Grilled Tajín Chicken
A simple grilled chicken breast (or thigh) rubbed with tajín, this Grilled Tajín Chicken recipe features homemade tajín with just 3 ingredients, red chile powder, crystallized lime, and sea salt. The spicy rub turns ordinary grilled chicken into something special!
👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks – Tajín Chicken Inspiration
A few weeks back, I posted a recipe for quinoa a la Mexicana, and served it with an ultra-simple tajín rubbed and grilled chicken breast. I make homemade tajín, and almost always have it on hand. The two dishes paired beautifully, and I felt compelled to post the “recipe” even though it’s not much of a recipe!
Two ingredients – if you’ve got the tajín at the ready – are all you need. Don’t limit this tasty chicken to quinoa a la Mexicana. Add it to Mexican rice, a salad with cilantro ranch dressing, or a grilled Mexican panzanella salad… If you’re into meal prep, it’s a perfect addition. I know this from experience!
Lastly, if time is not an issue, a simple marinade of lime juice and garlic adds flavor and moisture to the grilled chicken. As little as 30 minutes is sufficient. Either way, you’ll have a Mexican flavored grilled chicken breast to complement many of your favorite dishes!
🐓 How to Grill Chicken Breasts
- Start with a clean grill – Use a grill brush to remove any remaining bits of food from the wire rack.
- Preheat the grill – You’ll want to preheat the grill for 10-15 minutes, and bring it to 425°-450° for direct cooking.
- Grill the chicken – You want an internal temperature of 165°. Depending on the thickness of your chicken breast, that will take about 6 to 8 minutes on a side. Try to fight the urge to turn more than once! You want those glorious grill marks! If your chicken breasts read a degree or two below 165°, simply remove them and tent with foil, and allow it to rest for a few minutes.
📋 Ingredients Notes
Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.
- chicken – Either boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs are awesome!
- tajín – You can make this homemade tajín in 5 minutes, or use purchased tajín.
- optional – The lime juice and garlic are a simple marinade that adds a little extra flavor to the grilled chicken. It’s completely optional.
🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
step 1
Pound the chicken breast to a relatively even thickness between 2 sheets of waxed paper.
step 2
If marinating chicken, proceed to step 3. If not marinating chicken, squeeze lime over chicken to moisten, then generously sprinkle on the tajín.
step 3
Optional step – Squeeze limes and mix with minced garlic. Add chicken to marinade for 30 minutes or more. Remove from the marinade, and sprinkle generously with tajín.
step 4
Grill – You’ll want to preheat the grill for 10-15 minutes, and bring it to 425°-450° for direct cooking. Depending on the thickness of your chicken breast, that will take about 6 to 8 minutes on a side. Try to fight the urge to turn more than once! You want those glorious grill marks! Bring the internal temperature to 165°. If your chicken breasts read a degree or two below 165°, simply remove them and tent with foil, and allow it to rest for a few minutes.
💭 Tips
This grilled chicken is perfect for meal prep! See this meal prep manual for more information. I often grill several chicken breasts on Sunday afternoon, and package them up for lunches throughout the week. I keep them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can keep them frozen for up to a month. Allow them to thaw overnight in the refrigerator for best results.
❓ FAQ
YES! Rub pork chops with tajín before grilling, or sprinkle it on shrimp/fish while they grill. We often use chicken thighs, or even a whole chicken.
You can keep the prepared chicken up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Your tajín chicken will taste best if used within 4 months of properly storing it in the freezer.
I usually say thighs, but it totally depends on how you’re using them. It is possible to successfully grill chicken breasts – to avoid dryness. I prefer the breasts for meal prep or adding to a salad. The choice is really subjective!
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🍷 Pairing Suggestions
On photo day, I sliced the grilled tajín chicken and served it with charred sweet corn and a simple tomato and tomatillo salad. It is perfect with quinoa a la Mexicana.
If you love tajín, be sure to check out 25 Things to Put Tajín On… I hope you’ll give this super quick and easy, healthy, flavorful grilled chicken a try this summer! We’re loving it at Andersen casa!
Grilled Tajín Chicken
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Ingredients
- 1 to 1 ½ pounds chicken breast
- juice of 2 to 3 limes - optional
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic - optional
- tajín - enough to rub the chicken breasts
Instructions
- Use a wire brush to thoroughly clean the grill. Preheat the grill to 425-450 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
- Pound the chicken breast to a relatively even thickness. If adding the marinade step, squeeze limes and mix with minced garlic. Add the chicken breast to the marinade for 30 minutes or more. Remove from marinade. Rub with tajín. If not marinating, simply rub the chicken generously with tajín.
- Cook the prepared chicken breast 6 to 8 minutes on a side (resist the urge to turn, or you won't get beautiful grill marks!). Bring the internal temperature to 165°.
- Tent chicken breasts to keep warm until ready to serve. Slice or serve whole as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
