Tajín Grilled Chicken

Tajín Grilled Chicken is an easy and delicious dish pairing the flavors of lime, chile, and sea salt with juicy, flavorful grilled chicken. This recipe can be served with rice, in tacos, on a salad, or used for your weekday meal prep!

5 from 41 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 6

Total Time: 11

Servings: people

Calories: 276kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Tajín Chicken

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast thin-sliced or pound into ½-inch thickness
2 tablespoons Tajín seasoning about ½ tablespoon per chicken breast

Optional Cilantro Lime Marinade

2 limes juice of, about 4 tablespoons juice
1 lime zest of, about 4 teaspoons
2 cloves garlic minced or grated
½ cup cilantro finely chopped
¼ cup olive oil or a neutral oil like avocado or grapeseed oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt see note 2

Instructions

Marinade

Zest the lime into a bowl with the cilantro, garlic, olive oil, lime juice, and salt. Mix well to create the marinade for the chicken.
Spoon the marinade over the chicken in a gallon plastic bag, ensuring it's evenly coated on both sides, and move it to the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Grilled Chicken

Once the chicken is done marinating, remove the chicken from the bag and pat as dry as possible, removing any pieces of garlic and large pieces of cilantro. Discard the remaining marinade.
Sprinkle Tajin seasoning generously on both sides of the chicken breasts.
For gas grill Preheat the grill to high heat. Cook the chicken breasts for 2 to 3 minutes per side, covered, or until the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
For charcoal grill Heat the grill to medium heat. Place the chicken on the hot side of the grate and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
For grill pan Heat the grill pan over high heat. Cook the chicken breasts for 2 to 4 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees F.
Let the chicken breast rest for 10 minutes.
Slice and serve.

Notes

General

If using table salt, sea salt, or another salt that is not kosher salt, reduce the salt by half and taste for seasoning after you have cooked the chicken. Kosher salt is less salty per teaspoon than other types of salt.
Estimated calories are for 4 ounces of chicken breast that has been marinated.
I have used the marinade up to overnight with great results.
This chicken is great for meal prep! Grill several chicken breasts on the weekend to use throughout the week.

Storage and Reheating

Fridge Store leftover grilled chicken for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Freezer I do not recommend freezing this recipe. The texture of the crema won't be the same when it defrosts.
Reheating Grilled chicken can be reheated in the microwave at 30-second intervals until heated through.

Nutrition