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My kids love chicken and they always look forward to me making them this simple grilled cilantro lime chicken. They come out so tender and juicy and it is always a winner.
You may want to check out my Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Recipe or this Chicken Al Pastor dish.
Even though I love cilantro, not everyone in my family loves it especially when I add them to salads! But when I use it in my chicken marinade and the chicken gets grilled somehow no one complains and I get comments like “Wow Mom this chicken is so good” 😊. Making this dish is really quite easy and perfect for summer months. They are great over salads, or served as a main dish with all sorts of sides. You can’t go wrong with grilled chicken!
The cilantro lime chicken marinade is what makes this dish come out so tasty so please try not to alter it if you can.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- A zesty marinade. Fresh, light, and packed with flavor, this cilantro lime marinade is made for chicken! The acid in the lime also helps tenderize the chicken to perfection!
- So easy to make. The marinade is a breeze to whip up, with only a few pantry staples needed, then whack that chicken on the grill for 10 minutes – done!
- Wholesome: Protein-packed chicken in a light marinade.
Ingredients you’ll need
Below is a list of ingredients you will need. Full measurements will be found further down below in the recipe card.
- Skinless Chicken Breasts: Ideally organic, free-range.
- Fresh cilantro: using fresh is key
- Lime: you will need to zest it
- lime juice, about 2 limes
- Garlic cloves, try to use fresh. Garlic powder won’t be the same.
- Ground coriander
- Salt and black pepper
- olive oil or you can use avocado Oil.
How to make cilantro lime chicken
- Make the marinade. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until it forms a smooth mixture.
- Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken to a sealable bag with the marinade. Press out the air and press the marinade around the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least an hour.
- Grill the chicken. Grill without moving the chicken around, about 5 minutes on each side, or until charred and cooked through.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe notes and tips
- To make things quick, use thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts for this lime chicken. The thinner size makes for faster grilling times and more even cooking.
- Pounding the boneless, skinless chicken breasts to an even thickness helps the meat cook evenly.
- Let the chicken marinate for at least an hour, this allows the flavor to seep in and tenderize the chicken breast.
- Place marinating meat in the refrigerator to keep it at a safe temperature while marinating.
- Cook the chicken straight from the fridge, this way, it’ll not be overcooked.
- Make sure to lightly brush the grill with oil before adding the chicken; this stops the chicken from tearing when you flip it.
- You can reserve some of the marinades to drizzle over the chicken when it’s done.
- If you don’t have any sealable bags to hand, you can use a dish to marinate the lime chicken. However, stick to shallow containers made of non-reactive materials like stainless steel, glass, or ceramic. This way, the flavor won’t be affected.
Frequently asked questions
Yes you sure can use chicken thighs instead. I recommend you use boneless and skinless chicken thighs. If you choose to use thighs just remember the cooking time may need to adjust, depending on thickness. You can check the doneness of the chicken with a meat thermometer – it should register 165 degrees.
Cilantro is the hero ingredient for the marinade but not many like it. If you would like to swap it out, I recommend using a similar herb like parsley. You can also consider sage or thyme.
Any acidic liquid will help tenderize the chicken meat. This is why most marinades will include an acidic addition like wine, lemon, lime, pineapple juice, vinegar, or orange juice.
Storing and Reheating
- Storing: If you have leftovers, place them in a sealed container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: To reheat, I recommend using the microwave. It is simpler and quicker. Another option would be to preheat the oven to 350 F, place the chicken in foil wraps, and reheat in the oven for 5-6 minutes or until it is heated through.
What to serve it with
- Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
- Black Bean Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Roasted Garlic Cauliflower
- Healthy Potato Salad
More chicken recipes
If you try a recipe and you like it, leave me some feedback in the comment section below, and don’t forget to rate it!
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Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
Video
Equipment
- grill pan
- Large bowl
- cutting board
Ingredients
- 8 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2 lbs.
Marinade:
- 2/3 bunch fresh cilantro
- zest of 1 lime
- 3 tablespoon lime juice, about 2 limes
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Optional Garnishes:
- Cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Combine all the marinade ingredients ( 2/3 bunch fresh cilantro, zest of 1 lime, 3 tablespoon lime juice, 3 cloves garlic– minced,1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 2 tablespoons olive oilinto a blender or food processor and pulse until it forms a smooth mixture.
- Add chicken breast to a large freezer-safe sealable bag, followed by the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal it tightly. Now gently press to the marinade around the chicken cutlets to coat well.
- Allow it to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to overnight. Marinating overnight will enhance the juiciness and flavor of the chicken.
- Next, brush the grill or a heavy-bottomed pan with some oil and heat over medium-high heat. Place the marinated chicken breast onto the hot grill.
- Grill without moving them around, about 5 minutes on each side, or until charred and cooked through.
- Garnish with fresh Cilantro leaves and serve with Lime wedges if desired.
Notes
- Serving size is one chicken breast
- To make things quick, use thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts for this lime chicken. The thinner size makes for faster grilling times and more even cooking.
- Let the chicken marinate for at least an hour, this allows the flavor to seep in and tenderize the chicken breast.
- Place marinating meat in the refrigerator to keep it at a safe temperature while marinating.
- Make sure to lightly brush the grill with oil before adding the chicken, this stops the chicken from tearing when you flip it.
- If you don’t have any sealable bags to hand, you can use a dish to marinate the lime chicken. However, stick to shallow containers made of non-reactive materials like stainless steel, glass, or ceramic. This way, the flavor won’t be affected.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If there’s one thing I can say, which you can research as well, it’s that you should never marinade for longer than an hour using anything citrus. It actually “cooks” the meat slowly, basically and can be very unhealthy.
How long would you suggest grilling thin sliced chicken breasts?
depends on how thin. Most likely wont need more than 2 minutes over medium heat per side
This recipe looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
Can you bake these instead? And how long/what temp?
Yes. You may bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
Tried the chicken tonight, I do not have a grill so I used the oven to bake the chicken. At 350 at 60 minutes my chicken was raw!
How is that? A working oven at 350 shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes for the chicken to bake. I am confused
Can I use a blender instead of the food processor?
Yes you can
If I don’t have any ground coriander what can I replace the ingredient with ?
Hi. I would say cumin or caraway. If you don’t have any you can skip it.
Fantastic, easy, inexpensive, FLAVORFUL, I served it over rice
with a hummus side. Delicious and easy.
Pretty ridiculous flavors and sauce to pour over the rice.
Gonna hit my rotation
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you loved it.
I made this grilled chicken dish for dinner last night and it was delicious!! The flavor was great and the chicken was moist on the inside, something I usually have a problem with-the chicken being dry. My husband loved it!! Thank you for sharing this Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken recipe!!
Perfect. Glad you loved it.
YES!! My kids ate this up. We love cilantro and lime so it was perfect. With homemade corn tortillas and Mexican cream or sour cream… Nothing was left. Family wants me to make this once a week.
So glad everyone loved it.