remaining marinade in a large zip-top plastic bag.

To prepare the chicken, pierce with a fork. Add the chicken, chili powder, salt, and pepper to marinade in bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Prepare grill.

Remove the chicken from bag; discard marinade. Place the chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; cook 12 minutes on each side or until chicken is done, basting frequently with reserved marinade.

Note: For chicken pieces, use a combination of chicken breasts, thighs, and drumsticks. Look for packages labeled "pick of the chick" in the butcher case.

Nutritional Information (per serving)
Calories: 324 (45% from fat)
Fat: 16.3g (sat 3.7g,mono 7.7g,poly 3.2g)
Protein: 34.1g
Carbohydrate: 11.9g
Fiber: 2.4g
Cholesterol: 120mg
Iron: 0.4mg
Sodium: 324mg
Calcium: 29mg