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This Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken is tender, juicy, and full of fresh flavor. The chicken breasts are marinated with cilantro, lime, garlic, coriander, and olive oil, then grilled for about 10 minutes. This easy chicken dinner pairs well with rice, vegetables, or a fresh salad.
I love cilantro, but not everyone in my family enjoys it, especially when I add it to salads. For some reason, no one complains when I use it in this chicken marinade. Once the chicken comes off the grill, I usually hear, “Wow, Mom, this chicken is so good!” It is one of those easy summer dinners my whole family enjoys. I serve it as a main dish, slice it over salads, or save the leftovers for meal prep.
Recipe Overview
Ingredients you’ll need
Below are the ingredients you will need to make this grilled cilantro lime chicken. The complete measurements are listed in the recipe card.
- Chicken breasts: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Thin chicken breasts or chicken cutlets cook more quickly and evenly.
- Fresh cilantro: Fresh cilantro gives the marinade its bright color and flavor.
- Lime zest and juice: Use fresh lime juice for the best flavor. You will need approximately two limes.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic adds more flavor than garlic powder.
- Ground coriander: This adds a warm, citrusy flavor that complements the fresh cilantro and lime.
- Salt and black pepper: Season the chicken and balance the acidity of the lime.
- Olive oil: Helps the marinade coat the chicken and prevents it from drying out. Avocado oil can also be used.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken
Make the marinade: Add the cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, ground coriander, salt, black pepper, and olive oil to a blender or food processor. Blend until mostly smooth.
Marinate the chicken: Place the chicken breasts in a sealable bag or shallow glass container. Pour the cilantro lime marinade over the chicken and turn it to coat every piece. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
Heat the grill: Lightly oil the grill grates or grill pan and heat over medium-high heat.
Grill the chicken: Remove the chicken from the marinade and let the excess drip off. Grill for approximately 4 to 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness. The chicken is ready when its internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Rest and serve: Let the grilled chicken rest for 5 minutes before you slice it. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Can I bake cilantro lime chicken?
Yes. Arrange the marinated chicken in a baking dish and bake it at 400°F until the thickest part reaches 165°F. Thin chicken breasts may take about 15 to 20 minutes, while thicker pieces will need longer. The internal temperature is a more reliable guide than time alone.
Adding a baked option is useful because one of your readers specifically asked for it, and current high-ranking pages commonly answer alternative cooking-method questions.
Recipe notes and tips
- Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness so they cook at the same rate.
- Thin chicken breasts or chicken cutlets may need only 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
- Lightly oil the grill grates or grill pan before adding the chicken.
- Let excess marinade drip off before grilling to reduce burning and flare-ups.
- Avoid moving the chicken too soon. It will release more easily once it has developed grill marks.
- Cook the chicken until the thickest part reaches 165°F.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing so the juices can settle.
- If you want sauce for serving, reserve part of the fresh marinade before it touches the raw chicken.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work well in this recipe. Cooking time will depend on their thickness, so use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness. Chicken is safe to eat at 165°F, although thighs often become more tender when cooked a little longer.
Flat-leaf parsley is the easiest substitute, but it will change the recipe’s flavor. I would not recommend sage or thyme as direct replacements because their flavors are much stronger and quite different.
Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes and no longer than about 4 hours. The lime juice adds flavor, but leaving the chicken in an acidic marinade overnight can affect its texture.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerate: Store leftover cilantro lime chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Freeze the cooked chicken in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Microwave individual portions until heated through, or wrap the chicken loosely in foil and warm it in a 350°F oven. Add a small splash of water or broth before reheating to help prevent it from drying out.
- Meal prep: Slice the cooled chicken and portion it with rice, quinoa, roasted vegetables, or salad ingredients. Keep salad dressing separate until serving.
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
- Chicken Vindaloo
- Baked BBQ Chicken Breast
- BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
- Grilled Chimichurri Chicken
- Grilled Chicken Kafta
Thanks for stopping by and trying a recipe of mine. If you enjoyed it, please leave a rating and share your thoughts in the comments. It really helps, and I love hearing from you
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Boneless skinless chicken breasts or cutlets, about 8 small pieces
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
- One serving is one small chicken breast or approximately 4 ounces of cooked chicken.
- Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness for consistent cooking.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
- Thin chicken breasts may cook in 2 to 3 minutes per side. Thicker pieces may need 4 to 5 minutes per side.
- Cook the chicken until the thickest part reaches 165°F.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Set aside any marinade you want to use as a sauce before adding the raw chicken.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi can this recipe, the cilantro lime chicken,be cooked in a toaster oven?
Yes. You can.
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.