Tajín Grilled Chicken

By Rick A. Martinez

Published May 24, 2022

Tajín Grilled Chicken
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
4(4,224)
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
  • 8skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
  • Sea salt (or kosher salt)
  • ½cup light agave syrup or honey
  • ½cup fresh orange juice
  • 1teaspoon finely grated orange zest
  • 3chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped, plus ¼ cup adobo sauce
  • 6garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1tablespoon Tajín Clásico
  • 8scallions, root ends trimmed
  • ½cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

619 calories; 39 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 35 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 933 milligrams sodium

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
4,224 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.

Nick

Great recipe, couple of tweaks though. I made the sauce and marinated the chicken for two hours and then patted the chicken dry. Bring the marinade to a boil and let simmer. Puree in a blender. You'll have more of BBQ sauce then a marinade now. Spray grill grates with cooking spray and grill the chicken a couple of minutes per side. Add the BBQ sauce towards the end. More work & dishes, but was a big crowd pleaser and made lovely tacos with cut up chicken onions and cilantro.

Atlantalinda

All you folks who squawk about not having a grill, this is named “Tajin Grilled” chicken. However, it would be delish any way it’s cooked. I’ve used chile lime seasoning from WF and TJ’s instead. I think it’s the same as Tajin.

mwakamo

We really liked this, but would tweak next time. I made it according to the recipe, but we felt like the tajin sauce was mostly "sweet" and the other flavors needed to be punched up. Next time, I would use more of everything except honey & orange -- more garlic & chipotle, plus add lime for some kick. But, we enjoyed it and will definitely make again!

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Credits

By Rick A. Martinez

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