Lime & Jalapeno Cuban Chicken

This Lime & Jalapeno Cuban Chicken is the perfect recipe to grill for a casual dinner and it makes amazing leftovers to top on a salad the next day!

Almost every week, Tommy and I meet in the middle in a small between Winston-Salem and Charlotte for a dinner date. There’s this Cuban restaurant in Salisbury, NC, Mambo Grill, that is insanely good. I mean, REALLY good. Worth driving to even if you don’t have a reason to go to Salisbury. We weren’t able to do our dinner date this past week, and I was seriously craving Cuban food so I attempted to recreate something at home. I’m not really sure if this is considered Cuban but it certainly turned out awesome.

I marinated and cooked all my chicken at once so I could have leftovers, but you could easily half this (or double it!). I served it with roasted sweet potatoes and an avocado, but it’d be great with rice & beans (Trader Joe’s has canned Cuban beans!) and with pan-fried plantains too.

Lime & Jalapeño Cuban Chicken

• 3 chicken breasts, sliced in half to create a thinner breast
• juice of 3 limes
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1/2 jalepeno, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• black pepper to taste
• olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 425*
2. Combine all ingredients in a shallow pan and marinate the chicken. You can do it for as little as 30 minutes or overnight. (Overnight is ideal!)
3. Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle in some olive oil, maybe a tablespoon or so.
4. When the oil is hot and runny, add the chicken. Sear without moving for 3-5 minutes and when a golden brown crust has developed, flip. Sear for 3-4 minutes on the other side.
5. Transfer the skillet to the oven (be sure to wrap the handle in foil if it’s not oven proof) and cook for an additional 15-18 minutes or until a meat thermometer* registers 165 degrees.  If you don’t have a meat thermometer, when the juices run clear, that’s a good indication it’s done.
6. Let rest 5 minutes, tented with foil, and then serve.

Tip: Letting it marinate overnight is ideal!

Let it brown up nicely before flipping! Maybe even longer than I did.

And when you take it out of the oven, there will be some juice in the pan. Drizzle that over your chicken before serving.

Leftovers would be great on top of a salad or in tacos too!

*This is the meat thermometer I have and love! It’s a kitchen essential that is well worth the $19. Nothing is worse than overcooked, rubbery meat…except raw meat that gives you food poisoning.