Chipotle Margarita Chicken

It’s always 5 o’clock when you whip up this chipotle margarita chicken! This chicken offers a melody of fresh citrus with bright mango salsa that creates an unforgettable chicken dinner. Margarita mix can be store bought or homemade. Homemade sour mix is just a ration of 1 part lime/lemon juice or combination of both, and then 1 part simple syrup. The mango salsa has a great flavor but it can be hard to cut a mango. That’s where our man Dan’s mango hack comes in! Cut your mango in half, and use the edge of a point glass to scope the fresh mango out from the skin.

Why we marinate chipotle margarita chicken, and misconceptions about marinating 

Let’s clear up some misconceptions about marinating first. To start, marinating doesn’t tenderize chicken. This myth stems from the idea that acidic ingredients, like vinegar or lemon juice, in the marinade soften or break down the proteins in the meat to make it more tender. But you already know that’s not true. Acid denatures proteins which makes them more firm, not tender. Unlike something like fish, chicken has thick collagen sheaths around its protein which means the acid can’t reach the proteins in the chicken.

Another misconception is that marinatings add moisture to chicken. Nothing penetrates the chicken, so no matter what you marinate the chicken or how long it will not make it more juicy. On that note, chicken doesn’t absorb flavors from the marinade. What marinating does is apply a small amount of that liquid to the surface of your chicken. What does that mean for marinating? Well whether you soak, dip, or brush your marinade on the chicken it will only touch the surface of your chicken. One of the best strategies is to mix your marinade and let them mingle together before throwing the chicken in or brushing it on there.