Honey Lime Marinade for Chicken

As this hot weather is upon us (and a long weekend on the horizon, no less!) we'd much rather BBQ than heat up our kitchens, amIright?  BBQing keeps a lot of the mess out of my kitchen and means Brad is doing the bulk of the cooking.  For me a BBQ'd supper is a win, win.

Marinating meats is something we do quite a bit.  It's a great way to add some pizzazz to different meats that can start to get a little boring after awhile.  You can add favourite flavours and turn a bland pork tenderloin or chicken breast into something quite guest worthy.  

This marinade, with a little zing of lime and sweetness of honey, is an easy to prep marinade that you can whip up the night before (preferably) or at least a few hours before supper.  

TIP: Personally, I like to add the marinade before freezing chicken in a Ziploc bag.  That way, as the meat thaws, it marinates your meat and you have one less step to do that day for supper prep!

This marinade is perfect for a backyard BBQ for your family or a bigger group.  I think leftover chicken would be fantastic as sandwiches the next day or to top off a green salad.

I wish my fellow Canadians a happy, fun, patriotic and safe Canada Day on July 1st and the same wishes to my American followers on July 4th!!  This is definitely a par-tay kind of weekend!

Marinade
4 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp grapeseed oil (or your favourite oil)
1-2 tsp fresh lime zest (I zested on lime but feel free to zest both)
juice from 2 limes
4 garlic cloves - minced
fresh black pepper - to taste

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

In a medium bowl, combine all marinade ingredients.  Mix well, ensuring that the honey isn't sitting at the bottom of the bowl.

Place your chicken into a large Ziploc bag (or a shallow dish).  Pour marinade over chicken ensuring that the marinade coats all of the chicken.  Seal bag (or cover dish) and refrigerate, preferably overnight or at least a few hours.  Turn chicken pieces a few times during marinating.  If using a Ziploc bag, massage the marinade into all sides of the chicken several times.

Preheat BBQ to medium-high heat.  Remove chicken from marinade and grill for approximately 20-25 minutes (depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts) or until juices run clear and internal temperature is 165C/74F.  Discard any marinade.

Serve with a green salad and baked potatoes with all the fixin's!  Enjoy!

Inspired by: Key West Chicken (Allrecipes.com)