Crazy Lime Chicken

I am always looking for a new “best” recipe that satisfies in two important ways: it has un-pampered ingredients AND instructions that mere humans can conquer without requiring years of training at the Cordon Bleu.  And, so, I spend a lot of time online, skimming ingredients lists, instructions and reviews.  I look for the key phrases that say “deal-breaker”to me, or at least guarantee that some modifications are in its future. Here are just a few:

“Strain through a cheesecloth…”
“Peel and devein…”
“Use a candy thermometer to….”
“Deep fry until golden…”

There are ingredients, too, that make the warning bells go off.  Irrational, perhaps, and deep-rooted since childhood, but here they are nonetheless:

Anise (licorice – blecch!)
Dried cherries (Witches of Eastwick, anyone?)
Anchovy paste (no explanation needed)
Fish sauce (refer to this post for background on my childhood fish phobia)
Sweetbreads (cruel name, really — they sound like pastries!)
Habanero pepper (too dang hot)
Giblets (a.k.a. “guts”)

The best — and somewhat unexpected — perk about food blogging is that everyone is always sending me great recipes.  “Hey, Jules, just had this last night. It was awesome!” That’s my favorite kind of referral — fresh out of a friend’s kitchen, straight to my Inbox.  I can skip the laborious screening process and start cooking!

Crazy Lime Chicken came to me just like that.  Lynn forwarded me this recipe, which was inspired by a recipe she found on All Recipes.com.  Lime, chili powder and garlic?  YUM.  This crazy chicken was crazy good! So, we shall forgive the original author’s food safety no-no, suggesting that you baste with the used raw marinade.  I’ve adjusted the directions below in case you like to baste your chicken, but we tossed the marinade instead and the chicken was still delicious.  The kids loved this too, possibly more so because they were involved with making, tasting, and “perfecting” the marinade prior to drowning the chicken in it.  It was full of flavor, with a nice citrus-y and chili powder kick that was just spicy enough for us.

Crazy Lime Chicken
Serves 4
inspired by AllRecipes.com

Juice from 3 limes (about 1/4 c.)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1  1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2  teaspoons chopped garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt & pepper to taste
4-5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

DIRECTIONS:

1.    Whisk the lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, garlic, sage, oregano, and cumin together in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put chicken and marinade in a large zip-lock bag and seal.  Put into a bowl and refrigerate.  Marinate 2 hours or overnight, mixing up the bag occasionally.
2.    Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Remove the chicken to a platter and allow to come to room
temperature. Discard marinade, or if you’d like to use it for basting, first put the marinade in a pan and boil for one minute.
3.    Grill the chicken breasts until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 6 minutes per side.

Enjoy!