• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
In Fine Taste
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Chicken » San Antonio Chicken

    San Antonio Chicken

    Published: Dec 11, 2018 · Modified: Aug 24, 2021 by In Fine Taste · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    serving bowl and wood cutting board with San Antonio Chicken, green sauce and rice

    San Antonio Chicken has the most beautiful flavor. Lemon, and garlic, and cilantro, and just plain deliciousness! Years ago my husband and I were wandering along the streets of San Antonio when we happened upon a cute cafe serving this amazing chicken dish.

    Copycat Recipe

    We loved it so much I went home and tried to re-create it. This recipe is the result of my experiments to make the Mexican style chicken recipe of that long-ago day at Rosario's Mexican Cafe y Cantina in San Antonio's Southtown area. 

    It's so easy to make the lemon garlic chicken marinade

    Making the lemon garlic marinade for chicken is easy. Just throw the ingredients in a blender: juice of four fresh lemons; cilantro (cut off as many stems as you can); fresh cloves of peeled garlic; plus some sugar, salt and black pepper. 

    raw chicken in bowl marinading in San Antonio Chicken recipe

    Marinade chicken in the refrigerator

    Pour the marinade over chicken breast pieces in a baking pan and let them sit covered in the refrigerator at least two hours. Turn chicken a few times while marinading. Then put the Mexican chicken on the grill or bake it in the oven. The cilantro pesto sauce is simple, yet so flavorful! The only negative is that it bakes dark green. In this case, the flavor exceeds the presentation! If you like things saucy, save out some marinade (before adding raw chicken) to serve with your cooked chicken.

    cooked chicken breasts with marinade and lemon slices for San Antonio Chicken

    Low fat dinner!

    One of the best Mexican dishes with chicken, San Antonio Chicken is also low fat — all that goodness and healthy too. Wohoo! We like to serve it over rice, but you could serve it with pasta or shredded in tortillas too. 

    marinated grilled chicken served in white bowl with lemons, tomatoes, cilantro and rice

    Favorite San Antonio restaurant

    If you visit San Antonio, try our favorite restaurant-- Rosario's Mexican Cafe y Cantina on South Alamo in the Southtown area. They have a lot of great food but we're partial to "Pollo a la Maria." Or, try making our copycat recipe for San Antonio chicken at home and you can have the same delicious experience!

    Enjoy!

    Dianna

    We think you might like these other tasty Mexican recipes too!

    • Green Chile Enchiladas
    • Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
    • Salsa Fresca
    • Tortilla Soup
    • Pineapple Salsa

    Don't forget to pin this recipe for later! You can also follow us on Pinterest here!

    Tried this recipe and loved it? Comment and Rate it! Also send us a picture, WE WANT TO SEE!

    serving bowl and wood cutting board with San Antonio Chicken, green sauce and rice

    San Antonio Chicken

    Quick, low fat dinner, the chicken is marinated in lemon, garlic and cilantro, then grilled or baked and served over rice.
    4.86 from 7 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Entrees
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Inactive Time: 2 hours
    Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 367kcal
    Author: Dianna--In Fine Taste

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds chicken tenders or chicken breasts
    • 4 lemons about ¾ cup of lemon juice
    • ¾ cup chopped packed cilantro
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon pepper
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 5 cloves of garlic minced
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Juice the lemons. Cut off as many cilantro stems as you reasonably can and discard.
    • Peel garlic cloves and mince. Combine all marinade ingredients in blender and puree.
    • Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Place chicken tenders or breasts in the pan and pour marinade over chicken. Marinate in refrigerator at least two hours.
    • Bake uncovered one hour at 350 degrees. OR put on your grill and cook until internal temperature is 165 degrees and meat is no longer pink inside.
    • Serve with rice or shred and serve with tortillas and fixings.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 8g | Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 918mg | Fiber: 1g
    Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
    Tried this recipe? Leave a review below, then take a picture and tag us @InFineTaste on Instagram so we can see!

    Share it on Instagram and tag us and tag #infinetasterecipes so we can see it!

    Are you part of our Facebook Page? Follow along with what's new on In Fine Taste, share YOUR favorite recipes, ask questions, post pictures of what your making, and more! Like our page HERE

     

     

     

    originally published December 11, 2018

    « Peppermint Bark Fudge
    Fuji Apple Salad & Vinaigrette »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Meet Dianna & Alyssa

    two women, Dianna and Alyssa, standing with their arms around each other.

    We are Dianna & Alyssa, a mother-daughter duo, and food lovers! We are the stomachs behind all the recipes we share here on In Fine Taste.

    Read more about us

    Subscribe to our Newsletter

    'Tis the Season for Cake!

    • slice of lemon cake on white plate with blackberries on side.
      Lemon Blackberry Cake
    • Ho Ho cake with layers of moist chocolate cake, cream filling and dense chocolate frosting
      Ho Ho Cake
    • 3 layer cake with white cake and lemon filling
      Lemon Cheesecake Cake
    • slice of cake on white plate
      Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

    More Cake Recipes

    Popular Posts

    • blue monster cookie with bite out of it stacked.
      Cookie Monster Cookies
    • soup in bowl with basil around and croutons on side.
      Roasted Red Pepper Gouda Soup
    • bowl of tzatziki with cucumbers on top
      Tzatziki (Cucumber Yogurt Sauce)
    • slices of pizza.
      The Best Pizza Dough
    logos displaying where In Fine Taste has been featured.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Have a question? Or want to work with us? Send us a message!
    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.