This multipurpose Mexican Chicken Marinade is great for marinating chicken breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and more. Use it to make tender and juicy chicken for all your favorite Mexican inspired recipes, like tacos, fajitas, casseroles, and more!
Why We Love It
Say goodbye to boring chicken! This Mexican Chicken marinade is the perfect thing to make when you want juicy chicken with lots of flavor.
Because marinating infuses flavor in meat and helps to keep it moist, I always recommend marinating meat, especially chicken.
This marinade is made with earthy, floral, and lightly spicy seasonings, rich olive oil, and bright, zesty lime juice. It’s bursting with Mexican inspired flavor!
And it’s versatile, too! Use it on chicken breasts, thighs, wings, or drumsticks (legs) when you’re cooking on the grill, in the Instant Pot, slow cooker, oven, or air fryer.
This healthy chicken marinade recipe is Whole30, Paleo, and Low Carb friendly, because it’s made with all natural ingredients and without sugar or anything processed.
Like my Honey Soy Marinade and Greek Marinade, it’s so delicious you’ll come back to this recipe time and time again!
Ingredients
Marinades are made of three elements: Fat, acid, and flavor enhancing seasonings. They work together to tenderize and infuse flavor in the meat!
Here’s what’s in this marinade:
- Olive oil, or substitute avocado oil for high heat cooking.
- Lime juice
- Spices: Chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and cayenne pepper.
- Minced cilantro (optional)
Tip: If you have fajita seasoning already made, skip a step and use that in place of the seasonings!
🍗 How to Marinate Chicken
Step 1: Make the marinade. Juice the lime. Mince the cilantro, if using. Measure out all the spices and oil. Mix all the marinade ingredients together.
Step 2: Marinate the chicken. Place the chicken in a zip top bag or any shallow glass or plastic container. Do not use a reactive metal container.
Pour the marinade mixture onto the chicken, and turn and rotate the chicken so that it’s completely coated on all sides.
Important Notes
👉 As a general rule of thumb, make 1/3-1/2 cup of marinade for every pound of chicken. However, the more surface area there is on the chicken you’re marinating, the more marinade you’ll need. So if you’re marinating cubed chicken, you’ll need a bit more marinade than if you were marinating whole chicken breasts.
👉 If marinating chicken to use immediately, I recommend marinating it in a casserole dish. But if you’re planning to freeze the marinated chicken to cook later on, it’s usually easiest to use a freezer-safe bag to save on space and ensure freshness.
👉 Once the marinade has been used on raw chicken, do not reuse it. Discard any excess used marinade.
🧑🍳 Cooking Marinated Chicken
Once the chicken in marinated, follow your favorite chicken recipes, like chicken fajitas, tacos, casseroles, and any any other Mexican-inspired recipes!
Follow these directions for boneless chicken breasts or thighs, the most frequently used cuts of chicken.
- Grill: Preheat your grill to 400°F (204°C). Oil the grill grates well. Add the chicken to the grill, and cook for 5-7 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before you slice it!
- Skillet: Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Without overcrowding the skillet, add the marinated chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before you slice it!
- Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Lay the chicken breasts on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before you slice it!
- Slow Cooker: Add the chicken and 1/2 cup liquid to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 3 hours.
- Instant Pot: Set the marinated chicken on a trivet inside the inner pot with 1/2 – 1 cup of chicken stock or vegetable stock. Cook on High pressure for 10 minutes, with a manual pressure release.
- Air Fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 375°F (190°C). Spray the basket lightly with oil, and add the chicken, leaving space between each breast. Close and cook for 10 minutes, then flip the chicken breasts and cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before you slice it!
❗ Important: Always use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature has reached 165°F (74°C), per USDA.
ℹ️ FAQ
When you marinate chicken, it infuses the meat itself with flavor, rather than just coating the surface with seasonings. It also tenderizes the meat and helps to keep it from drying out once you cook it. Nobody likes dry, boring chicken, so marinating is very important!
Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours. If you’re marinating chicken for any longer than 30 minutes, set it in the refrigerator while it marinates. For best taste, do not marinate chicken longer than 24 hours. After that, the marinade starts to work in reverse and will actually make the meat less tougher.
Yes! Set the chicken in a large freezer plastic bag. Pour the marinade on top, and turn the chicken so each piece is well coated on all sides. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as you can, then seal it. Place the bag in the freezer. For best taste, defrost and use within 3-4 months.
To defrost frozen chicken: Remove the bag from the freezer and set it on a rimmed plate inside the refrigerator overnight. Once the chicken is defrosted, cook it using whatever method you prefer.
The safe internal temperature for chicken is 165°F (74°C), per USDA.
There are many sides that are absolutely wonderful to serve with this chicken, like:
Chipotle Corn Salsa
Spicy Pickled Cabbage
Coconut Cauliflower Rice
Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
Mango Guacamole
Making this recipe? I’d love to hear about your experience with it!
Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom!
Mexican Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken , breasts, thighs, wings, drumsticks, or any cut
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 3 Tablespoons lime juice from about 1.5 limes
- 1 Tablespoon minced cilantro optional
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoons cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- Juice the lime, mince the cilantro (if using), and measure all the spices. Combine together in a dish.
- Set the chicken in a glass or plastic container. Pour the marinade over the chicken, turning to fully coat the chicken on all sides.
- Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Once the chicken is marinated, cook according to any recipe until it reaches 165°F (74°C). If cooking chicken breasts or thighs, follow the cooking instructions below.
Notes
- Substitute 1.5 Tablespoons of fajita seasoning and omit all the spices listed above.
- For extra heat, mix in 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the marinade.
- For less heat, omit the cayenne pepper.
- Grill: Preheat your grill to 400°F (204°C). Oil the grill grates well. Add the chicken to the grill, and cook for 5-7 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before you slice it!
- Skillet: Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Without overcrowding the skillet, add the marinated chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before you slice it!
- Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Lay the chicken breasts on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before you slice it!
- Slow Cooker: Add the chicken and 1/2 cup liquid to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 3 hours.
- Instant Pot: Set the marinated chicken on a trivet inside the inner pot with 1/2 – 1 cup of chicken stock or vegetable stock. Cook on High pressure for 10 minutes, with a manual pressure release.
- Air Fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 375°F (190°C). Spray the basket lightly with oil, and add the chicken, leaving space between each breast. Close and cook for 10 minutes, then flip the chicken breasts and cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before you slice it!
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