Tequila Marinated Grilled Chicken Nachos and More

Today is a beautiful Wednesday – mid week – and half-way through July. On the National Scene, today is Daiquiri Day. What is a Daiquiri? It’s a pirate drink – rum based, and usually fruity. Some days we are consumed with National Days, staying loyal to all that means.

Then again, some days we are merely inspired by the theme or spirit of a National Day without actually sharing a recipe true to the day itself. Take today – National Daiquiri Day. We should be serving up a cocktail made with rum. Have you ever noticed that Daiquiris and blended Margaritas look very similar? You could even serve a Daiquiri in a Margarita Glass if you wanted. That got me to thinking – more precisely, craving something Mexican.

But it’s the middle of July, remember? It’s hot. While I don’t mind eating spicy foods on a hot summer’s day, I’m not too crazy about heating up the house. The beauty of these Nachos is that the chicken is grilled – as in outdoors, on the covered patio. Because the breasts are cut thin, it doesn’t take long for them to reach grilled perfection. And the Nachos are popped in the oven just long enough for the cheese to melt. The oven barely has a chance to warm up, let alone heat up the kitchen.

Nachos are like a big plate of messy finger-food for dinner. Casual, yet oh so satisfying. The chicken for this dish was so flavorful, you’ll be seeing it again – as the main entrée served with rice, beans, tortillas and of course Margaritas. Yeah, that good.

Now the Nacho recipe originally called for grilled chicken, the Lime Crema, and cheese. That’s it. No garnish, or tomatoes or peppers. Hubby suggested, since our summer garden has peppers and tomatoes, wouldn’t it make sense to add them to the Nachos? Yeah, that does make sense. And I love scattering cilantro and green onions on my nachos. That splash of color is so pretty. So we made a few last minute changes and wow – delicious!

While a more traditional Daiquiri might have complemented the spicy tray of nachos just fine, I realized that I could make one tiny change in the typical Daiquiri recipe and create a Mexican Daiquiri instead. My sister gave me a bottle of Tequila Rose Strawberry Cream. This is delicious sipping tequila. And the perfect substitute for Rum.

Enjoy!

Tequila Marinated Grilled Chicken Nachos
Lime Crema
2 Limes, zested
1 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
Juice of 1 Zested Lime
Splash Heavy Cream or as needed

Zest both limes. Cut 1 lime in half, set aside. Reserve remaining zested lime for the marinade.

Place sour cream and mayonnaise in a bowl. Add lime zest. Juice cut lime directly over the sour cream mixture. Stir, add enough heavy cream to make the Crema thin but not runny. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Tequila Marinated Chicken
1 Lime, juiced
2 large boneless Chicken Breasts
4 tablespoons Tequila
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Cumin
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Salt to taste
Cayenne Pepper to taste

Cut lime in half, set aside. Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create 4 thin breasts. Place in a zip-lock bag and set aside.

In a glass measuring cup, whisk tequila, olive oil, cumin, garlic powder, salt and cayenne together. Squeeze the juice of the lime into the cup. Pour marinade over the chicken, seal bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When ready to grill chicken, remove from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature for 10 minutes. Heat oven to 350-degrees. Heat an outdoor grill for medium-high grilling, lightly oil grate.

Remove chicken from marinade. Grill on the outdoor grill until caramelized in spots, and no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from grill, tent to keep warm. Prepare the Nachos.

Nachos
Cilantro for garnish
2 Green Onions for garnish
3 Roma Tomatoes
1 Hatch Chili Pepper
2 Serrano Peppers
1 Jalapeno Pepper
1 (26 oz) bag Tortilla Strips
3 cups shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
3 cups shredded Mexican Cheese Blend

Snip cilantro for garnish. Trim green onions, snip and mix with cilantro. Set aside.

Seed and dice tomatoes, set aside. Stem and finely dice peppers. Mix peppers together, set aside.

On a large baking sheet, lay out tortilla strips. Try to keep in a single layer as much as possible. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix Pepper Jack and Mexican cheeses together. Sprinkle half of the cheese mixture over the chips. Scatter the diced peppers over the cheese.

Dice chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Scatter chicken over the pepper layer. Top with remaining cheese. Place in the heated oven to bake until the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes or so.

Remove from oven, scatter the cilantro-green onion mixture over the nachos, followed by the diced tomatoes. Drizzle Lime Crema over the top of everything. Serve and enjoy.

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Strawberry Tequila Daiquiri
1/2 cup Frozen Strawberries (4 oz)
1/2cup Sugar
1/2 cup Lemon Juice
2 tablespoons Lime Juice
3/4 cup Tequila Rose Strawberry Cream
6 cups Ice, or as needed
4 Fresh Strawberries for garnish
2 Lime Rounds for garnish

Place frozen strawberries in a blender; add sugar, lemon and lime juices. Add Tequila Strawberry Cream, the ice. Blend until smooth.

Pour into chilled Daiquiri or Margarita glasses. Cut fresh strawberries in half, float in the cocktail. Cut lime into wedges, place near berries. Serve and enjoy.

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The Lord is kind and merciful