If you love warm weather, flip flops, and a smokin’ hot grill then cilantro lime chicken may just be your new summertime romance. As far as grilled chicken recipes go, this cilantro lime chicken recipe raises the bar. ~Not even kidding
Now, I can be a little persnickety about my grilled chicken recipes.
I want moist, tender, succulent meat just bursting with flavor! If it’s not up to those standards – then it’s just a disappointment.
Grilled marinated lime chicken with cilantro and spices is one of those Mexican chicken recipes that checks all those boxes. One bite and you’ll see!
You gotta try our other grilled chicken: chicken gyro, Greek chicken, and huli huli chicken!
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What I Love About This Recipe
I just looove the awesome flavor that comes bursting out of this juicy bird! The marinade does the trick for sure and it is 100 percent simple! Here’s some other reasons to love it!
- A totally awesome refreshing flavor
- Really simple recipe
- Easy to find ingredients
- Delicious cooked multiple ways
How To Make Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe
Following this cilantro lime chicken recipe couldn’t be easier. It’s great right off the grill, in zesty tacos or even sliced on top of salads. I’m tellin’ ya’ – this is one of those recipes you’ll reach for over and over again! Here’s watcha’ need to know.
Recipe Notes
This cilantro lime chicken recipe is an easy one, but it is one that you want to throw together the day before. You really want to let the chicken sit in the marinade the full 24 hours so it can soak up all that intense flavor. In a pinch, 8 hours will work but it won’t be quite as flavorful.
Just don’t forget to reserve a quarter cup of the marinade to pour over the chicken after you cook it. The great thing about this recipe is that the chicken can marinate in a resealable bag, so it doesn’t have to take up a ton of space in your fridge. Just keep in mind that you want to ensure the marinade covers the chicken.
Grilling – As any regular grill-master knows, grilled chicken is a hard thing to keep moist. It tends to char and dry out on the edges before it’s even cooked through. That’s why it’s critical to preheat the grill. Don’t put the chicken on until the grill is heated up.
If you choose to cut your chicken breasts into thinner slices (which I sometimes do if I’m planning to use them for kabobs or tacos), transfer them directly from the fridge to the grill. Don’t leave them sitting out on the counter. This will make sure the chicken doesn’t overcook before it can develop a nice, grilled texture.
As Tacos and Kabobs – I just marinate and grill the chicken as normal, then chop it into chunks, and serve it on a warmed corn tortilla with my favorite salsa and other taco garnishes.
Another favorite variation is cilantro lime chicken kabobs. Cut the chicken into kabob-sized pieces and skewer them alongside your favorite kabob ingredients—cherry tomatoes, peppers, pineapple, and the like, then marinate the chicken as normal.
The delicious marinade will soak into your vegetables/fruits, and the chicken will take on some of their flavors as well.
Ingredient Notes
This cilantro lime chicken recipe consists of a tangy combination of flavorful ingredients used to inject massive flavor into that friendly barnyard foul we all love so much. Here’s what you need to make it happen.
Chicken – I prefer using boneless skinless chicken breasts in this recipe, but it will work with any meat. If you prefer dark – meat go for it! Like to keep the skin on when grilling? Be my guest.
EVOO – Extra virgin olive oil is best in this marinade for a couple of different reasons. Its lighter than other olive oils so it has a better flavor overall. Plus, it helps pull fat-soluble flavors out of many ingredients like garlic so they can soak them into the chicken.
Lime – A zesty combination of lime juice and lime zest gives the chicken a fresh pop of flavor and helps to tenderize the meat.
Garlic – This cilantro lime chicken recipe calls for fresh garlic cloves. They impart a stronger less salty flavor than using salt or powder.
Honey – Using a little bit of honey gives this marinade a subtle sweetness that works well with the tangy flavor and helps it stick to the chicken.
Cilantro – This cilantro lime chicken recipe is a Mexican-inspired recipe, so you’ve got to have cilantro! Fresh cilantro puts the bow on this recipe.
Spices – A tasty combination of cumin, coriander, salt and pepper perks up the flavor of this marinade.
This is a super simple recipe. All you have to do is toss the stuff in a bowl and whisk it together!
Storing Tips
This cilantro lime chicken recipe is easy to store but there usually aren’t many leftovers. If you happen to make a big batch and get lucky, simply put it in a covered container and slide it into the fridge.
Now, if your fridge is anything like mine then it’s probably jam-packed. The beauty of this cilantro lime chicken is that it can go into a resealable bag to save some space.
Can You Freeze This?
Absolutely! This cilantro lime chicken recipe makes an awesome freezer meal. You can freeze the cooked cooled chicken, or you can freeze the raw chicken in the marinade. Then all you have to do is thaw it out and fire up the grill.
You can also just make a big batch of the marinade and freeze the marinade by itself. Thaw out what you need to make a meal and go to town. Just remember, this is a day ahead recipe, so you’ll need 24 hours for your chicken to marinade.
Make Ahead Tips
I like keeping a couple of batches of this marinade in the freezer, separated of course. Then I can thaw out what I need without having to thaw out the entire batch. This cilantro lime chicken recipe is awesome for multiple South of the border meals. The marinade is also great on veggies!
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
Your cilantro lime chicken will stay fresh and yummy for up to 4 days in the fridge. It’s important to keep it sealed in an airtight container with a secure lid for best results. This will also help ensure that it doesn’t take on other flavors in the fridge.
Recipe Variations
There are so many awesome things you can do with this cilantro lime chicken recipe dinner will never be the same again! Plus, it’s all up to you. Need to save some calories? Lose the honey. Like it spicier? Toss in a handful of red pepper flakes. The world is your oyster!
- This cilantro lime chicken is so fresh and flavorful it’s really hard to beat recipe. Of course, if you’re looking for a bit of a stronger flavor profile you can always kick things up a notch with tequila lime chicken. It’s the perfect dinner partner for salty margaritas. Ariba!
- I prefer it grilled but it can certainly be baked and it’s every bit as yummy (I just like the added flavor from the charcoal grill and the grill marks don’t hurt either)!
- If by some chance you do have some cilantro lime chicken leftover, it makes awesome grilled chicken tacos. Or if you’re looking for an easy lunch you can go with a grilled chicken sandwich or a flavor intense grilled chicken wrap. It’ll bring new meaning to enjoying your lunch!
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 6-8 chicken breasts boneless skinless -trimmed of any fat
Marinade
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime zest
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup cilantro leaves chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in a 1-gallon ziplock bag.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade and store in the refrigerator. Pour the rest of the marinade over chicken and seal the bag. Place the bag on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate 24 hours.
- Remove chicken breast from marinade (discard marinade), shaking off any extra, and cook on a preheated grill, about 8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your chicken and the temperature of your grill, or until cooked through.
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More Grilled Chicken Recipes
There are lots of different grilled chicken dishes that you can make, and the flavors run the gambit. All you have to do is pick your passion.
Here are some of my favorite grilled chicken dishes that you can try.
- Grilled Chicken Wings – Finger lickin’ fantastic!
- KFC Grilled Chicken – Save the cash and still enjoy your favorite takeout.
- Grilled Chicken Breast – Moist, tender and full of flavor.
- Jerk Chicken – Awesome smoked peppery flavor.
- Mexican Grilled Chicken – Almost too tasty to describe!
Conclusion
This cilantro lime chicken is one of my favorite warm-weather recipes. This moist tender Mexican inspired chicken is just brimming with a fresh flavor and it’s just so easy to make. Plus, it can be used to craft so many other wonderful dishes. Crank up the grill, grab a cold drink and turn on the music.
Go on, invite some friends over. Flavor like this is just too good not to share!
Absolutely delicious and easy to make!
Thanks, Dee! 😀
Its really delicious recipe
Thank you Simon!!
Lover it
Please tel me those calories are wrong.
Hi, Gail. That’s the nutrition for the whole recipe. Thanks for catching that. It’s now per serving
I made this chicken tonight ! and WOW it came out amazing . The honey gave it a hint of sweetness that caramelized on the exterior of the chicken and i added a pinch of cayenne made it the perfect combination . Thank you Kathleen for sharing this gem of a recipe , next time i will double the batch ..
Hey Linda! Thank you for your kind words! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe <3 <3
I do not eat chicken but those people eat chicken is really like your blog nice post
This looks amazing!!! Will certainly be trying this out this week! Thank you for sharing.
Hope you enjoy, Yami!
Mmmmmm…..yum. This looks totally amazing. I’m just starring at the screen looking at how delicious they look.
Sounds delicious! Mmmmmm, that looks EXTREMELY tasty.
Thank you Shilpa 🙂
So tempted to have some of that right now. That looks marvelous!
Thank You Amelie!