Hi friends it’s Palak here! My husband Neil has always been big into grilling and smoking meats, and this recipe is a result of one of his experiments. The marinade only uses a few ingredients and you likely already have them on hand.

Although it only uses a few ingredients it packs a robust flavor – the lime adds a nice zest and the jalapeño brings a mild heat which gets balanced out by my favorite ingredient, honey! Honey plays a pivotal role as it balances out the acid and spice and also helps seal in the meats juices while grilling. It helps the chicken stay moist on the inside and caramelized on the outside.

We often make big batches of this marinade and freeze it in individual ziplock bags so during the week we can pull one bag out and add meat and we’re ready to grill for an express weekday meal! Hope you enjoy and happy grilling!

Pairs With: Side of grilled veggies, chopped up in tacos or on top of cilantro lime rice topped with pico de gallo

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless and skinless chicken thighs (you can also use skin on thighs)
• zest of one lime
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons cilantro
• 1 Jalapeño (remove the seeds if you like it mild)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder

Instructions:

1. In an blender combine olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic cloves, honey, sea salt and chili powder and blend until all the ingredients are evenly combined
2. In a mixing bowl coat the chicken thighs evenly with the marinade and cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 2 hours – but be sure not to exceed 2 hours, the acid in the marinade will break down the chicken otherwise
3. 20 minutes before cooking, take the chicken out of the refrigerator so it can come to room temperature, which will help the chicken to cook more evenly
4. Preheat the grill to 425F and spray the grill grates with non-stick grill safe spray
5. Grill the chicken 4-5 minutes and flip and grill another 4-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked (internal temperature should be 165F)
6. Enjoy hot!