Tequila-Glazed Grilled Chicken Thighs
Photo: Anna Williams; Styling: Pam Morris
Brush chicken thighs with a tequila glaze that's been sweetened with pineapple juice and honey for a deliciously tropical grilled chicken entree. Serve with rice pilaf and a mixed green salad for a complete meal.
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat grill to medium-high heat using both burners. After preheating, turn the left burner off (leave the right burner on).
Step 2
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub evenly over chicken.
Step 3
Bring the pineapple juice, tequila, and honey to a boil in a small saucepan; cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Combine cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl, and stir well. Add cornstarch mixture to juice mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in lime rind, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and red pepper.
Step 4
Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray over right burner (direct heat). Cover and grill for 5 minutes on each side, basting occasionally with juice mixture. Move the chicken to grill rack over left burner (indirect heat). Cover and grill an additional 5 minutes on each side or until done, basting occasionally.
Chef's Notes
If you would rather not use tequila, you can substitute 1/3 cup pineapple juice. Start the grilling over direct heat to get good grill marks and charred bits, and then move to indirect heat to gently finish the cooking.
jenniferkatie's Review
WOW, these were soo good!! And the sauce was YUM!! Perfect to be mixed with some side of cheezy scaloped potatoes! We grilled first then put under the broiler with the sauce then drizzled more on the plates! SOOO GOOD!!!
flowerpot916's Review
Sticky goodness! Don't mess with the recipe and it won't disappoint!
swtjulia's Review
I just made this recipe tonight out of my newest "cooking Light" magazine, The recipe is not hard at all, and the rewards are great. The chicken comes out sweet, spicy and oh so tender! I made it with steamed green beans, and it was filling and savory ohh so good, I posted it for my friends on Facebook I loved it so much! My husband gave it 2 thumbs up too!!
srwfromorange's Review
We BBQ'd this chicken last night, I called some friends & asked them to be guinea pigs for a new CL recipe, they couldnt wait. We all loved it, it was spicy (I might have put in an extra pinch of pepper flakes) yet sweet, smoky from the chipolte and tart from the lime. I served it with my own spanish rice recipe, a iceberg lettuce wedge salad with CL's Green Goddess dressing from this issue & served Barefoot Pinot Grigio . I do not agree with the other reviewer. I didnt find it to be that difficult to prepare & will make it again. I even doubled the sauce & had to juice all those limes.
Lauren's Review
Loved these! We used boneless chicken thighs and it worked perfectly. These were juicy and the sauce has a nice sweet citrusy flavor. Also, if you're the type of person who thinks chicken can look pretty (and I am), there were gorgeously grill-marked and glazed. Paired it with the Grilled Sweet Potato and Napa Cabbage Salad with Lime Vinaigrette to make a delightful summery meal!
jschulz's Review
Good flavors in the dish and a nice presentation. I served this chicken along with rice and okra and the combination worked well. The rub is a bit bland and could use a little more distinct flavor to help offset the glaze.
LadyJane10's Review
Wow! These were amazing. I used boneless thighs and made 8 and the portions were perfect for the four of us. The glaze was a perfect compliment to the spicy rub.
sukeedog's Review
N/A
mojoinaz's Review
My husband and I loved this recipe! The sauce was really good and it was great with the combination of the spice rub on the chicken. I think I might double the sauce next time... That's how much we liked the sauce!
Easy and delicious!