Ketchum Killer Marinated Chicken

There are so many things I adore about summer. Long days, gorgeous sunsets, white, puffy clouds, long hikes, blooming flowers, afternoon rains, thunderstorms, kids playing in the neighborhood, outdoor festivals, and most of all, cookouts! Maybe not most of all, but top 10 for sure. In the colder months, we cook on the George Foreman grill a lot, or on a cast iron skillet, but it’s not the same as cooking outside.

We cook a lot of top sirloin, different varieties of burgers, brats and a ton of chicken. I enjoy a simple chicken breast seasoned with a touch of seasoned salt and cooked on the grill, but sometimes I want crazy flavor and when I want crazy flavor, I make my killer marinated chicken.

The star of the show is fresh lime juice and lime zest.

I guess, technically, the real star is the chicken, but the co-star is the limes. If you use lime juice in your dishes, but don’t use the lime zest, you are missing out. I use my handy Microplane to zest the limes and it adds great color as well as flavor to the marinade. When you make dressings or marinades with limes, lemons or oranges, don’t waste the zest! It’s like eating the potato without the skin. That’s just crazy.

In addition to the lime juice and zest, the marinade has some olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper and fresh garlic. Just mix it all up in a glass measuring cup with a wire whisk.

After the marinade is thoroughly mixed, pour it into a Ziplock bag with the raw chicken.

Let the chicken sit in the marinade for 4-6 hours, remove it from the bag, and grill it until it’s cooked completely with no pink in the middle. Never, ever consume poultry that isn’t cooked completely.

Serve the chicken with a salad and some potatoes on the side, or add it to a green salad, put it in some quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos, add it to an omelette, or put it on a toasted sesame bun for a delicious chicken sandwich. It’s extremely easy to prepare, with ingredients you most likely already have on hand.

I hope you will make this at home and come back and leave a comment and let me know how you liked it. Take a photo and tag #ketchumkitchen on Instagram so that I can see your creation.

I hope you are enjoying all the things you love about summer!