Garlic Chicken with a Twist of Lime

Want to throw together a quick and flavorful dinner?

Forget the Hamburger Helper--make this chicken instead!

This chicken is super easy and packs BOLD flavor.  Plus, it utilizes ingredients that are usually readily available at home...so no special trip to the grocery store needed.

The guys loved the sauce this made...and I loved that I didn't have to marinate it overnight.

I coupled it with baked zucchini & squash, and some seasoned wild rice.

Oh, and it did have some kick from the cayenne pepper.  I used 1/4 teaspoon; next time I'll only use 1/8 teaspoon (but, I'm a baby when it comes to spicy foods).

Garlic Chicken with a Twist of Lime

2-3 chicken breasts, flattened & cut in half

Dry Rub:

1 t. garlic salt (or 1/2 t. garlic powder & 1/2 t. salt)

1/4 t. black pepper

1/4 t. thyme

1/4 t. dill (or parsley)

1/4 t. minced onion (or 1/8 t. onion powder)

1/8-1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1/8 t. paprika

3 T butter

1 T EVOO

extra garlic powder 

4 T lime juice

Coat chicken, both sides, with dry rub.  Sauté in a skillet with butter and olive oil over medium heat until golden brown, giving each side a generous sprinkling of garlic powder. Once cooked thoroughly, add in lime juice to deglaze pan.  Flip chicken to coat in sauce and continue cooking just a few (3-5) minutes longer.  Plate chicken, making sure to top with additional sauce.

***If you are cooking for more than 4, or want leftovers, I would double this recipe***

Grilled Honey Lime Chicken

Lots of people use ground beef as a kitchen staple, but I prefer to use chicken.  I'm always looking for flavorful main dishes that incorporate chicken because it is inexpensive, tasty, and better-for-you.  I pinned this recipe from Cooking Classy a while back.  The weather was great, so I decided to fire up the grill.

This Honey Lime Chicken turned out yummy, and I only marinated my tenderloins for 45 minutes.  Next time I make it, however, I will be planning ahead of time and marinating my chicken overnight.  I used chicken breast tenderloins which are about the size of a chicken strip, but this recipe would also work well with breasts or cutlets. 

To complete this meal, I roasted some green beans and fried up some potatoes.

Grilled Honey Lime Chicken Marinade

1/4 c. fresh lime juice + 1 T.
1/4 c. honey
2 T lime zest
2 T EVOO
1 T soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. onion powder
1/8 t. cayenne pepper

Whisk all ingredient together.  Reserve about 1/3 c. in a separate container to brush on in the last minutes of grilling.  Pour remaining marinade over 1.5-2 lbs chicken.  (I think I made about 12 tenderloins)  Marinate overnight.