So Jimmy Buffet has set a course for the beautiful Mother Ocean in the sky where it’s always five o’clock, the tourists aren’t bothering anybody, the margaritas are always made from scratch, and salt shakers are plentiful and perpetually close at hand.
James William Buffet grew up in Mobile, spent a lot of time over here on my side of the bay, went to Auburn for a minute, and eventually finished at Southern Miss. (With a degree in history, I might add.) He lived in New Orleans, Key West, etc. He also checked in on his home turf often. I have never in my life heard anybody say a disparaging word about our favorite son of a son of a sailor, JWB.
Everybody I know has a story about him, and I’m not going to tell any of them here. Check Facebook. Somebody ought to compile those for his grandchildren and their children. There was a second-line parade Sunday in Mobile. A buddy invited me to a cheeseburger and margarita shindig before the parade. Alas, I already had an obligation.
This wasn’t the recipe I planned to post this week, but as I worked through my Saturday morning chore list–it included cleaning out the fridge–I ran across a package of chicken breasts I needed to use. I was thinking about missing the cheeseburger and margarita party, and wondering if I could cook something equally festive as a consolation. When I went into my home office to empty the overflowing wastebasket, I saw my notebook of recipes I’m forever working on.
I’ve taken a stab at Margarita Chicken once or twice already. The idea isn’t new. But I look at the recipes out there and there are recipes with lots of garlic, or recipes with seasonings like cumin and chili powder. Of course you could drink a margarita with a chicken dish like that, but to my mind that’s not Margarita Chicken.
It seems to me Margarita Chicken ought to embrace the native flavors of a good margarita and stop there. Salted rim or not, margaritas are lime-forward, sweet, sour, citrusy, and boozy. Tequila itself is fruity and slightly sweet with a little bite. Triple sec is a sweet orange liqueur. There’s no garlic flavor in there anywhere. And while the experts may comment on a tequila’s earthy notes, the earthiness of cumin is way too much. So ultimately, I did Margarita Chicken a little differently. Go figure.
I hope you like the Margarita Chicken below as much as we did. (The easy and delicious sauce even smells like a real homemade margarita!) I served it with Coconut Rice, which is a staple at my house, and we also had grilled pineapple on the side, which we love. (Grill extra so you can make Pineapple Salsa later.)
I like to think Jimmy would approve.
Margarita Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade and sauce
- 3 T. olive oil
- Zest of three limes plus their juice
- Zest of two oranges plus their juice
- ¼ cup tequila
- 2 T. agave nectar or honey, or to taste
- ½ t. salt
- pinch of red pepper flakes
Chicken
- 4 small boneless breasts pounded to an even thickness, or 2 large breasts halved horizontally to make 4 cutlets
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 T. cornstarch blended with 1 T. cold water
Instructions
- Mix marinade ingredients. Put ⅓ of the marinade in a shallow dish with the chicken, turning to coat. Reserve the other ⅔ for the sauce. Let the chicken sit in the marinade while you prepare the rest of the meal and wait for the grill to be ready.
- Drain chicken and discard that marinade. Lightly salt and pepper each side of the cutlets to taste. Grill indoors, outdoors, or sauté in a skillet over medium heat until done, flipping once. If using a skillet, don’t crowd the pan--work in batches instead.
- Make the sauce: in your smallest saucepan, bring the reserved marinade to a simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry. Cook, stirring, just until thickened.
- Serve the chicken over rice and drizzle a spoonful or two of the sauce over the top.
Finally catching up on LCK recipes-this looks fantastic and I LOVE the tribute to Jimmy. ❤️