Mexican Chicken Marinade

This easy Mexican chicken marinade makes the juiciest, most flavorful chicken breasts or thighs with cilantro, citrus (both lime and orange!), chili powder, cumin and other spices. It comes together with just a few minutes of prep time making it great for meal prep, freezing, grilling and more!

If you’re a Mexican food lover and want to get that juicy, cilantro lime flavor, you’ll love this one. There are many ways to do chicken Mexican style but this marinade recipe will definitely be a new favorite for it’s delicious flavor and simplicity. Whether it’s eaten as an entrée, paired with other Mexican sides or stuffed inside chicken tacos, you can’t go wrong here!

From my ever popular shredded crockpot chicken taco recipe and chicken taco seasoning blend blend, chicken tacos are undoubtedly a favorite on this website and this works great as a chicken taco marinade. What makes this marinade unique is the incorporation of multiple types of citrus, the perfect balance of seasonings, and detailed instructions on how to use it best.

If you’re looking for chicken marinade recipes, definitely try my Greek chicken marinade too! Sometimes I make multiple marinades on the same day and then freeze meats in each marinade in dinner sized portions for quick weeknight meals. It’s great to have marinated meat on hand for last minute summer grilling!

Marinade ingredients

The simple ingredients for making this Mexican chicken marinade recipe are mostly things you’ll already have in your pantry with the addition of a few staples needed for Mexican cooking:

The addition of olive oil adds juiciness and to prevent sticking

• spices – the spices include chili powder ( use Mexican chili powder variety), cumin, salt, smoked paprika (or regular), dried oregano and black pepper (fine ground is best).
• minced garlic – I tested it with both fresh garlic and jarred pre-minced garlic and both are fine here. If using pre-minced jarred garlic, I always add little more since it is less sharp than fresh.
• olive oil – you can substitute avocado oil or whatever mild tasting oil you prefer.
• citrus – fresh squeezed lime juice and orange juice is best. I use a mandarin or tangerine sometimes since it makes just the right amount of juice.
• cilantro – this gives it more Mexican flair and flavor. You can leave it off if you don’t like cilantro or add it after grilling if you want more of that fresh cilantro finish.
• chicken breasts or thighs – I use either breasts or boneless skinless thighs but baked skin on bone-in thighs would work too if you pat the skin dry and rub skin with oil before baking or searing in a pan. The recipe says it makes enough for 2 pounds of chicken, but it’s flexible and will easily work for 3 lbs., especially if you stir the chicken half way through the marinade time and let it marinade for at least 8 hours.

How to make Mexican chicken marinade

Making an authentic Mexican chicken marinade is easy as can be.

1. You will squeeze the citrus, chop the cilantro, mince the garlic and all of those prep steps and then simply combine it all in a bowl or bag.
   
2. Whisk or stir into a marinade.
   
3. Trim excess fat off of the chicken and poke holes in each piece with the tines of a fork to let the delicious flavor of the marinade soak in. Make sure to do this if you know you won’t be marinating for very long.
   
4. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat.
   
5. Marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours but preferably 8-24 hours.

Cooking methods

I tested the Mexican marinade for chicken with various different cooking methods and it turned out great every time. Here are guidelines on how to cook the marinated chicken using various cooking methods.

Just make sure to cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 74 degrees Celsius when a meat thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the meat. However you do it, this is a great recipe and works many different ways.

Grill

Also known as pollo asado if cooked on a charcoal grill, there’s no arguing grilled chicken is fantastic. Heat grill until it is hot (about 400-450° F or 205-230° C). Oil outdoor grill grates before placing chicken on them. Cook boneless skinless breasts and thighs for about 5-7 minutes per side and bone-in thighs for 10-12 minutes per side, moving to the less hot part of the grill about half way through cook time. Let grilled chicken sit for 10 minutes before cutting into it and serving. You an also use an indoor electric grill like a George Foreman to get nice grill marks with less effort.

Oven

To keep from drying out, rub or spray the chicken with olive oil before placing in the oven. Place boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs spaced out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in oven preheated to 375° for 20-25 minutes.

For bone-in thighs, dry chicken skin with paper towels, rub with oil and then bake skin side up for 35-45 minutes, broiling for the last few minutes of cook time to make sure the skin gets crispy.

Stovetop

Heat 1 Tbsp. of oil to a large skillet over medium heat, tilting to make sure oil covers entire pan. Pat dry and then add boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs to pan and sear for 6-8 minutes before flipping and cooking for 4-6 minutes on other side until cooked through.

For bone-in thighs with skin on, dry chicken skin with paper towels and then place chicken skin side down in the skillet and sear for 2-3 minutes. Cover with a lid and cook chicken for 4-5 more minutes. Remove lid and flip each chicken piece over. Replace the lid back and cook for an additional 8-12 minutes until chicken is cooked through. If you want skin crispier, you can place the pan under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to crisp it up. Cooking time will vary by size.

Air fryer

To keep from drying out dry chicken skin with paper towels and then rub or spray the chicken with olive oil before placing in the air fryer. Place boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs spaced out in air fryer preheated to 375° for 8-15 minutes depending on the size. For bone-in thighs, cook for 12-18 minutes, depending on how big they are.

Freezing for meal prep

This marinade is fabulous for meal prep! I like to make a triple batch (use the servings calculator + sign in the recipe card to make this easy).You can cook one right away and freeze two of the portions for later use. I use reusable bags or pyrex containers to reduce waste but freezer safe ziplocks work too.

To freeze the chicken for later use, place chicken and marinade in a freezer safe bag and seal tightly. Place in freezer and freeze until ready to use. I do this right after making the marinade since the chicken will absorb enough of it later when you defrost it. That being said, sometimes I end up placing it in the freezer the next day when plans change and I don’t make the chicken for dinner and it turns out great then too!

To defrost, place bag with chicken in the refrigerator overnight or defrost in a bowl of cold water on the counter for 1 hour. Don’t trust the defrost setting on the microwave. It will start cooking the chicken in places creating uneven spots.

Tips and tricks

Variations

This is a great recipe as written but if you want to spice it up or tweak it, here are some variation ideas:

• Add chopped jalapeños
• Add 1/4 cup of pineapple juice and grill some pineapple to serve alongside the chicken or make mango avocado salsa for tropical flair
• Use the marinade for beef to make carne asada or pork for tacos
• Short on marinade time? Cut the chicken into 1″ pieces, marinade for 1/2 hour to 1 hour then skewer it on kabob sticks
• Use it as a chicken marinade for chicken fajitas, cooking on a grill or skillet with fajita veggies
• Add chopped canned chilis in adobo sauce for a different flavor profile
• I used it as a chicken street taco marinade one night chopping the chicken up fine and serving with onions and cilantro which was incredible!

What to serve with Mexican chicken

Serve this easy chicken recipe as tacos, a main dish, or topping fresh salads or burrito bowls. Serve it alongside sides like refried beans or black beans, rice, salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, pickled red onions, coconut rice made in the Instant Pot, margaritas, or just a cold beer like Corona or Pacifico.

Use leftovers in tacos, air fryer quesadillas, taco salad, or whatever else you can dream up, It’s versatile and the flavor is subtle enough that you can truly pair it seamlessly with almost anything.