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.
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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.
Salsa Verde Chicken
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
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
Nutrition
Updated April 1, 2017.
Heather
Do you have suggestions for defrosting the chicken when it’s been frozen in the marinade? Maybe in a slow cooker?
Jessica Fisher
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.
Melinda
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?
Jessica Fisher
I put the frozen chicken in freezer bags with the marinade and send it back to the freezer.
Claire
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!
Carla
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. 🙂
Jessica
@Carla, glad to know the beef recipe works well with chicken. Thanks for testing that!
Annette Hart
Could this be done in the oven, stovetop or crockpot? This sounds delicious and I just bought salsa verde to try with beef!
Jessica
Yes, I’m sure all those methods will work: bake, stirfry, or slowcook. I haven’t had time to test them all out. 😉
Emmajean Hicks
Annette, Salsa Verde is also good with eggs.. scramble eggs and add Salsa Verde warmed as a sauce on the eggs..
Nathan
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.
Tiffany @ DontWastetheCrumbs
Hmmm, never considered using salsa verde as a marinade. Sounds delicious!