Green Chicken Marinade

Here is one of my most favorite ways to cook chicken. It's versatile, perfectly savory, and best when cooked on the grill. 

For this recipe you will need:
 
2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts 
1 Bunch of Cilantro, thoroughly rinsed
Half an Onion (whatever kind you have on hand) 
2 Cloves of Garlic
Half a Cup of Canola Oil 
1 teaspoon of Cumin 
The Juice of Half a Lime 
Salt and Pepper to taste
 

 

The first step is to slice your chicken breasts horizontally, so the thickness of each piece is about a quarter of an inch thick, ending up with a chicken cutlet. Depending on the size of the breast, I can get 3-4 quarter inch pieces. 

In a blender add the cilantro, onion, garlic, oil, cumin, lime juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. 

 

Let the blender do its job. Scrape down the sides, and give the marinade a final blend. Enjoy that delicious, herby, aroma. I like to close my eyes and imagine I'm on a beach with a margarita in my hand. 

 

In a ziploc bag add the chicken, and marinade. Give it a good squish to make sure the chicken is thoroughly coated. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 8. I like to give the bag a squish, and a flip halfway through the marinating time.

When you are ready to get cooking, fire up your grill. I like to let mine preheat as high as possible, about 700 degrees. 

Lay your marinated chicken on a sheet pan, and season each side of each piece with a dash of cumin, salt, and pepper.

Make sure your grill is nice, and hot. Lay your chicken on the grill, and close the lid. After about 2 minutes turn the chicken 90 degrees, and you will get some pretty grill marks. Close the lid again. After about 3 minutes flip your chicken over, close the lid, and let the chicken finish cooking for about 5 minutes. (Make sure your chicken reaches 165 degrees, and that the juices run clear.) 

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before thinly slicing it against the grain. Around this time your family members will start swarming you, begging for a few pieces to taste test. Denying them is pointless, let them indulge. If you did everything right you will be hearing lots of "mmm...you're such a good cook." In fact, you should taste test, and tell yourself what a good cook you are. ;) 

My favorite way to serve up this chicken is will cilantro lime rice, black beans with a little cheese, and a dollop of sour cream. But you can serve it so many ways! Mission style burritos, tacos, nachos, salad, and even sandwiches.

You can cook this chicken on the stove top if grilling isn't for you. Instead of slicing the chicken so it's more like a cutlet, I would cut it into bite size chunks. Then I would cook it in a skillet with a little oil, stir fry style. This marinade also works great on beef, and I'm sure even white fish, like halibut, or cod.