Healthy, quick, citrus grilled chicken tenders

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Hello, friends. Today I’m sharing one of favorite ‘fast food’ meals with you; my citrus grilled chicken! By “fast food” I mean quick, easy and nutritious. Now, you may be thinking since summer is nearing its end it’s just about time to hibernate that grill.

But let’s not be so hasty. 

When I was growing up my dad grilled all year long–every other weekend or so. Like my dad, I grill whenever I want.

I’ve even been known to grill in the morning while getting ready for my day. I should say, however, I am using a gas grill. To me, that’s like cooking on an outdoor stove. Do whatever works for you but my point is; there should be no rules for grilling.

This chicken dish is versatile making it a good recipe when trying to please the whole family. You can eat it with baked potatoes, baked beans, veggies (or fries for the kiddos). You can dice it up and throw it on some rice, on a salad or wrap it in a tortilla. I always keep a bottle of ranch dressing around for the nieces and nephews.

I can’t imagine this quick meal won’t become a fast fave in your house too, especially for you busy moms.

FYI This is a great dish for a cancer fighter. Cancer patients in chemotherapy experience taste changes. It’s a lot like living with a burnt tongue. Chef Rebecca Katz taught me that acid, like lemon and lime, give the tongue a little life. I used this tip while coping with taste changes and it works! If you’re healthy, good for you! These little guys are packed with immune boosting vitamin C so they can help keep you on the right path.

 

Now, let’s get started!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 to 15 minutes

Tips

• Always tenderize the chicken and don’t be shy about it. The more you do, the more juicy the chicken. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did it
• Warm up the grill before cooking the chicken
• Cook the chicken on low or medium. Anything higher than this will dry the meat out
• Consider cooking a lot of chicken at one time so you can use it the next day for lunch or for another family dinner 

Ingredients 

1. Chicken breast tenders (I buy  mine at Trader Joe’s)
2. 2-3 limes or 1-2 lemons (depending on what’s in you’re refrigerator)
3. Olive oil
4. Salt
5. Pepper
6. Cilantro (optional)

Tools

1. Forks for poking
2. Grill
3. Smoke chips (if you have them)

Directions

• Thaw chicken (in the refrigerator or using the proper setting on your microwave)
• Tenderize the chicken by poking it with forks
• Pour or squeeze fresh lime juice all over the tenders (if you don’t have lime, use lemons)
• Season with salt and pepper
• Drizzle a little olive oil over the top  (if you don’t have olive oil or you don’t use oils, then don’t do it)
• Let the chicken sit for about 5 minutes while you’re prepping something else

See how easy that is.

• When you’re ready, put the chicken on the grill.
• While it’s cooking get those sides ready and set that table
• Let the chicken cook for about 5 minutes on each side. (I typically flip it about 3 times. But do whatever you’re comfortable with)

 

Always cut a piece of chicken down the middle to confirm the chicken is cooked before serving. Better safe, than sorry.

 

When the chicken is done, I like to squeeze fresh lime juice over the top and throw on some cilantro before serving. You can do the same with lemon if you’d like, just don’t use so much of it, because it’s stronger than lime and the flavor will overpower the chicken and leave everyone with that bitter beer face.

May this find you preparing for a great weekend!

What’s your favorite “fast food” meal? I’d like to hear from you. Also, if you like you what you see here, don’t forget to follow me for more.

 

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