Our Cilantro Lime Chicken recipe creates a is zesty, tender, moist and juicy chicken bursting with yummy fresh flavors. It’s wonderful served as a main dish or sliced on top of salads or chopped as a taco filling.
Summer is here and that means it is time to grill my Cilantro Lime Chicken.
Gosh, I love grilling. I love the process of prepping and heating the grill, I love being able to cook outside, and I love, love the smell of grilling meat.
Burgers and hot dogs are, of course, the grilling standard.
But I’ve always been a huge fan of grilled chicken.
I wanted to post this recipe because it’s one of my favorite grilled chicken recipes and I think a lot of us forget just how easy, fresh and delicious grilled chicken can be to prepare.
But give this recipe for cilantro lime chicken a try, and you’ll wonder why you aren’t grilling chicken every night. I’m not saying you will throw out your burgers and hot dogs; I’m just saying you might not need them anymore.
The star of this awesome recipe is the marinade.
This zesty cilantro lime chicken marinade is quick to prep and incredibly flavorful.
Marinating the chicken in cilantro, lime, and garlic yields a really full, robust flavor that’s only enhanced by a good, smoky charcoal grill. (You can use a gas grill with the recipe no problem, I just prefer charcoal in general. Or try using the oven for a delicious baked cilantro lime chicken. You can also use a GRILL PAN– to cook the chicken indoors.)
SAVE THIS GRILLED CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN
TO YOUR CHICKEN OR DINNER BOARD FOR LATER
LET’S BE FRIENDS ON PINTEREST! WE’RE ALWAYS PINNING TASTY RECIPES!
Once you’ve grilled up this juicy chicken recipe, you’ll understand why I prefer grilled chicken to plain ol’ burgers.
The cilantro lime marinade is a Southwest classic—and tastes like it. However, it’s not incredibly spicy.
Though my recipe doesn’t call for it, feel free to add some crushed red pepper flakes to up the spice a little. Be careful, though. A little red pepper goes a long way.
As with many Southwestern recipes, this grilled cilantro lime chicken is Mexican-inspired.
It’s easy to put together and doesn’t have an overly complicated recipe list.
Basically, it’s just lime, garlic, honey, and (of course) cilantro. But these simple ingredients combine to produce HUGE flavor.
The honey makes the chicken a little sweet and also balances the acidity of the fresh lime juice. Using cilantro and lime for this recipe is especially awesome because they add so much flavor, but don’t add a ton of extra calories.
Another reason I adore this recipe is it makes a delicious chicken that flavors are versatile to use in other dishes.
It makes fabulous chicken tacos.
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. This recipe is perfect for Taco Tuesday night at home and is a huge improvement over the standard ground meat tacos mixed with a taco flavor spice envelope.
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.
Often, when I’m making this Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken, I make a few more pieces of extra chicken to use throughout the week in salads and sandwiches.
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 6-8 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts-Trimmed of Any Fat
Marinade
- 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/3 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
- 2 Tablespoon 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.
Nutrition
Recipe Notes:
Chicken:
My recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can choose to leave the skin on if you like, but it will give the chicken a different texture. It will be crisper. I choose skinless chicken breasts because I prefer their lower fat content and I, personally, find it easier to cook on the grill. Now, I know a lot of people swear by grilling the chicken with the skin on to protect it from drying out during the grilling process. I agree that that technique does indeed help out a lot. But for me, it comes down to the issue of picking my battles. Over the grill, as the fat from the skin melt, it causes flare-ups. For me, managing the flare-ups is a bigger pain in the neck!
You can also substitute chicken thighs for the chicken breast if you prefer dark meat.
Cooking:
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.
With a little extra marinade for your cilantro lime chicken, crockpots can be your friend. Whisk up the marinade (something like a double or 2.5x recipe) in the crockpot itself, and add about 3 pounds of chicken. Cook until the chicken is very tender. This isn’t my preferred method though, because the chicken doesn’t get to absorb any of that great grill flavor.
Side Dishes:
Choosing a good side for this dish depends on how you’re serving it. If you choose to serve cilantro lime chicken tacos, consider a lime corn dish or even just plain old tortilla chips as a side.
If the chicken is “going solo” as the entrée, I really recommend some roasted or grilled potatoes. ( Tip: try cooking the potatoes in the same marinade as the chicken for a really unique potato dish that will mesh well with the chicken.) You can also serve cilantro lime rice with either variation of the dish.
Marinade:
When you make the marinade, remember to reserve 1/4 cup to pour over the chicken after it’s been cooked.
This is a “day ahead” recipe. Letting the chicken marinate overnight really ensures that the delicious flavor will be fully soaked into the chicken. In a pinch, the time can be reduced to 8 or even 6 hours. However, the chicken won’t be quite as flavorful. I really recommend using the whole 24 hours.
The beauty of this marinade is that it can be stored in a Ziploc bag and frozen for another use. Once the raw chicken has been in the marinade, you won’t want to use it again-through it out! I like to make big batches of the marinade and set some aside to freeze and keep around. It gives me the option for a cilantro lime chicken freezer meal.
More Chicken Recipes!
Brown Sugar Crock Pot Chicken– One of those crock pot recipes that are super delicious, family-friendly, and super easy to make!
Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe– Sticky sweet and savory, surely have you battling for the last piece!
White Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce-These are easy to make and off the charts delicious! Super Cheesy, Lots of Chicken and a Creamy Rich Sauce
Parmesan Crusted Chicken – One of the most delicious, quick and easy chicken recipes EVER!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Recipe-This bubbling beauty is everything you want in a creamy, cheesy casserole and a dazzling dinner dish!
Chicken Gyro – My Chicken Gyro with tender chicken breast and lemony tzatziki sauce will open your eyes to the ease and simplicity of classic Greek cuisine!
Greek Chicken – With a 24-hour marinade Greek Chicken infuses chicken breasts with vibrant Greek flavors. Juicy & tender Greek chicken has been a family favorite for years!
Looking for More Grilled Recipe?
Beer Brats– Fire up the grill for these amazing Beer Brats! Crispy, grilled sausages infused with mustard, beer, and caramelized onions. Perfect for Home or Tailgating!
Source: Gonna Want Seconds
Heather Lindblade says
March 28, 2019 at 2:08 amLover it
Gail says
January 25, 2019 at 3:40 pmPlease tel me those calories are wrong.
Kathleen says
January 26, 2019 at 11:06 amHi, Gail. That’s the nutrition for the whole recipe. Thanks for catching that. It’s now per serving
Linda says
September 12, 2018 at 2:02 amI 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 ..
Kathleen says
September 12, 2018 at 5:00 pmHey Linda! Thank you for your kind words! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe <3 <3
kavya arora says
November 24, 2016 at 5:59 amI do not eat chicken but those people eat chicken is really like your blog nice post
Yami Gupta says
October 29, 2016 at 9:39 amThis looks amazing!!! Will certainly be trying this out this week! Thank you for sharing.
Kathleen Smith says
October 29, 2016 at 4:36 pmHope you enjoy, Yami!
Yami Gupta says
October 29, 2016 at 9:22 amMmmmmm…..yum. This looks totally amazing. I’m just starring at the screen looking at how delicious they look.
Shilpa Malhotra says
August 30, 2016 at 12:50 pmSounds delicious! Mmmmmm, that looks EXTREMELY tasty.
Kathleen says
August 30, 2016 at 4:48 pmThank you Shilpa 🙂
Amelie Moore says
July 15, 2016 at 9:13 amSo tempted to have some of that right now. That looks marvelous!
Kathleen says
July 17, 2016 at 2:34 amThank You Amelie!