Fresh ingredients, unbelievable flavor, and an easy blender process - this truly is The Ultimate Grilled Taco Marinade! Great on chicken or skirt steak, the final result makes for top notch tacos, burritos, Mexican bowls, nachos, and more.
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I’m letting you in on a treasured family recipe today…. The Ultimate Grilled Taco Marinade. Mexican food is highly favored in both our immediate and extended family. When we first made this marinade recipe from a small Mexican food website, we knew we’d found a winner for years to come (it’s been 10 years since we first made it!). Unfortunately, that website no longer exists, but fortunately we printed it out before that site was gone.
There are many grilled taco marinades out there, but we always come back to this one. Besides the fact that it is super simple to make (and only requires a blender), it always results in the most vibrant, delicious flavor… it wows us every time! Plus, it is equally good on chicken or skirt steak, depending on what you have on hand.
🧅 Ingredients
Oil: Vegetable or canola oil.
Red wine vinegar: Or you can substitute with white vinegar.
Lime juice: Fresh squeezed is a must (none of that pre-juiced concentrate).
Orange juice: 👆Fresh squeezed is always better here.
Garlic: Minced or roughly chopped.
Cilantro: Remove most of the stems before using.
Onion: A yellow onion lends great flavor without being too sweet.
Red bell pepper: Choose a firm, well-colored pepper for the best flavor.
Jalapeños: Leave the seeds in for flavor. If you want it a bit spicier, use two jalapeños instead of one.
Cumin: Ground cumin, not cumin seeds.
Chili powder: Just regular chili powder (smoked chili powder is not the best here).
Mexican oregano: Mexican oregano is from a different plant than typical oregano and lends a different flavor to the marinade.
Ground cloves: A little goes a long way to add another dimension of flavor.
Salt: Kosher salt, as always.
Pepper: Simple ground pepper.
🔪 Instructions
I cannot say enough how easy this marinade is…. but I think this picture says it all! Give all the large vegetables a quick, rough chop. Then throw all the ingredients in a blender and blend until mostly smooth (it will still have some texture to it, so don’t worry about it being perfectly smooth).
And that’s it! This recipe makes about 3 ½ cups of marinade, which can safely marinate 5-6 pounds of meat. Marinate the meat for 8 hours or overnight before grilling.
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
Marinades are the best for serving crowds.... just double or triple the recipe depending on how much meat you need. My only word of warning is to make sure a double or triple recipe will fit in your blender. If not, just make 2-3 batches separately.
🌮 Serving Ideas
First and foremost, this marinade makes super flavorful chicken or steak tacos. I prefer to serve these tacos “street style” with diced onions, chopped cilantro, and fresh lime on top. This meat is also excellent in burritos, Mexican bowls, and loaded nachos (think cheese, black beans, salsa, sliced jalapeños, sour cream… so good!).
🙋 Questions & Answers
Chicken breasts and skirt steak are excellent in this marinade. If you discover another cut of meat that works great, we’d love to hear in the comments!
It will last up to 1 week in the fridge. Store in a jar or airtight container to keep it fresh as long as possible.
Yes! My favorite way to use the marinade is to pour it over the chicken or skirt steak in a ziptop bag and freeze it. It’s so convenient to have meat ready to grill when I’m ready for it.
📖 Other Mexican Recipes
- Perfectly Seasoned Black Beans - A fantastic way to use dried beans! Make them in the Instant Pot or slow cooker for a hands-off side dish.
- Cilantro Lime Rice - A simple but dynamic flavor combo that is worth every last bite!
- Chicken Tortilla Soup - The most requested soup in our family, hands-down. Flavorful, healthy, and soul-comforting.
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Use the freshest ingredients possible for the best flavor. Freshly juiced limes and oranges, especially, make a big impact on the end result.
- Although you can marinate the meat for only 8 hours, it becomes significantly more flavorful when you marinate it overnight. Shoot for overnight if possible.
📋 Recipe
The Ultimate Grilled Taco Marinade
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup red wine vinegar or substitute white vinegar
- ⅓ cup lime juice freshly squeezed
- ⅓ cup orange juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- ½ head of cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 medium onion yellow
- ½ red bell pepper chopped in large chunks
- 1-2 jalapenos use 2 if you prefer spicier food
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp Mexican oregano
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1½ tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until mostly smooth (marinade will still have texture, but should not have any large chunks).
- Marinate chicken or skirt steak for 8 hours or overnight. Makes enough marinade for 5-6 lbs of meat. Grill and serve in tacos, burritos, bowls, or nachos.
- Freezer option: Pour marinade over meat and freeze in ziptop bag. Thaw meat overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for several hours the day of serving. Grill and serve.
Notes
- Use the freshest ingredients possible for the best flavor. Freshly juiced limes and oranges, especially, make a big impact on the end result.
- Although you can marinate the meat for only 8 hours, it becomes significantly more flavorful when you marinate it overnight. Shoot for overnight if possible.
Sandra says
Tried this for dinner recently and I was so impressed! I could just eat the chicken straight off the grill. Super flavorful and easy. I made the marinade a few days ahead and froze the chicken in it, then thawed and grilled. I’ll make this again for sure!
Misty says
Love that you froze it ahead, that's what I do as well! So happy you loved it!
Ryan says
This is now my absolute go to marinade for flank steak. I used to use a soy sauce and honey marinade but never again. I simply can't emphasize how good this is. The only thing I find is that it needs slightly more salt. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Misty says
We're so glad you love it! Thanks for leaving a review. 😀