Easy margarita chicken is a healthy and delicious chicken dinner for busy weeknights. Juicy, flavorful chicken breast topped with pico de gallo and cheese – it’s a delicious southwest-inspired meal the whole family will love! (gluten-free, nut-free)
The past couple of months, and especially the past week, haven’t exactly been the easiest in terms of getting dinner on the table. Queen C decided to go on a nursing strike (who knew that was a thing?!) and would only eat from a bottle, making it just a bit more challenging to feed her.
Thankfully, the strike has finally ended after just over a week, and we’re back to nursing like normal. Which is not to say that it’s any easier getting a yummy, balanced dinner on the table. Newborn life is just a challenging season.
That’s why I’ve been loving dinners like this easy margarita chicken. It’s super simple to prepare, but is delicious and filling. I love that I can prep everything when I have a spare moment (which is not often) and it’s ready to go for when Mr. Table gets home, so I can hand it off for him to grill while I tend to Queen C.
With any luck, she takes a cat nap while we eat, but that doesn’t happen often, so she normally sits with us. She has finally grown big enough to fit in her BabyBjorn Bouncer Seat, so she can ‘sit at the table’. Starting our family dinners early!
I’m not really sure why this is called margarita chicken. There’s no tequila in it (though perhaps there should be!), and there is lime, but not it’s not an over-limey flavor. Pico de gallo chicken would probably be a more accurate name, but that’s not as fun. Margarita chicken is what we’ve been calling it for years, so why stop now?
I love that this easy margarita chicken is a no-brainer to make into a complete, balanced meal. I usually just heat up a can of black beans and add a veggie to the grill (like zucchini or asparagus) while the chicken cooks. It’s a simple, filling and delicious dinner that makes life easier for me and satisfies Mr. Table after a long day at work. Which is a win for both of us!
If you’re really in a time crunch (or your baby won’t let you put her down, leaving you with one functional hand), and need to make this easy margarita chicken even easier, you can use store-bought pico de gallo. It doesn’t stay fresh as long in the fridge but it cuts down prep even more, making this dinner a cinch!
Easy Margarita Chicken
Easy margarita chicken is a healthy and delicious dinner for busy weeknights. Juicy, flavorful chicken breast topped with pico de gallo and cheese – it’s a delicious southwest-inspired meal the whole family will love! (gluten-free, nut-free)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: main dish
- Cuisine: Southwestern, Tex-Mex
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise into cutlets
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 cup pico de gallo (see recipe below)
- 1/2 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
For the pico de gallo:
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 1/2 small white onion, diced
- 1 small jalapeno, diced
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- Juice of 1/2 lime
Instructions
- Place chicken cutlets flat on a large plate. Whisk together lime juice, worcestershire sauce, oil, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika and cilantro. Pour over chicken and let marinate while you prep the pico de gallo and the grill.
- To make the pico de gallo, mix all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Heat grill to medium-high heat. Grill chicken over direct heat for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Turn heat down to medium-low. Remove to top rack of grill or to indirect heat. Close grill and continue to cook until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 155°F.
- Spoon pico de gallo over the top of each chicken breast. Top with cheese and close grill. Cook until cheese is melted and chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove from grill and serve immediately.
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