Tequila Lime Chicken
Tequila, lime, and taco seasoning on chicken breasts, grilled over a fire grate and cut into strips for tortillas.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 47
- protein
- 48 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Grill grate
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Boneless chicken breasts | 4 | frozen solid at home, they thaw in the cooler on the drive |
|---|---|---|
| Tequila | 1/2 cup | |
| Lime | 1 | juiced; bottled lime juice works and does not roll under the seat |
| Taco seasoning | 1 packet | |
| Cilantro | 1 tbsp | dried is fine and travels better |
| Flour tortillas | 8 | for serving |
Method
- At home, put the chicken, tequila, lime juice, taco seasoning, and cilantro in a heavy zip-top bag. Press the air out and seal it twice.
- Keep the bag flat on the bottom of the cooler for at least four hours. Overnight is better. Do not let it sit longer than a day or the acid turns the surface chalky.
- Build a fire and let it burn down to coals. Set the grate over it. You want to hold a hand at grate height for about four seconds, no longer.
- Lift the chicken out and let the marinade drip off. Pour the rest of the bag into the fire, not over the meat.
- Grill 6 to 8 minutes a side, turning once. The thickest part should read 165F, or the juices should run clear with no pink at the center.
- Rest the breasts on a plate for five minutes, then cut across the grain into strips and pile them onto tortillas.
Tequila is not doing much for flavor here. It is a solvent: it carries the taco seasoning and the lime into the meat faster than water would, and most of the alcohol leaves on the grate. What you actually taste is lime and cumin, with chicken that stayed juicy because the salt in the seasoning packet had four hours to work.
This one is car camping or basecamp only. Raw chicken means a cooler, and a cooler means a vehicle. The trail-friendly move is to do the whole cook at home, cut the strips, and vacuum-seal them for a one-day carry, but at that point it is leftovers rather than a recipe. Rest the meat before you cut it or the juice ends up on the cutting board.
Packing
The marinade goes on the chicken at home, not at the trailhead. Bag it, freeze it flat, and it doubles as a cooler ice block for the first day. Bring a second bag for the used one.
Variations
- Swap the tequila for orange juice if you would rather not carry a bottle. The acid does the same work.
- Cook it in a skillet over a canister stove if fire restrictions are on. Sear hard, then cover and drop the heat.
- Shred the leftovers cold the next morning into eggs or a tortilla.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/tequila-lime-chicken