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Use this easy and flavorful Chipotle Honey Marinade with chicken to make some amazing Grilled Chicken Tacos. The sweet honey and the smoky chipotle are a great combination to make chicken tacos shine. You’re going to want to add this Chipotle Honey marinade to your regular recipe rotation! It’s that good!
One of my favorite easy marinades is using chipotle from a can of chipotle in adobo sauce and mixing it with a few simple ingredients. It’s great for fish, chicken, you name it. It adds big bold flavor and is always a winner with my family!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
We are using a few simple ingredients to create a flavorful marinade before grilling the chicken.
- Chipotle – Chipotle in adobo sauce is the best option. It’s easy to find and has bold flavor.
- Orange – The citrus flavor adds both sweetness and a touch of acidity. We used a navel orange. Any orange will work.
- Honey – Any style of honey works.
- Garlic – For adding flavor to the marinade.
- Olive Oil – You can use extra virgin or regular olive oil.
- Kosher Salt – We prefer Diamond Crystal brand.
- Chicken – We are using boneless and skinless chicken breast. You can also use any other chicken cut from thighs to legs.
- Seasoning – This recipe uses our SPG Rub, which is equal parts kosher salt, granulated garlic, and coarse black pepper. You can also use our savory chicken seasoning for a little more complexity.
Chipotle Honey Marinade
- Start with a couple of boneless skinless chicken breasts, patted dry.
- In a large bowl add the chipotle, orange juice, honey, garlic, salt, and a generous amount of olive oil (to help everything bind and come together). Whisk vigorously to combine.
- Place HALF of the marinade in a gallon-sized plastic baggie (reserving the other half for later), add the chicken, seal the baggie, and then place in your refrigerator for a minimum of one hour, ideally overnight.
Chef’s Tip
Be sure to reserve half of the marinade so you can use for the tacos. If making a salad variation you can use this half as the salad dressing. Do not use the marinade liquid with any cooked food unless you reduce the marinade in high heat to kill any bacteria.
Now before you add this straight to the grill you need to add one more layer of flavor. Seasoning.
Seasoning
Take the meat out of the marinade and onto a cutting board or plate. No need to pat it dry. Just let excess marinade fall back into the bag. Add the seasoning liberally and now you’re all set to put these bad boys onto a hot grill. We always add a dry rub after a marinade, and before grilling, to maximize flavor.
Grilling the Chipotle Marinated Chicken Breasts
Preheat Grill: Prepare your grill for two-zone grilling targeting a temperature of 450 degrees in the cooking chamber. Ideally use lump charcoal.
Grill Chicken: Place seasoned chicken on the grill grate over direct heat until the internal temperature of the chicken is 158 – 160 degrees F. Sear on one side for 8 minutes or until a crust develops. Flip and sear the other side for an additional 8 minutes.
If your fire is super hot then move the seared chicken to the indirect side of the grill and close the lid until it reaches the proper internal temperature using a good instant-read meat thermometer. Let rest for 10 minutes to allow for carry-over cooking to occur. Be sure to read our article on perfectly cooked chicken temperature so you get perfect juicy chicken every time.
Shred The Chipotle Marinated Chicken Breasts
Shred the chicken using either two forks, your fingers, or heck using a stand mixer (I’ve seen it), whatever makes you happy. Just get it nice and shredded for those delicious tacos!
Now add back that reserved marinade (the stuff you DIDN’T use to actually marinate the meat), and mix together. That marinade is going to add additional moisture and flavor and make those tacos out-of-this-world! Oh yeah!
Now you’re ready to enjoy the heck out of this full flavored chicken.
Taco Ingredients
You can add anything you want but our typical taco bar contains the following.
- Corn or flour tortillas. Whatever is your favorite. Be sure to warm them up.
- This chicken filling
- Sliced avocado
- Diced onion – we prefer red onion for tacos or consider our pickled onions.
- Fresh corn – or grilled corn
- Cilantro
- Cheese – We leave cotija or queso fresco
Variations
We use this marinated chicken for tacos. But you can also use it for the following meals:
- A filling for chicken enchiladas
- A filling for chicken sliders (just bring the buns)
- To top some nachos (you know you were thinking about it!)
- On top of a salad for something light and delicious
- Or as we’ve done here, for the best chicken tacos ever
The options are endless.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do not reuse the chicken marinade after it has been with raw meat. In order to use it again it needs to be reduced over high heat and simmer for up to 20 minutes to reduce and cook out any bacteria.
That’s why we separate the marinate BEFORE adding the chicken.
Some, like some of the folks at America’s Test Kitchen, say marinades don’t work. But that is simply not true. While chicken breast is dense, you need to give the marinade enough time to work and incorporate with the meat.
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Chipotle Honey Marinade with Grilled Chicken Tacos
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup chipotle in adobo sauce , (mix of actual chilies and sauce)
- ½ cup fresh orange juice, (about one medium orange)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, (about 1.25 pounds)
DRY RUB
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon course ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Marinate Chicken: In a large bowl add chipotle, orange juice, oil, honey, salt, and garlic. Whisk until everything is blended and combined. Reserve half the marinade for later. Place the other half of the marinade in a large gallon-size bag and add the chicken. Mix together. Seal tight and then place the bag in a large bowl and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour and up to 24.
- Prepare Dry Rub: Combine dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside
- Preheat Grill: Prepare your grill for two-zone grilling targeting 450 degrees F using lump charcoal. While the grill is warming up remove chicken from marinade and liberally season it with your dry rub.
- Grill Chicken: Place chicken on grill grate over direct heat. Grill for approximately 8 minutes per side. It's always best to check your temperature with a digital thermometer. Once the internal temperature of the chicken hits 158-160 degrees F you can remove from heat. If the fire is too hot then move the seared chicken to the indirect side and close the lid. Grill the chicken until it reaches the proper internal temp.
- Rest Chicken: Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes to allow for carry-over cooking, and then shred the meat. Add the reserved marinade, and then mix together in a bowl.
- Enjoy: Use as a filling for tacos, enchiladas, to top a salad with, you name it!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Amazing – Greek yogurt dip is really good
Thank you!!
Coincidentally, I’ve been on a bit of a chipotle kick lately myself, so I’m super excited to try this out! I’ll skip the Revenge Salsa, though!
I love grilling season, too! And we just got honeybees for our new hive, so at some point I’ll have my own honey for dishes like this. 🙂
Woah! I’d love to have my own hives to make honey! That sounds awesome. Fresh honey is the best!
Y-U-M!!! Such a great recipe! So easy to make and also to easy customize per individual tastes. Perfect for summertime grilling!
Thanks so much 🙂
This looks delicious! I am not a huge fan of spicy food though I do love chipotle flavour. Yum!
That’s one of the great things about adding corn and honey. The sweetness balances out that spicy heat. 🙂