Jalapeno Cheddar Grilled Chicken

This recipe is from the blog Two Peas and Their Pod -  http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com which I discovered just a couple of months ago. Her recipes are simple and delicious, and always has amazing photos to lure you in! I recently made her Jalapeno Cheddar Grilled Chicken and it was delicious. I will definitely make it again and again (would have been perfect for Labor Day!). It was very simple.  I made the marinade while home during lunch and started the chicken marinating before going back to work.  Next time I probably will wait and marinade for a shorter period of time, maybe an hour versus 4-5 hours. I also doubled their recipe (copied below) so we would have plenty of leftovers.  I used some of the leftovers to make tacos, just sliced the chicken, piled on lettuce, tomato, cilantro, and more cheese.

Love my stand mixer Juicer attachment!

Juiced limes, can use bottled lime juice to save time

marinating chicken

Below is a picture of Cheesy spoonbread, I thought it would go well with the chicken. I've posted about this spoonbread before, it's the only spoonbread i've ever had and is delicious.  Will have to try more spoon bread recipes! Check out my post on it here, recipe by Donald Link.

 The grill got a bit messy with the cheese melting everywhere, next time will secure chicken shut with toothpicks.

Finished chicken served with spoonbread and side of black beans with cilantro

lots of cheesy goodness!

ingredients:

For the marinade:

1/2 cup fresh lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 teaspoons diced jalapeño
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Olive oil, for brushing the grill

directions:

1. Cut a horizontal slit along the thin, long edge of each chicken breast, nearly through to the opposite side. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, zest, cilantro, salt, pepper, and sugar. Put chicken breasts and marinade in a large Ziploc bag and seal. Squish the bag around until breasts are well coated. Place the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (up to 12 hours).

2. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and discard marinade. Open up the slits and stuff each breast with 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese, 1 teaspoon jalapeño, and 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro.

3. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Brush the grill lightly with olive oil. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 7 minutes per side. Remove from direct heat and sprinkle remaining shredded cheddar cheese on top of each breast. Cook until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and serve.