Tomatillo Key Lime Chicken Sizzle is a delicious party of flavors with freshly roasted tomatillo salsa topping for the grilled key lime marinated chicken breasts.
Wow, just the title is a mouth full....Tomatillo Key Lime Chicken Sizzle but it is so delicious and it takes only 30 minutes. When tomatillos are roasted, they become more sweet and fruity. Just like in our vegetarian tamales, the tomatillo salsa take this chicken to the next level. This bite is for you!
What's to Love
We know the holidays are around the corner but what are you going to make for dinner the other 364 days of the year??? Tomatillo Key Lime Chicken Sizzle is a delicious recipe to rock out on Taco Tuesdays, parties, gatherings or just an easy nutritious week day meal. We served our meal with a quick and easy chopped cabbage, carrot and onion coleslaw with a cumin spiced vinaigrette.
Tomatillo Key Lime Chicken Sizzle is a delicious low carb, gluten-free and cardiac friendly meal. Dairy free options available in the recipe instructions below.
Tomatillos
Tomatillos, if you are not familiar with them are Mexican husk tomato (or sometimes also called a jam berry) and have a tart, fruity, and slightly herbal flavor when roasted. If eaten raw they are more acidic in flavor.
Tomatillos are not green tomatoes. They actually come from a different nightshade plant and are covered with a paper husk. If you cannot find tomatillos at the market, you can substitute green tomatoes but it may be more tart and need additional seasonings.
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
The roasted tomatillo salsa has a lot of action packed flavors going on, almost like a little party in your mouth. Chicken can be BORING but that is where sauces come to the rescue to brighten this ordinary protein and take it to the next level. Our 3 minute Vegan Sun Dried Tomato Pesto rocks drizzled over grilled chicken breasts too.
Favorite Sauce
We might have just accidentally created one of our favorite little sauces to hit the menu in Healthy World Cuisine. Roasted Tomatillo and Key Lime Cilantro green chili sauce is good all on its own but we decided to kick it up one more notch. Roasting any vegetables really adds some depth of flavor and sweetens the tomatillo and it gives the green chilies some natural smoky flavors.
The fresh key lime and the cilantro adds a little sparkle. Then if that was not enough, we added a dab of butter and cream to make it smooth and creamy. You can thank us later...
Roasted Tomatillo and Key Lime Cilantro Green Chili Sauce is the perfect accompaniment to anything grilled. Grilled Chicken, Grilled fish, grilled tofu and any grilled vegetables just rock with a little of this zesty and creamy sauce.
However the best part of this dish is that it is the perfect weeknight quick and easy dish that you can make in the winter in a grill pan or in good weather on the outside grill.
This sauce can be made in advance and put in the refrigerator or freezer for later use or even canned like salsa. If you marinade your chicken before you leave for work in the morning, you can have a full complete meal fit for a king in less than 30 minutes. Keep on reading to find out how to make this delicious Roasted Tomatillo and Key Lime Cilantro Salsa Chicken Sizzle...
More Delicious Tex Mex Recipe Inspiration
Shrimp Burritos with Creamy Poblano Sauce
Creamy Chipotle Chicken Skillet
Chicken Enchiladas with Fire Roasted Poblano Peppers
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Tomatillo Key Lime Chicken Sizzle
Ingredients
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
- 6-8 whole tomatillo remove the outer casing, wash ((alternatives are green tomatoes, canned tomatillos, or even gooseberry and green pepper combo)
- 5 pearl onions or 1 small onion (whole do not peel)
- 2-3 serrano peppers
large cut in half (do not peel) - 4-5 whole garlic do not peel
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
to taste - 1 tablespoon key lime juice
or regular lime - ½ cup cilantro
(coriander) fresh chopped - ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoon butter
(or non-dairy margarine if you have dairy issues) - ⅓ cup heavy cream
or nondairy creamer
Chicken breasts
- 4 chicken breasts
skinless and boneless - 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper
to taste - 1 teaspoon key lime zest
or regular lime zest - cilantro
(coriander)to garnish - optional - limes fresh wedges to garnish - optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 204 degrees Celsius. (400 degrees F)
- Remove husks from the tomatillos and wash well.
- On a parchment (wax) paper lined baking sheet put the chiles, garlic, onion and tomatillos. Season with a little olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste.
- Put on vegetables a rack about 1 or 2 inches from the heat, and cook, turning the vegetables once, until softened and slightly charred, about 5 to 7 minutes. Keep a close eye on them so they do not burn.
- When cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic pulp from the roasted garlic into your food processor and discard the skin of the garlics, and pull off the tops of the chiles, remove the seeds and peel peppers and place in the food processor, discard the skin. Squeeze the the tops of delicious roasted tomatillos and allow the internal tomatillo pulp to go into the food processor but discard the skin. Add all the broiled ingredients(tomatillos, Serrano chili, garlic and onion) to a blender along with the fresh cilantro, lime salt and pepper to taste and a bit of olive oil and puree.
- Put the Roasted Tomatillo and Key Lime Cilantro Salsa aside. At this point you can put in refrigerator for later use, can the salsa or freeze it once it cools down.
- Marinate chicken breasts with olive oil, fresh garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and a little lime zest and set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes up to 24 hours to marinade.
- Grill chicken breasts over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes each side or until the juices run clear. (depends on how thick your chicken breasts are) We like to cut our chicken breasts lengthwise so they are thinner and cook quicker.
- Put the Roasted Tomatillo and Key Lime Cilantro Salsa in a small sauce pan on low heat and add 2 hearty teaspoons of butter and drizzle in about ¾ cup of soy cream and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve your sizzling grilled chicken with a drizzle of the Roasted Tomatillo and Key Lime Cilantro Salsa and bring a smile to your families' faces. Garnish with fresh cilantro and fresh limes as desired.
kitchenriffs says
Love key limes! Any limes, really, but key limes have a particularly nice flavor. And tomatillos make dynamite salsa! This looks like such a perky, flavorful dish. Good stuff! 🙂 Thanks so much.
HWC Magazine says
Thank you John! We hope you give this fresh a vibrant dish a try soon. Take Care and glad to see you back!
Gerlinde @ sunnycovechef.com says
This dish looks fantastic, especially the salsa. I wonder if I can substitute lemons for limes. I have my own lemon trees. The photos are wonderful.
nancyc says
This sounds like a wonderful way to make chicken!
Eva Taylor says
I'm really loving this sauce Bam, the ingredient list would hit my tastes right on the spot! I bet it would jazz up a boring old tilapia too.
Great photo of the harbor and catching the rainbow is just icing on the cake!
rsmacaalay says
That sauce looks good! I guess that would also work with pork and beef.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Absolutely, A sauce without boundaries. I might even try it on eggs but leave out the creamer just as a salsa. Have a super week. BAM
Kathleen Richardson says
Another wonderful recipe, BAM. I can see why your boys love it.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Kathleen. You know how normally teenagers about their food touching or sauces....I think we have finally made a break through! Take care, BAM
Charles says
That salsa looks amazing Bam - wonderful use for tomatillos too... over here we call them physalis I think - I've never heard the name tomatillo until recently!
Healthy World Cuisine says
I am glad to learn the other term for these very unique little veggies or are they a fruit? Whatever category they fall in they certainly do taste great roasted. I hope you having a great week. Take care, BAM
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
Oh my! This salsa looks and sounds amazing Bam!!! I need more chicken recipes not to bore my family and I wish this is being grilled right now (in reality it's Japanese yakiniku). I'm salivating as I write. Thanks for shaing your recipe!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Nami-san, your grilled recipes are always lovely and simple to boot and that is why I love them . Great family recipes. Take care, BAM
lambyknits01 says
Chicken Sizzle! Love the name 😉 Cilantro and limes are meant for each other - I'm definitely pinning this one! Thanks for sharing, BAM 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you so much. My teenagers even loved this one. Have a super day! BAM
Promenade Claire says
I'm with everyone ele hee, tis sauce looks so good BAM, lime and coriander are such a great combination - and well if you go and add chillies then it only gets better !!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Claire. You just have to love when the market has everything you want all in one place. You have that luxury right in your own back yard garden. How super is that...
Amelia says
Hi Bam, wow..... your pictures like 3D. I almost want to lick the screen especially the first picture. LOL
Very tempting and delicious. yum yum You're excellent!
Hannah (BitterSweet) says
Truth be told, I've never cooked with tomatillos- Ever! I do love a good salsa verde though, so I be very curious to try this sauce.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hannah you will love Tomatillos. It is kind of difficult to describe their flavor but kind of tart like a green tomato but also has something extra going on. Tomatillos are really yummy and have a delicious flavor when they are roasted like many vegetables do.
Aoife.D says
I've never even heard of tomatillos before. I've obviously been living under a rock. Sounds yumbo all the same though!
Savour the Senses says
This sounds like my kind of sauce! Your picture of the harbor reminds me of Hawaii, I miss the water already being back in Colorado!
Profiteroles & Ponytails says
I like the idea of using a sauce, because I can provide the "zesty" version (with sauce) to the adults and the plain version (no sauce) to the kids. Love this sauce. Must pick up some agave nectar!