This grilled chicken with avocado salsa is loaded with fresh flavor and amazing textures!
The chicken is marinated in taco seasonings, grilled, and then loaded up with a crisp grilled corn and creamy avocado salsa. Pair this meal with an easy salad like this mandarin orange salad.
Grilled chicken with avocado salsa
I think I’ll eat this meal for every remaining dinner of summer! My whole family is completely obsessed with this grilled chicken with an avocado salsa.
Corn and avocado are two of my favorite ingredients and I love how the two complement each other in flavors and texture. Especially fresh grilled corn and perfectly ripe avocados — there aren’t too many things better that that in my opinion.
Before you think that only the salsa is the star of this show, the chicken is insanely good and so easy to make! You’ll throw together a quick marinade which takes mere minutes (just a few ingredients whisked together) and then grill the chicken and baste it with a bit of the reserved marinade. You end up with ultra flavorful, tender, moist, and delicious chicken.
Chicken marinating and grilling tips
- Slice breasts in half before marinating: slice and/or pound your chicken breasts into evenly thick pieces before marinating. (They’ll soak up all the delicious flavor from the marinade and and cook evenly.)
- Score meat before marinating: to help the marinade penetrate deeper, prick the surface of the chicken a few times with a fork.
- Generously oil your grill grates. I do this by rolling up a few paper towels, drenching them in vegetable oil, and using tongs, rub the drenched paper towels along the grill grates. Doing this will contribute to a beautiful sear, and ensure the chicken doesn’t stick to the grates.
- Baste the chicken: before adding the chicken to the marinade, take out some of the mixture to brush over the chicken as it grills.
- Use a food thermometer: the best way to avoid dry, flavorless chicken is to test the temperature! Once the chicken hits 160 degrees F, pull it off. (Carryover heat will bring it up the last 5 degrees).
- Let the chicken rest: once you pull the chicken off the grill, tent it with foil for 5-10 minutes so juices can redistribute.
Avocado corn salsa
Grilling the corn adds so much to this salsa. While there are lots of ways to grill corn, this is my favorite method:
- Peel back husks and remove the silk. Rub vegetable oil on all sides of the corn and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place on heated grill (400 degrees F) and rotate every 3-4 minutes or until charred. (This also works on a grill pan!)
The other ingredient that makes a big difference in this salsa is the avocado. Below are a few tips to ensure your avocado is ready for the salsa:
- Press gently around the stem (not on the stem) and if it gives, the avocado is ripe (the “give” should feel like pressing the tip of your nose).
- No part of the avocado should be mushy to touch (this means its overripe).
- Here’s a simple guide on ripening an avocado quickly.
Grilled chicken with avocado salsa quick tips
- Don’t forget the fresh lime: this hit of acid and flavor pulls everything together
- Serving over rice or quinoa: if you want to get fancy, you can prepare cilantro lime quinoa or rice OR coconut rice for the base of these bowls. (Check out the recipe for cilantro lime rice here and coconut rice here.)
- Don’t forget the salt: salt does amazing things for chicken. If you feel like anything is lacking flavor, add a quick sprinkle of sea salt.
More Easy Grilled Recipes:
- Best Chicken Rub super simple
- Grilled Chicken with mango black bean salsa
- Steak Marinade go-to, standard steak marinade
- Pineapple Chicken marinated grilled chicken with a pineapple salsa
- Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri
Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsa
This grilled chicken with avocado salsa is loaded with fresh flavor and amazing textures!
Ingredients
Grilled Chicken
- 1 & 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil, separated
- 4 large juicy limes (1/2 cup lime juice + lime zest), separated
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 teaspoons ground cumin, separated
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper
Grilled Corn and Avocado Salsa
- 4 ears sweet corn
- Olive oil, salt and pepper
- 2 large ripe avocados, diced
- 1 small red onion (or half of a large one), diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- Optional: serve over rice or quinoa (I like to add lime juice and cilantro to the rice!)
Instructions
- PREP: Trim the chicken breasts of fat and pound them to an even thickness to ensure even grilling. You can also slice them evenly in half widthwise for a quicker grill. Place the prepared chicken in a large ziplock bag and set aside.
- MARINADE: In a small bowl whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon lime zest, 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, minced garlic, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1 and 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, and salt + pepper (I use about a teaspoon of each). Once the mixture is well combined, remove about 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture and reserve for later.
- COAT CHICKEN: Add the rest of the marinade in the bag with the chicken. Seal the bag and then knead with your hands to ensure all of the chicken is well coated. Place in the fridge and marinate for at least 45 minutes and preferably 2-3 hours. Don't marinate longer than 5 hours.
- GRILL: Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (about 450 degrees F.) Generously oil the grill (I drench a rolled-up paper towel in vegetable oil and, holding it with tongs, rub it over the grill grates. Don't skip this step.) Husk the corn and rub olive oil over the corn. Sprinkle the corn lightly with salt and pepper. Place the corn on one half of the grill.
- GRILL CONT.: Remove chicken from marinade and season lightly with salt. Grill the chicken (on the other half of the grill) turning once halfway through grilling, about 4-6 minutes per side (until the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees F.). Baste the chicken with the reserved marinade as you grill and after flipping. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes so the juices can re-distribute. As you baste the chicken, flip the corn too. Remove the corn when grilled to your liking (about 15-20 minutes, flipping around every 3 minutes)
- SALSA: Meanwhile prepare the salsa! Dice the veggies -- the avocados, red onion, red pepper and cilantro. Toss together in a large bowl. Add in remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, remaining 1/4 cup lime juice, remaining 1 teaspoon cumin, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. Gently toss together. Slice the corn off the ears and add to the salsa. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss again and serve over chicken.
Video
Recipe Notes
Use a food thermometer: the best way to avoid dry, flavorless chicken is to test the temperature! Once the chicken hits 160 degrees F, pull it off. (Carryover heat will bring it up the last 5 degrees).
First of all, thank you for this recipe! Sounds delicious 🙂 We typically spray our grill with whatever cooking spray we have on hand. Is there a reason you recommend your method with the vegetable oil?
Thank you Emily!! I find the vegetable oil gives it a better grease; I also think it’s best to grease the grates right before adding the meat (when the grill is already heated to temp) 🙂
I have made this twice now – absolutely delicious!
I’m so glad to hear! 🙂
I love this recipe! Especially the salsa!
Thank you so much! Glad you’re enjoying this recipe!
This is amazing! My whole family loved it! I was just wondering if you can freeze the raw marinated chicken?
So happy to hear that! I haven’t ever frozen the raw marinated chicken but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Just make sure to thaw in the fridge 🙂
My friend’s mother works for Tyson and she brought me a 20 pound box of chicken because they sometimes get boxes of them for free. I went searching for chicken recipes and this was the first one I saved. I am making these for lunch meal prep and will be sharing them with my coworkers. This recipe looks absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to try it! Thank you, you have no idea how much of a help this is to me! Have a wonderful day! You are beautiful, by the way!
You are so sweet, thank you so much <3 I hope you love this chicken recipe!! Have a wonderful day as well!
This was fabulous! We loved all of the fresh veggies in it. We will definitely do this again! Thanks!
So happy you enjoyed this! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Looks yummy! I’d love to try it! Just wondering if the salsa can be made ahead? If so how far in advance, possible 24 hours? Maybe don’t add the avacodo until serving?
Yes you can make it a day in advance as long as the avocado is left out until right before serving 🙂
OMG! My new favorite food! Made this for dinner tonight. It was amazing! Can’t wait to make it again. I didn’t have red onion so I left it out. Also, a thunderstorm rolled in so I couldn’t grill. So I made it on a grill pan on the stove. Just microwaved the corn for 2 minutes to give it a head start since it didn’t seem to be cooking fast enough in the pan. So delicious! Even my picky 14 year old Loved It! Thank you!
Yay!! Love, love hearing it’s a favorite 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment Susan!
You said don’t marinade longer than 5hours. Why not let the marinade sit over night?
The lime juice will actually start to break down the chicken which will negatively affect the texture of the grilled chicken.
I am making thus for some meal preps looks delicious! How would I calculate my macros for the marinade?? Bc obviously I’m only going use a little bit of the marinade. But when I enter the ingredients on my fitness pal it’s not going to know how much Evoo I’m actually using so its making my fats a higher. Anyway! Should I just cut it in half when plugging it in for my macros or just calculate 2 tablespoons? Sorry I hope this made sense. ??
I’m sorry, I’m not sure how you’d calculate the macros on the marinade. Wish I could be of more help!