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    Home » Main Dishes » Poultry » Chicken

    Salsa Verde Chicken to Spice Up Your Grill Night

    Published: Sep 3, 2012 · Modified: Mar 15, 2024 by Jessica Fisher

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    The flavors of lime, spices, and tomatillo salsa combine in a flavorful marinade for chicken, perfect for grilling. This Salsa Verde Chicken is also freezer friendly to make supper a little easier.

    dinner table set with bread, salad, and grilled salsa verde chicken this …

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    My mother-in-law used to make a wonderful chicken that she marinaded in green salsa and then breaded with flour and spices before baking. Bryan requested this as his birthday supper for many, many years.

    I’ve adapted the similar flavors for the grill. The lime adds a touch of sweetness while the cumin and chile powder add just a bit of heat. The grilled chicken makes a lovely protein for salads, to fill tacos, or to eat as a main dish.

    platter of grilled marinated chicken

    Salsa Verde Chicken

    The flavors of lime, spices, and tomatillo salsa combine in a flavorful marinade for chicken, perfect for grilling. This recipe is also freezer friendly to make supper a little easier.
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 2 hours hours 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 198kcal
    Author: Jessica Fisher

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup salsa verde
    • juice of 1 lime
    • 1 teaspoon chile powder or ground chile
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 clove garlic minced
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 2 lb chicken tenders
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • In a small mixing bowl, combine the salsa verde, lime juice, chile powder, cumin, and garlic. Mix well.
    • Whisk in the oil.
    • Place the chicken in a glass dish. Pour marinade over the top. Cover and refrigerate. Marinate for 2 hours or longer.
    • Cook chicken over hot grill until cooked through and juices run clear.

    Notes

    Note: Cool, wrap, label and freeze the cooked chicken. Or freeze the uncooked chicken in the marinade in a ziptop freezer bag.
    Promptly store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.
    Nutritional values are approximate and based on ⅛ the recipe.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 238mg | Potassium: 458mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 196IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Tell us what you think! Your reviews help us develop better recipes and give newcomers the confidence to try your favorites. Scroll down to leave a starred comment.

    Salsa Verde Chicken | Good Cheap Eats

    Updated April 1, 2017.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Heather

      January 01, 2017 at 4:59 pm

      Do you have suggestions for defrosting the chicken when it’s been frozen in the marinade? Maybe in a slow cooker?

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        January 01, 2017 at 8:21 pm

        I would caution against defrosting the chicken in the slow cooker. Thawing is best done on a tray (to catch drips) in the fridge overnight. To cook it, you can grill or saute.

        Reply
    2. Melinda

      June 18, 2015 at 1:41 pm

      So I buy the chicken in bulk already frozen, so when doing freezer cooking, do I need to defrost the chicken, then put it with the marinade and then freeze it again? Or can I pour the marinade on frozen chicken?

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        June 20, 2015 at 3:17 pm

        I put the frozen chicken in freezer bags with the marinade and send it back to the freezer.

        Reply
    3. Claire

      September 08, 2012 at 1:41 pm

      I just opened a can of this salsa to go with our slow cooker chicken tacos the other night. My boys really enjoyed it with chips. I must try this recipe. Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
    4. Carla

      September 07, 2012 at 5:52 am

      I read this earlier in the week as I brought the boys home from an extended Labor Day trip. I needed something for the crockpot for Thursday night so I took this idea and blended it with your salsa verde beef which my family clamors for. I cut up a few chicken breasts, added the salsa verde, a cut up onion, a bit of taco seasoning (I was in a hurry) and some black beans. Served over rice it was wonderful for after a night of martial arts practice. Will tried the grilled recipe later but your timely post saved me from making plain ole tacos, again. 🙂

      Reply
      • Jessica

        September 09, 2012 at 4:09 pm

        @Carla, glad to know the beef recipe works well with chicken. Thanks for testing that!

        Reply
    5. Annette Hart

      September 04, 2012 at 6:06 pm

      Could this be done in the oven, stovetop or crockpot? This sounds delicious and I just bought salsa verde to try with beef!

      Reply
      • Jessica

        September 04, 2012 at 6:13 pm

        Yes, I’m sure all those methods will work: bake, stirfry, or slowcook. I haven’t had time to test them all out. 😉

        Reply
      • Emmajean Hicks

        August 24, 2015 at 7:09 pm

        Annette, Salsa Verde is also good with eggs.. scramble eggs and add Salsa Verde warmed as a sauce on the eggs..

        Reply
      • Nathan

        August 15, 2019 at 12:04 am

        This recipe is so good for a fried chicken marinade! The spice gets mostly lost in the frying oil so I would say amp up the spice everywhere: marinade, flour mix, dipping sauce, glaze, etc. I also add a lot more garlic.

        Reply
    6. Tiffany @ DontWastetheCrumbs

      September 04, 2012 at 3:09 pm

      Hmmm, never considered using salsa verde as a marinade. Sounds delicious!

      Reply

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    jessica from good cheap eats

    Hi, I'm Jessica! I'm a 4x cookbook author and 6x mom. I know what it is to be in a hurry and on a budget. I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter what's on their plate. I've been featured on Good Morning America, PBS News Hour, and NBC.

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    Hi, I'm Jessica! I'm a 4x cookbook author and 6x mom. I know what it is to be in a hurry and on a budget. I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter what's on their plate. I've been featured on Good Morning America, PBS News Hour, and NBC.

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