Kent Whitaker who is author of this post Citrus Chili Marinade, also known as “The Deck Chef,” is an award-winning culinary writer and cookbook author. He’s also penned Young Reader, NASCAR and History titles. The former winner of the Emeril Live Food Network Barbecue Contest also covers football, motorsports, and bass fishing. Kent currently lives in East Tennessee with his wife, son, and a couple of dogs that love when he fires up the smoker or grill. You can reach out to Kent at: The Deck Chef, on Facebook, or Instagram, and Twitter.
Bored with plain grilled chicken? Salt and pepper with some olive oil are fine for quick and easy grilling but sometimes you have to move onto something that’s packing more flavor!
It may be time for you to combine two flavors that pair great with each other and can push your grilled chicken to the next tasty level. This is where the flavor of chili powder and citrus comes into play. It’s easy, tasty, and does not require much time.
And, there is a great chance that you already have the needed ingredients in your kitchen or pantry!
Two Easy Flavors
There’s something about simple that I love. And, you can’t get more simple than two ingredients starting with basic chili powder. Yes, you can use smoked chili powder or even a Tex-Mex blend that’s seasoned with other peppers. Use what you have.
The same goes for your citrus. You can use anything from orange juice to lemon, lime, and even pineapple juice. Or, a mixture of all of the above. You can also use dehydrated citrus powder combined with a small amount of oil.
Long story short, combine 3-4 tablespoons of your chili powder with one cup of citrus juice for a perfect marinade.
Just Chicken Breasts?
This marinade is perfect for chicken breasts – especially boneless chicken breast that can be served up on top of grilled veggies or with a bun and your favorite toppings.
But don’t think that’s where you have to stop. It is also a great starting point for a batch of chicken wings, grilled thighs, or even whole birds. The trick is to prepare the marinade and allow for a few hours for it to work.
So, plan your time when considering when you are firing up the grill. You’ll need a couple of marinating hours at least for the flavor to work. That’s for chicken.
If you’re using the mix on wild game such as duck, or even with turkey, then you may need to add an hour or more.
Seafood & More
This mixture also works great with some seafood such as shrimp. It’s also amazing with lean boneless pork chops.
One note, seafood such as shrimp, will not need to be in the marinade as long as the chicken. When it comes to pork chops, it depends on the thickness of the cut.
Ingredients:
3-4 tablespoons chili powder
1 cup of orange juice
Added Ingredients:
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Dashes of salt and pepper
Dash of cumin powder
Directions:
Combine everything in a bowl. Place the chicken in a glass baking dish, or zip-close bag.
Cover and chill – turn the pieces every hour or so. If using a zip-close bag, move the pieces around in the bag to evenly coat. Grill and serve!
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