Cilantro Lime Chicken
This cilantro lime chicken marinade is super easy to make and will add so much flavor to your chicken. The vibrant flavors really pop, and they pair with just about any side dishes. Grill it, broil it, no matter how you cook it, you are going to love this chicken.
Why you’ll love this cilantro lime chicken
School started this week, and we are taking all the easy recipes we can get right now. I love that I can throw this marinade together in just a few minutes – either the night before or in the morning – and I know I’m going to have delicious chicken.
It goes great with so many sides, but we typically serve it with jasmine rice and steamed broccoli or green beans.
more recipes you’ll love:
If you need more easy chicken recipes in your life, you have to try my dairy free yogurt marinated chicken, this grilled herb mustard chicken and my grilled chicken drumsticks.
Obsessed with cilantro? Try these: sautéed cauliflower with tahini and cilantro / cilantro lime shrimp / ramen noodle coleslaw / chipotle chicken avocado melt
Ingredients:
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
- Cilantro – You only want to use fresh cilantro. If you don’t like cilantro, I’d recommend you skip this recipe.
- Lime – Fresh is always best for citrus, but bottled will work in a pinch. You can also swap out some of the lime for other citrus like lemon or oranges if you don’t have enough lime juice.
- Chicken breast – This recipe uses boneless, skinless chicken but you can totally use this marinade on any cut of chicken – or even another protein if you want!
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make cilantro lime chicken
Marinate the chicken. Mix the marinade ingredients in a large bowl and stir until combined. Then, add your chicken and make sure it gets coated in the mixture – try to submerge as much as possible.
Cover and refrigerate your chicken until it’s time to cook. I generally recommend at least 1 hour for marinating, but 30 minutes will do in a crunch. If you can let it sit even longer than 1 hour, go for it – overnight would be ideal.
Cook the chicken. Remove chicken from the marinade and pat it dry with paper towel. If you’re grilling, I recommend rubbing on a little olive oil to prevent it from sticking to the grill. Then, grill over medium-high heat (about 450˚F) for about 5 minutes per side, or until the chicken breast has reached 165˚F.
While I love to grill this chicken, we can’t always do that. During colder months, I recommend following my instructions for pan seared chicken breast, or you can follow my broiling instructions from my lemon rosemary chicken recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breast about 7–8 ounces each
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 cloves garlic mincd
- 4 limes juiced
- 1/2 tablespoon coarse salt
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix the marinade ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well combined.
- Add the chicken to the marinade, making sure each piece is coated. Cover and let the chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels. Drizzle the chicken with a bit of oil to prevent sticking while cooking.
- Preheat your grill to high heat. Grill the chicken for about 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. For best results, use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is cooked through.
Video
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