I still remember the first time I made this Fiesta Lime Chicken. It was a dreary Tuesday, and my kitchen felt like it needed a burst of sunshine. The moment I whisked together that lime rub, the whole room transformed. The bright, zesty scent cut through the gloom, promising something fresh and vibrant. As the chicken sizzled in the pan and I chopped the creamy avocado for the salsa, I knew I’d found a weeknight hero. It’s become my go-to recipe for feeling like I’m on a mini-vacation without ever leaving my kitchen. The combination of the tangy, charred chicken with the cool, chunky salsa is an absolute dance of flavors that never fails to make me smile.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
- For the Fiesta Lime Rub:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- For the Avocado Salsa:
- 2 ripe avocados, diced
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and finely diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Salt to taste
A few personal notes on ingredients: please, for the love of flavor, use fresh lime juice. The bottled stuff just doesn’t give you that same bright, punchy acidity, and it makes a huge difference in both the marinade and the salsa. For the avocados, you want them ripe but still firm—they should yield slightly to gentle pressure. I’ve tried making the salsa with rock-hard avocados in a pinch, and you end up with a frustrating, crumbly mess. If you’re sensitive to heat, you can leave the jalapeño out of the salsa, but a little kick really balances the creaminess beautifully.(See the next page below to continue…)