Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken -- The Fire That Brought Us Back to Earth

August. The pandemic continues. Schools announce they'll reopen in September — hybrid model, two days in person, three days remote. Better than nothing. Mason is relieved (he misses Ethan and Priya). Lily is ecstatic (she misses everyone, because Lily requires an audience the way plants require sunlight). I'm cautiously optimistic, which is the default setting for a cancer survivor: hope tempered by the knowledge that things don't always go as planned.

The garden is at peak production. Tomatoes coming in by the pound — Romas, Cherokee Purples, Sun Golds. I'm canning again: whole tomatoes, marinara, salsa. The kitchen is a canning factory, pots of boiling water, jars lining the counter, the satisfying pop of lids sealing. Mason counts the jars (twenty-four so far this season) and marks them on his garden journal chart. Lily contributes by eating the Sun Golds before they make it to the canning pot, which is technically a loss but the joy on her face when she bites into a warm cherry tomato is worth the entire crop.

Tom and I took the kids camping. First overnight together — all four of us, in the Sawtooths, Tom's territory. He set up the tent. Mason built the fire (supervised, with Tom's guidance, the nine-year-old pyrotechnic experience carefully managed). Lily fed graham crackers to chipmunks (unauthorized but adorable). We slept in sleeping bags under the stars, and Mason found Jupiter through the telescope, and Lily fell asleep to the sound of the river, and Tom and I lay awake and whispered and his hand found mine in the dark and the dark was not frightening. The dark was just the sky with stars in it, and the stars were the same ones Brett's chart named, and the river was the same river Tom monitors for work, and everything was connected, the way things are connected in Idaho — the land and the water and the people and the sky, all part of the same thing, all part of home.

I cooked over the campfire: foil-packet dinners — chicken, potatoes, vegetables, butter, seasoned and wrapped and placed in the coals. The simplest cooking. The oldest cooking. Fire and food and a family around it, which is how it started, all of it, ten thousand years ago, and which is how it continues, in a campsite in the Sawtooths, in 2020, during a pandemic, with a woman who was once told she might not survive and who is now sitting by a fire with a man she loves and children she raised and a sky full of stars.

That night in the Sawtooths — watching Mason tend the fire and listening to Lily drift off to the sound of the river — reminded me that cooking over a live flame strips everything down to what’s essential. When I got home, I wanted to hold onto that feeling, and this Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken does exactly that: a bold, bright marinade, a hot grill, and nothing in the way between the fire and the food. It tastes like that campsite smelled — woodsmoke, citrus, open air.

Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus 2 hours marinating) | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)
• 1/4 cup tequila (blanco or reposado)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish)
• Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the marinade. In a bowl or zip-top bag, whisk together the tequila, lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and cilantro until combined.
2. Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken breasts to the marinade, turning to coat. Seal and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours. Do not marinate longer than 8 hours — the lime juice will begin to break down the texture of the meat.
3. Preheat the grill. Heat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium-high (about 400°F). Lightly oil the grates.
4. Grill the chicken. Remove chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip off. Discard the marinade. Grill for 6 to 7 minutes per side, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F at the thickest part.
5. Rest and serve. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 285 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 4g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 340mg