Name: The Ultimate Chicken Taco Marinade
Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil (not the fancy expensive stuff, save that for your salads); Juice from 2 limes (fresh limes only – that bottled stuff is an abomination); 3 garlic cloves, smashed and minced (or more if you’re like me and measure garlic with your heart); 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (adds a little tang that most people can’t identify but definitely notice); 1 tablespoon soy sauce (secret umami bomb – trust me on this); 2 teaspoons brown sugar (balances everything out); 1 tablespoon chili powder (not the spicy kind, the Mexican blend kind); 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (the smoked part is crucial); 1 teaspoon ground cumin (freshly toasted and ground if you’re feeling fancy); 1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican oregano if you can find it); 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust according to your spice tolerance); 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon salt; Handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (stems included – that’s where all the flavor is!); 1/2 onion, roughly chopped (yellow or white, doesn’t matter much); Optional but awesome: 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped (for a smoky kick)

Description

Look, I’ve gone through about a million chicken taco recipes in my life. Some were forgettable, some were decent, but this marinade? This is the one that made my brother-in-law (who thinks he’s some kind of taco expert because he spent two weeks in Mexico once) actually ask me for the recipe. That’s when I knew I had something special.

Ingredients

Scale

1/4 cup olive oil (not the fancy expensive stuff, save that for your salads)
Juice from 2 limes (fresh limes only – that bottled stuff is an abomination)
3 garlic cloves, smashed and minced (or more if you’re like me and measure garlic with your heart)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (adds a little tang that most people can’t identify but definitely notice)
1 tablespoon soy sauce (secret umami bomb – trust me on this)
2 teaspoons brown sugar (balances everything out)
1 tablespoon chili powder (not the spicy kind, the Mexican blend kind)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (the smoked part is crucial)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (freshly toasted and ground if you’re feeling fancy)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican oregano if you can find it)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust according to your spice tolerance)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (stems included – that’s where all the flavor is!)
1/2 onion, roughly chopped (yellow or white, doesn’t matter much)
Optional but awesome: 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped (for a smoky kick)