Marinated Garlic Lime Chicken

I was introduced to the wonders of food magazines as a teen by missionary friends who subscribed to Taste of Home. Later my friends gave me a year long subscription as a Christmas gift. I spent hours browsing through these magazines and tried countless recipes. And, just a few Christmases ago, my mom gave me the Taste of Home Cookbook. Food magazines were really the precursor to recipe blogs, so in a sense I owe this blog to my dear friends who gave me the Taste of Home subscription. Not only did I think to actually make a recipe blog, but a big portion of the recipes I use on a daily basis I found online. (Not to mention all the Taste of Home recipes I use.)

This is one of the recipes from the cookbook I frequently go back to. Like most recipes I find, I've adapted it a bit to my taste, but I owe the main idea to the Taste of Home Cookbook. The recipe serves eight to ten people, so for a small family you could half it. But I make up the whole batch of chicken and divide it into plastic bags and freeze them for convenient dinners later on.

Marinated Garlic Lime Chicken

Adapted from this Taste of Home recipe.

1 cup lime or lemon juice
6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
8 - 10 bone in, skin on chicken thighs or drumsticks

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a bowl. Place chicken in several zip-lock bags*, or a large bowl, and pour marinade over the chicken. Shake (for the bags) or stir to coat. Marinate for at least four hours or overnight.

Arrange all chicken pieces in a 9x13 inch or 11x15 inch baking pan. (If the chicken pieces aren't touching the skin will crisp up better). Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until the skin starts to brown.

*What I do, which is a big time-saver, is to make a batch of this chicken (unbaked) then divide it up into zip-lock bags with two chicken thighs and a little marinade each, then I freeze them and have a quick dinner entree for in the future.

Preparation time: 10 minutes plus at least 4 hours to marinate. 

Cook time: 40-50 minutes. 

Servings: 8-10

I usually serve this chicken with lots of steamed or broiled vegetables (as shown), and sometimes a baked sweet potato or my Southwestern Roasted Sweet Potato Salad. But any kind of rice or potatoes would go well with this.

Nutrition notes: An important thing I have learned from Nourishing Traditions is that meat with bone and fat still on it is actually better for you. Animal fats are vital for the proper functioning of our bodies and chicken skin is a good source of that fat. The bones contribute important minerals and calcium. I have always liked chicken skin like on rotisserie chickens, and now I no longer feel guilty eating it! If you are not a fan of chicken skin, I would suggest baking your chicken with the skin on, then just don't actually eat it (as versus using boneless, skinless chicken pieces). The fat will still seep into the chicken, and add good moisture as well. For those concerned about eating extra fat, contrary to popular belief, fat will not make you fat; refined carbohydrates will (more on this later).