Grilled Spicy Lime Chicken with Black Bean Salad

Chicken, Gluten-Free, Grilling, Latin, Main Courses, Mexican / Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

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I love finding recipes that use some of the same slightly weird ingredients.

Take this Grilled Spicy Lime Chicken with Black Bean Salad, another Healthy Meal That Doesn’t Suck. It has the same canned chipotles in adobo sauce, lime juice and cilantro as the Chipotle-Lime Glazed Shrimp. Oh, yes. Love that.

First, you focus on the marinade, this amazing combination of freshly squeezed lime juice, chopped cilantro, olive oil, chopped chipotles, a little adobo sauce, a tablespoon of honey, freshly minced garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. You’ll use portions of this mixture three times: as a marinade for the chicken, as a dressing for the black bean salad and as a final topping for the chicken.

While you’re heating your grill or grill pan, keep the marinated chicken in the fridge, and work on the black bean salad. The original recipe calls for beans, scallions, red pepper and avocado tossed with one-fourth cup of the lime mixture, but feel free to use what you have on hand. I’ve substituted the scallions for chives or thinly sliced red onion, a jarred roasted red pepper instead of fresh and traded the avocado slices for a few handfuls of corn kernels.

Once you’ve grilled the chicken, drizzle it with the remaining lime juice mixture for an extra kick. The flavor is bright and pool-party summery without being too hot. If you don’t tell anyone it’s healthy, THEY’LL NEVER KNOW.

To bulk it up: Top your favorite salad with the grilled chicken and black bean mixture, and add some tortilla chips. Or throw some tortillas into the mix for soft tacos, quesadillas or wraps.

To lighten it up (even more): Leave out the avocado, and skip the final drizzle of the lime juice mixture.

Grilled Spicy Lime Chicken with Black Bean Salad

Adapted from “Cook’s Country”

Serves 4

  • 1/3 cup lime juice
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 chipotle chiles, roughly chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • Salt and pepper
  • 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
  • 2 (16-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup chopped scallions (or red onion)
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
  • 1 ripe avocado, sliced thin (optional)
  • Lime wedges for serving
  1. Light grill, or heat grill pan to medium. Whisk lime juice, cilantro, oil, chiles and sauce, honey, garlic, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in small bowl.
  2. Toss chicken with 1/4 cup lime juice mixture in separate large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Marinate chicken in refrigerator while grill (or grill pan) continues to preheat.
  3. For the Black Bean Salad: Toss beans, scallions, red pepper, and avocado with 1/4 cup lime juice mixture in serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Grill chicken over very hot fire (or in grill pan) until well-browned on both sides and cooked through, 8 to 13 minutes. Transfer chicken to serving platter and drizzle with remaining lime juice mixture. Serve immediately with black bean salad.

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26 thoughts on “Grilled Spicy Lime Chicken with Black Bean Salad”

  2. This recipe looks amazing.

    We will be trying it this weekend. Lucky for us, winter in Florida is an oxymoron.

    I’m excited!

  4. Delicious AND easy?!? I’m salivating just looking at the photo…I gotta make this! Thanks for helping me with my Dorie and Smitten Kitchen weight gain.

  7. That looks like a little taste of summer…if only eating it could make the sun shine and the snow melt then I’d be shoveling out around my grill instead of typing!

  10. This is great! I am allergic to shrimp, and now I can get the same flavors as the shrimp recipe but on a protein I can get along with.

  11. As if the title of this post isn’t alluring enough, those photos are just mouthwatering! I’ve been meaning to look up more healthful recipes to counteract all those holiday cookies :) I’ll definitely be making this soon-thanks!

  13. This looks gorgeous! And as I ran through the ingredient list I realized that I have everything I need to make this — that’s unheard of! I might just turn on the heat lamps, crank up some Jimmy Buffett, and make this chicken tonight!

  15. mmm… this looks great. i think it is dinner time here! wish I would of checked this earlier today. maybe for tomorrow night.

  16. I’m gathering all the ingredients to make this and the shrimp tonight. I do notice in the photo you have corn in the black bean salsa but not in the recipe list. I love corn in a black bean salsa and I’m going to use it. Thanks for these recipes! I’ll let you know how it turns out.

  17. Misty: Thanks! I love that the same marinade works for the chicken and the black bean salad. Because I’m lazy like that.

    J: Good luck with it! I’m in Tennessee, so we grill year-round.

    Michelle: Dorie will give you a third buttock if you’re not careful.

    Leslie: You gotta make this! It’s very easy to forget it’s healthy.

    Chocolate Shavings: Make it! It’s really versatile, too.

    Chez Us: I can’t believe how quickly this meal comes together. Let me know if you try it!

    Dana: I know what you mean! It’s been so rainy and dreary here, we needed something flip-flop worthy.

    Tammy: I can’t believe I’d never even seen chipotles in adobo sauce two years ago. LOVE THEM. And if you don’t use a whole can, you can freeze them.

    outdoor griller: Thanks for the tips! I’ll definitely be checking them out.

    Alison: Oh, sorry about the shrimp! I feel the same way about blueberries. I’m allergic and always looking for substitutions.

    Megan: Thanks, and let me know what you think. I was ready for something lighter after all the boubon balls, fudge and … COOKIES!

    Jamie: Thanks! Let me know if you try it.

    Cathy: I had all the ingredients, too! So easy and good. Let me know what you think.

    Natashya: This is a great recipe to wake up your tastebuds after all the holiday food. I can feel the chipotles burning those calories away right now.

    Jess: If you give it a shot, let me know how it turns out!

    Gina: I change up the black bean salad, depending on what I can get my hands on. Couldn’t find any nice avocados, so I used the corn. Delicious.

  18. Saw you in the NASHVILLE SCENE! Yo Mama is so proud. Tried the chicken because I am trying to get beans/fiber into your Daddy for the new year.

  19. Everyone should try this recipe. I remember seeing it in cook’s country when the issue came out and I bookmarked the recipe so that I would remember to make it. This recipe is so easy it is crazy. I have made it a few times since the issue came out and it is always fantastic. If you don’t have a grill you can always cook it inside in a skillet. I love the addition of the avocados because it cuts some of the kick.

  20. This is beautiful! I love grilled food and my husband loves to grill it! Thanks for the great recipe!

  21. This recipe sounds like one I would love. I like chicken and I’m crazy about black beans, so that’s a match. I have chipotles in adobo sauce in a glass jar in my refrigerator and it keeps forever. I usually whiz it around in a mini processor first so the chilis are mixed in with the sauce. I like your site and will return.
    Sam

  23. We've made this twice & love it! Thanks for posting. I am always looking for easy, healthy recipes that don't have crazy ingredients that I never have on hand! I tried it with the chicken, but now I am curious to try the shrimp as well. Thanks for posting this yummy recipe!!

  25. We had this tonight and loved it! So filling and delicious you forget it's healthy. Thanks, Rebecca!

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