Janel’s Chili-Lime Chicken Wings or Marinated Chili-Lime Chicken Breasts

 

• 1/4 cup Smude’s Brand Lime Flavored Premium Cold Pressed Sunflower Oil

• 2 teaspoons lime juice (freshly squeezed or re-constituted)

• 2 teaspoons honey

• 1 teaspoon crushed chili pepper (increase amount if you want them hotter or choose a hotter pepper)

• 1 teaspoon dry minced garlic (could use fresh)

• 1 teaspoon dry minced onion (could use fresh)

• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 6 large chicken wings or 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or bone-in breasts with skin on

1. In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients until blended smoothly, creating your chili-lime marinade. Place chicken in a gallon freezer bag or airtight covered container you like to use to marinate meats. Pour chili-lime marinade over chicken, remove air and seal tight. Turn several times to be sure chicken pieces, whether wings or breast pieces are coated. Continue to turn every 6 hours. The longer you marinate them, the better the flavor, so best if marinated 24-36 hours.

2. We like to grill all year long, no matter how cold. So if grilling chicken breasts, preheat grill to medium-high, and grill directly on the rack until done. Cook time depends on the thickness of the breast. If unsure, check with a knife. If grilling chicken wings, place foil over the top rack. This helps to prevent flare-ups from fat dripping off. You could also brown the wings on direct heat, and then turn one burner off, and place the wings on that side. The burner on the other side can be at medium-high to high heat. I would say wings on the grill would take about 30-35 minutes if they are large. If you are making wings and want to bake them in the oven, preheat oven to 375 degrees (I set mine on convection bake). Now I love to use stoneware, I have many pieces from Pampered Chef. I started using these when I had an old stove that baked unevenly, and the outside would be burnt and yet the middle wasn’t done. I found that stoneware bakes and browns more evenly, so you can keep it in the oven until the food is done to your liking. Even though I have a new stove, I still use my stoneware faithfully. For this recipe, I used my rectangle stoneware cookie sheet. If your stoneware is seasoned, no need to spray it. If it is not seasoned, rub or mist Smude’s Brand Sunflower Oil on your pan. If not using stoneware, use a flat pan with short sides, like a cookie sheet that doesn’t burn easily. Place chicken wings on a sheet spread apart and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. If wings are small, adjust baking time accordingly. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts take much less time.

3. Do not cover when baking so the chicken can brown. When chicken is done, remove and serve. Double the recipe if making a larger batch of chicken. Serve wings as an appetizer or alongside a mixture of greens with a nice light dressing (check out all the wonderful dressing recipes in our “Recipes Section”. If a chicken breast, slice and serve on top of greens, then drizzle with dressing. Add your own toppings, perhaps rings of sweet Vidalia onion or red onion, grape tomatoes or slices of ripe romas, etc.