Your Favorite Cocktail Could Also Be The Secret Marinade For Juicy Chicken

If you're a cocktail lover, you may crave the flavor of your go-to drink. Maybe that's the subtle sweetness and orange of a whiskey Old Fashioned, or the bitterness and herbal quality of a good Negroni. But who decided the only way to experience these delicious profiles is in drink form?

Fortunately, creative cooks out there have extrapolated, borrowing the elements of beloved drinks for edible dishes, and one that stands out is margarita chicken. The fact that this works so well may not be a surprise; the sweet, tart, and citrusy components of a perfect margarita recipe can easily translate to an ideal marinade when combined with a few other basic ingredients. Given that a marinating liquid is designed to infuse your meat with seasoning while also tenderizing — promoting that beautiful, tasty browning, and locking in those all-important juices — you can expect not only a tasty, cocktail-inspired flavor, but a chicken dish that will never be disappointingly dry. 

It's also a super simple process to pull off this cocktail-spiked marinade — you can actually even use that bottle of margarita mix hiding in your bar as a starting point. Add some additional lime or citrus juice (about three tablespoons to 12 ounces of the pre-made mix), and from there, a bartender's choice of flavorings.

You can customize your marinade with aromatics like minced garlic and onion powder or salt for complexity and balance. Chopped cilantro brings a pop of freshness, and borrowing a simple swap from a spicy margarita will add a little heat to your poultry. You can also take things even further into cocktail territory by including actual tequila and triple sec to the mix — toss in about three tablespoons of each to ½ cup of margarita mix, along with oil, honey, and citrus juices to round out the marinade.

Allow your chicken to soak in this liquid for about two to five hours, and then you can grill, broil, or bake according to your go-to marinated chicken recipe. When it comes time to serve, pair this dish with — what else? A margarita. (And while you've got the grill fired up, you can even throw your citrus on there for a tastier cocktail.) Whether you enjoy this chicken as a main dish, chopped up and served over a salad, or folded into a tortilla on taco night, this juicy, flavorful marinade will turn any mealtime into a happy hour.