Jalapeño Grilled Chicken Breasts
Published May 16, 2025
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes plus 30 minutes’ marinating time
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ½white onion, chopped
- 2large jalapeños, seeded
- 2large garlic cloves
- 1tablespoon sake or soju (optional)
- 2teaspoons coarse kosher salt, such as Morton, or coarse sea salt
- ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 2pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- Olive oil, for grilling
- Green pepper hot sauce, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
322 calories; 10 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 52 grams protein; 613 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a blender or food processor, blend the onion, jalapeños, garlic, sake (if using), salt, pepper and ¼ cup water until smooth and foamy.
- Step 2
Place the chicken in a resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over. Seal the bag and smoosh it around to coat the chicken in the marinade. Place the bag in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to grill, at least 30 minutes and up to 48 hours. (Alternatively, you can marinate the chicken in a bowl or resealable container.)
- Step 3
Heat an outdoor grill over medium-high. Clean the grill grates. Wad up a paper towel, dip it in oil and, holding it with tongs, rub it against the grates to grease them.
- Step 4
Take the chicken out of the marinade, let some of the marinade drip off and place on the grill. Cook the chicken, covered if using a gas grill, flipping once or twice, until browned on both sides and the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast or thigh reads 165 degrees, 8 to 12 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board and let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes so the juices can settle before slicing and serving, with hot sauce, if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
Easy, and delicious! I didn’t have sake, so I subbed for Chinese cooking wine — everything else I kept the same. I marinated the chicken for about four hours, and got it out the fridge about 10 minutes before grilling. As Eric promises, the chicken comes out perfectly juicy with a nice peppery bite. I’ll be making this again!
Instead of water, drizzle in some avocado or other neutral oil as it blends. This will create a creamy emulsion that is delicious as a sauce for tacos and chips and that will coat and stick on the chicken much better and will infuse the jalapẽno flavor better during the marinade step. Make sure to add a decent amount of salt to this.
It smelled good while grilling, but I got a little worried it would be too strong a jalapeño taste and might only be good in tacos. I was wrong! Took longer to cook than the suggested time, maybe my grill wasn’t hot enough, but went by temp and they really were the juiciest chicken breasts I’ve ever grilled! Scarfed them down.
Delicious and so easy! Changes from recipe: cut huge breasts into cutlets, used 2 teaspoons dry vermouth + 1 teaspoon sugar instead of the saki. Used a 2 burner griddle instead of a grill. Putting into regular rotation!
Made as written, plus a spoonful avocado oil as mentioned in a previous comment. Marinated for four hours, and grilled to 160 degrees, then covered and rested for five minutes until thermometer said 165. Sliced against the grain. Juicy and tender, and surprisingly mild. Next time I’ll leave in some of the jalapeño seeds.
Made this with two jalapeños including their seeds and it gave a little heat to the finished chicken. I used two tsp of Maldon salt and found that flavorful without being too salty, but would reduce salt if I were using any other variety. Marinating for ~8 hours resulted in tender chicken even though I let it go a bit longer on the grill than I intended. Excellent in tacos, lovely on a salad.