Tequila-Glazed Grilled Chicken Thighs

46 Reviews
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Photo: Anna Williams; Styling: Pam Morris
Hands-on Time
40 Mins
Total Time
1 Hour
Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 thigh)
By David Bonom
June 2011
RECIPE BY Cooking Light

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.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
  • 6 bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skinned
  • 3/4 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/3 cup tequila
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 2 teaspoons grated lime rind
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • Cooking spray

Nutritional Information

  • Calories 241
  • Fat 7.6g
  • Satfat 2.1g
  • Monofat 2.8g
  • Polyfat 1.7g
  • Protein 18g
  • Carbohydrate 17.2g
  • Fiber 0.4g
  • Cholesterol 64mg
  • Iron 1.2mg
  • Sodium 374mg
  • Calcium 19mg

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.

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Ratings & Reviews

Easy and delicious!

Dorseyl
August 19, 2015
My only comments would be to double the rub and apply as you think is needed.  I used the amount called for and think a little more would have been nice.  The glaze is excellent - the tequila doesn't really come through, but the whole thing comes to together to form a lovely flavor to cook the grilled chicken.  I also cooked it a bit shorter, about 15 minutes total, and it was perfectly cooked.  Also, make sure to hold off basting the chicken until the side that is basted will NOT be exposed to direct heat, or else you will get some significant burned/charred results due to the high sugar content in the glaze.

jenniferkatie's Review

LadyJane10
July 26, 2011
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

jax071
June 21, 2011
Sticky goodness! Don't mess with the recipe and it won't disappoint!

swtjulia's Review

London1
May 17, 2011
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

steponme
May 15, 2011
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

jenniferkatie
August 13, 2015
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

mmmck783
January 24, 2015
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

baymd5
July 03, 2014
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

heddyq
March 22, 2014
N/A

mojoinaz's Review

mrscrazyed
February 08, 2014
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!