Tajín Grilled Chicken

By Rick A. Martínez

Published May 24, 2022

  • Two plates topped with chicken and grilled scallions sit against a light colored background amid a couple of drinks and forks.
    Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
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Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
4(4,298)
Comments
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Tajín is a Mexican seasoning made from dried, ground red chiles, sea salt and dehydrated lime juice. It is great sprinkled over fresh cut fruit like mango and pineapple, or rimmed on an ice cold margarita. But it is also an easy way to add chile and lime to your favorite grilled meats, rubs or sauces. In this dish, the lime in the Tajín balances out the sweetness from the agave syrup, while the red chiles complement the smoky flavor of the chipotles. Serve the chicken as is or on toasted hamburger buns with a schmear of mayonnaise, chopped grilled scallions, cilantro leaves and sliced pickled jalapeños. This Tajín sauce also would pair well with grilled bass, cod or salmon, or with shrimp skewers.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • Vegetable oil, for the grill

  • 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)

  • Sea salt (or kosher salt)

  • ½ cup light agave syrup or honey

  • ½ cup fresh orange juice

  • 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

  • 3 chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped, plus ¼ cup adobo sauce

  • 6 garlic cloves, finely grated

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon Tajín Clásico

  • 8 scallions, root ends trimmed

  • ½ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

42 grams carbs; 156 milligrams cholesterol; 619 calories; 20 grams monosaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 39 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 933 milligrams sodium; 28 grams protein; 35 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare a grill for medium-high, direct heat; clean the grates well, then brush them with vegetable oil. Alternatively, heat a grill pan on medium-high and brush the pan with oil.

  2. Step 2

    Arrange the chicken on a sheet tray and generously season both sides with salt. Whisk together the agave syrup, orange juice, orange zest, chipotles, adobo, garlic, olive oil and Tajín in a medium bowl.

  3. Step 3

    Brush both sides of the chicken with the Tajín sauce. Grill the chicken, turning and basting often with the Tajín sauce, until cooked through, charred but brick red and glazed, 7 to 9 minutes. Grill the scallions, turning occasionally, until lightly charred on all sides, about 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Serve the chicken with the grilled scallions, topped with cilantro.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
4,298 user ratings
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Comments

Jessica

for everyone snarking about this question have you considered a) that not everyone has a grill pan b) that grill pans are a pain to clean c) being nice

John

Sure. From Chile Pepper Madness: 1 tablespoon of paprika powder or red chili powder 1 teaspoon dried lime zest 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, grounded coriander, salt, cayenne pepper powder 1/8th teaspoon sugar

Seattle does NYT Cooking

oh for foodness sakes...bake it in the oven. 375/30-40 minutes. Line your pan with foil for easy clean up.

William

Way too sweet. Make your own orange syrup with burnt orange peel. Add roasted garlic and charred guajillo chilis to bulk it up.

James

I marinated the thighs for about 6 hours then smoked them at 225 for one and three-quarter hours. Really good.

esteban

OK, this sounded interesting so I tried it two ways. I initially cooked on a Cuisinart Panini maker etc.. very mixed results. Had temperature set to maximum level and still took an excruciatingly long time to get to 165. charred, and incredible amount of charred material on the grill. 2nd, time around, cooked in Breville pro oven at 375. Rotated twice at 12 minutes with covering with sauce each time, then split to five minutes on broiler for last two iterations. Pan juices 4 rice!!!1

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Credits

By Rick A. Martinez

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