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3-Ingredient Chipotle-Lime Grilled Steak

Image may contain Steak and Food
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton
  • Active Time

    15 minutes

  • Total Time

    1 hour

In Epi's3-Ingredient Recipesseries, we show you how to make great food with just three ingredients (plus staples like oil, salt, and pepper).
Spicy chipotle and zesty lime perk up quick and easy grilled steak. Serve with tortillas and all the fixings for a zero-fuss taco night.

Ingredients

4 servings

1 canned chipotle chile in adobo, ribs and seeds removed, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest (from about 2 limes), divided
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more
1 1/2 pounds skirt or flank steak
Lime wedges (for serving)
  1. Step 1

    Blend chile, adobo sauce, 1 tsp. lime zest, lime juice, oil, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper in a blender until smooth. Place steak in a large resealable plastic bag, pour marinade over, and toss to coat. Marinate, tossing occasionally, at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or chill overnight.

    Step 2

    If chilled, let steak sit at room temperature 30 minutes. Prepare a grill or grill pan for medium-high heat. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Grill steak until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of steak registers 120–125°F for medium-rare, 2–3 minutes per side for skirt; 3–4 minutes per side for flank. Let rest 10 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain (to make slicing easier for skirt steak, cut into 5–6" segments, then slice against the grain).

    Step 3

    Transfer to a platter and top with remaining 1/2 tsp. lime zest; season with salt and pepper. Serve with lime wedges alongside.

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Reviews (13)

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  • This is the second time I made this, this time with venison and it was the best venison ever.

    • karinp111

    • Nevada

    • 11/16/2020

  • As written, it is good. It is missing one very important thing. I made it again with skirt steak, adding 7 cloves of garlic and THAT made it a 4 forker for sure! And don't get all prissy with me about using 7 cloves of garlic. It's chipotle for crying out loud! And steak! It made great carne asada tacos.

    • jmachinist

    • San Diego, CA.

    • 9/17/2020

  • STEPHEN206 FROM SEATTLE, WA, You didn't read the introduction closely. It says, "In Epi's 3-Ingredient Recipes series, we show you how to make great food with just three ingredients (plus staples like oil, salt, and pepper)." So now that you've read it. The ingredients are as follows: 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo, 6 limes (juiced, wedges, and zested), and 1 1/2 pounds skirt or flank steak. I made it and it is great! Try it, you'll like it!

    • roosevelt

    • Redmond, WA

    • 6/30/2019

  • made it with skirt steak. served with grilled potatoes and asparagus, sliced avocado and a dollop of greek yogurt. Will definitely be going into the summer grilling repertoire.

    • zoeycooks

    • Boston, MA

    • 5/20/2019

  • I LOVE this recipe. You can even marinate ahead of time and freeze. This is a crowd pleaser - even my kids love it.

    • jaime_j

    • Chicago

    • 3/27/2019

  • Delicious & so easy! I've made this twice already, and I can't recommend it enough. I live in an apartment and don't have a grill or grill pan, so we used a griddle pan that goes on the stove top - worked just fine.

    • mrella22

    • Staten Island, NY

    • 11/14/2018

  • Delicious and a great recipe for using flank steak . Leftovers were turned into arachera like strips and served in a corn Tortilla with Salsa Verde next day for lunch . Yum!

    • helenc486

    • Pei, Canada

    • 11/12/2018

  • I pounded it a little flatter and used my hole puncher thingy to get max flavor. About 2 min per ide was perfect and it real had a great flavor. I marinated overnight.

    • baltisraul

    • tallahassee, fl

    • 8/19/2017

  • Twschopf, are you slicing it thinly, across the grain and at a 45° angle?

    • betsymont

    • Pawling, NY

    • 8/10/2017

  • Could be awesome. Yet, I count 7 ingredients.

    • stephen206

    • Seattle, wa

    • 8/10/2017

  • 班布里奇,你在做饭!我只滨te for 30 minutes. Flank or hanger steak, $8.99/lb or cheaper is fabulous. Sometimes I just use salt and pepper and a bit of olive oil and balsamic. Room temperature, dry meat, salt and pepper. Then put in hot pan, watch it very closely, turn a few times if it is getting too brown. The trick is not to overcook. Should be seared on the outside and rare inside. It will continue to cook while it rests. Should melt in your mouth with great texture!

    • lindagallery

    • Mill Valley

    • 8/10/2017

  • I have several good flank steak recipes. The secret is marinate overnight, preferably, and grill it 11-12 minutes total for med-rare (depends on heat of fire), and slice thin against the grain. I think you will always have tough flank if you cook past med. We don't have tough flank steak using this method for 40+ years.

    • suetowner

    • Hendersonville, NC

    • 8/10/2017

  • Good flavor, but I sure can't figure out how to make a flank steak tender. I marinated it for 6 hours and it was still kind of chewy/tough. I would make it again, but use a higher quality of meat.

    • twschopf

    • Bainbridge Island, WA

    • 8/9/2017

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