Spicy Paprika Lime Chicken
This tantalizing grilled chicken dish, infused with smoky and tangy flavors, will transport your taste buds to the vibrant streets of the Caribbean, Mexico, or Spain.
This tantalizing grilled chicken dish, infused with smoky and tangy flavors, will transport your taste buds to the vibrant streets of the Caribbean, Mexico, or Spain.
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 6 chicken tenderloins
- 5 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne or chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp coriander seeds powder (can powder them yourself)
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 tsps tomato paste
- 2 limes zest and juice from one lime for the marinade, and juice from second when serving
- coconut oil for frying
- Carbohydrate 13.1862936101222 g
- Cholesterol 11.48 mg
- Fat 6.50136805625465 g
- Fiber 3.02016388862415 g
- Protein 5.02048499977409 g
- Saturated Fat 1.20873777787247 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (103g)
- Sodium 566.502472217112 mg
- Sugar 10.1661297214981 g
- Trans Fat 0.899812638901008 g
- Calories 118 calories
Step-by-step
- Mix all marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Rinse chicken meat and cut larger pieces in half keeping long slices. Using your hands, cover and rub the pieces with the marinade. Cover with cling wrap and set aside for at least one hour before grilling.
- If using a grill plate or a frying pan on your stove, heat one teaspoon of coconut oil until sizzling hot. Fry chicken pieces for 3 minutes on each side and then remove to a plate to rest. Make sure not to overcrowd the frying pan or you will end up with too much meat juice and your dish will become stewed rather than grilled chicken. If using a BBQ, heat the plate to sizzling hot and either spray with olive oil or brush with coconut oil. Place chicken pieces on the plate with a little space in between and cook for 3 minutes on each side on medium/high heat with the lid on.
- Remove cooked chicken to a serving plate and drizzle with more lime juice before serving.
Available surface area on your cooking vessel dictates whether this recipe succeeds or fails, demanding careful management of batch sizes when scaling quantities upward. When doubling the ingredient measurements to feed a crowd, never crowd the pan or the meat will release moisture and steam instead of searing. Maintaining adequate spacing between tenderloins allows the high heat of a cast-iron skillet or barbecue grill to caramelize the exterior tomato paste and sweet paprika properly without boiling the proteins.
Scaling and Batch Management
Doubling spice rubs requires attention to salt ratios, as sodium draws moisture from lean poultry quickly if left too long before cooking. The marinade utilizes acid from fresh lime juice and fat from olive oil to penetrate the meat fibers, but keeping the marinating time strictly between one and two hours prevents the citrus from breaking down the delicate texture of the chicken tenderloins into a mushy consistency. Working in batches means keeping previously cooked pieces warm in a low oven set to 200 degrees Fahrenheit while the final round hits the sizzling coconut oil.Dietary Adaptations
Naturally free from gluten, dairy, and nuts, this dish accommodates various dietary needs without requiring complex substitutions or specialized ingredients. Swapping out the sweet paprika for a smoked variety alters the flavor profile significantly while maintaining the exact same measurement ratios listed in the recipe. Acid variations work equally well when fresh limes are scarce, allowing cooks to substitute bottled citrus juice or apple cider vinegar at a one-to-one ratio for the marinade base.
