Tequila Lime Chicken Fajitas Recipe - Making Life Delicious (2024)

FAQs

What happens when you marinate chicken in lime juice? ›

The Lime Marinade makes the chicken juicy on the inside and injects with flavour so you won't need a sauce with it. And after resting the chicken for a few minutes before serving it, some of those juices will sweat to the surface, like you see below.

In most dishes, a 1:1 substitute of lemon juice will work just fine. Depending on the recipe you could also try grapefruit juice or orange juice, bearing in mind that these are sweeter than lime.

Important: If your marinade is full of fresh citrus or vinegar, like the one in this chicken skewers recipe, keep the marinating time below an hour for optimal results. Poultry marinated in citrus, like lemon or lime juices, or vinegars can turn mushy and stringy if left to soak for too long.

Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.

Apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, and rice vinegar can all be substituted at a ½:1 ratio. If your recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, then, sub 1 tablespoon vinegar and replace the rest with water if needed. Usually you won't need to add any extra liquid but it depends on the recipe.

It is best to use fresh lime juice for marinating chicken as it provides a more vibrant and natural citrus flavor. Bottled lime juice may contain preservatives and additives that can alter the taste of the marinade.

Since pickle juice is almost entirely made of vinegar, it can be used anywhere you'd use vinegar or citrus juice. Try it instead of lemon juice the next time you make yourself a slice of avocado toast, or add it to guacamole if you're out of limes.

We suggest exploring options such as soaking meat in a marinade made with lemon, lime juice, or vinegar. However, don't leave your meat in lime or lemon juice for too long, or else it'll get too soft. Anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour is a good time frame for acidic marinades.

Lemon, lime, and orange juice are acidic, which makes them ideal for tenderizing tough meats. They also add vitamin C! The citrus acid breaks down the meat, almost pre-cooking it. You don't want to break down the meat too much, though, so don't leave the meat marinating in the fridge for more than 24 hours.

Don't marinate longer than 5 hours (acid from limes will start to dry out chicken).

Does lime juice tenderize meat? ›

Marination with lime juice did not improve flank steak tenderness, but tended to increase cooking losses. To maximize in-home tenderization of flank steaks without consideration of cooking losses, we recommend blade tenderization coupled with marination in lime juice and pineapple puree.