This grilled cilantro lime chicken recipe delivers lots of flavor thanks to a quick marinade. With just 7 ingredients and 3 simple steps, it’s easy enough to cook any night of the week.
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“Absolutely delicious!!! I am NOT a cook but this was so easy….and my teenagers LOVED it. I will definitely be preparing this again.” ~Gwen C. Evans, FoodieCrush reader
Never-Dry Grilled Chicken (Yes, Really!)
There’s not much to say about this recipe except that it’s really easy. And fast. The potency of flavors in the cilantro lime marinade make for a speedy fast marinade that gets the chicken on the grill after just a 30-minute soak. Or, it can easily sit in the fridge in a gallon size freezer bag overnight.
While I love making it on lazy weekend nights, this grilled cilantro lime chicken recipe is also a goodie for when I’m short on time or am meal prepping for the week.
To make ahead, grill a few chicken thighs then slice and store in the fridge for a flavorful salad topper or taco stuffer. Most of the ingredients can be thrown together with stuff in your pantry, or at least in my pantry, given I always have fresh cilantro and limes in the crisper.
Enjoy! Heidi
All of My Juicy Secrets for Grilling Chicken
- Any cut of chicken will work. I used skinless chicken thighs because I just love their flavor and they don’t tend to dry out as quickly as chicken breasts, but by all means, use any other part (or all) of the chicken that you desire. I’ve made this with chicken thighs with the skin on, and they were good, but I ended up burning most of the skin thanks to that dang fatty layer dripping into the grill and flaring up.
- Double up on the lime flavor by utilizing the lime zest. Zesting citrus always adds more flavor, oftentimes even more than the juice.
- The marinade doubles as a basting sauce! To use for basting and drizzling over the grilled chicken before serving, reserve ⅓ cup or more of this marinade. Remember, to avoid cross-contamination, never re-use the marinade that has been in contact with the raw chicken.
The Cilantro Lime Marinade We *LOVE*
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
This cilantro lime chicken marinade is the star of this recipe, but you don’t need much to achieve big flavor. Simply blitz the following in a food processor or blender:
- Lime juice + zest
- Fresh cilantro
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Cumin
- Kosher salt and pepper
Pour the marinade over the chicken and let it hang out in the fridge for 30 minutes before grilling over medium-high heat.
Freeze the Chicken in the Marinade to Grill Later!
To save time later, to make for a crowd, or take camping, freeze the uncooked chicken in the cilantro lime marinade in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months. When ready to cook, thaw and discard the marinade before cooking.
If cooking for a crowd, fit as many chicken thighs into the bag before freezing. Or, to serve individually, freeze each of the chicken thighs separately for quickest thawing.
Heidi’s Tip: You can always tell when grilled chicken is done when the internal temp reaches 160°F (use a meat thermometer!) and the juices run clear. Let the chicken rest a few minutes for the temp to raise to 165°F and the juices to settle before serving.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds skinless chicken thighs
- 4 limes , zested and juiced
- 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves and stems
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- extra cilantro , for garnish
Instructions
- Trim any fat from the chicken thighs and place in a large freezer bag. To the bowl of a food processor, add the lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, olive oil, honey, cumin, salt and pepper and whiz to combine, about 30 seconds. Reserve ⅓ cup of the marinade and pour the rest into the bag with the chicken. Refrigerate for 30 minutes up to overnight.
- Prepare a grill on medium high at 450°F, leaving one side of the grill on low or off. Grill the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side, basting each side the last time it's turned. Once each side has seared, if the chicken pieces seem to be getting too charred, move the chicken pieces to the cooler side of the grill to cook.
- To redistribute the juices, let the chicken sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with lime wedges and additional cilantro and drizzle the rest of the reserved marinade before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Sides to Serve with Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Mango Margarita with Chile Salt and Lime or Coconut Margarita
- Chopped Mexican Kale Salad
- Southwest Quinoa and Grilled Corn Salad
- Easy Mexican Coleslaw
- Mexican Street Corn
- Homemade Pinto Beans
More Grilled Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts
- Grilled Lemon Chicken Skewers
- Mediterranean Grilled Balsamic Chicken
- The Best BBQ Chicken
- Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs
- Hawaiian Chicken Skewers
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Erin
Delicious and flavorful. Even good left over. I make a bunch and my husband takes it to work for “lunch” (he’s a police officer and works midnights.)
So glad you enjoyed it Erin, and good grub for your hubs!
Laura Boal
Heidi you’ve out done yourself on this one! So easy, so tasty! I saved back 2 breasts to freeze. I grilled it just as you instructed and it was so juicy and had such excellent flavor throughout. I marinated for about 4 Hours.
Heidi
Happy to hear it turned out well and you enjoyed it Laura!
Mike G.
I’m making this for the second time today. My two teenaged boys and I LOVE this recipe! First time I didnt get too much time to marinade but today it gets to for about 5 hours. Can’t wait to make this again!
GWEN C EVANS
Absolutely delicious!!! I am NOT a cook but this was so easy….and my teenagers LOVED it. I will definitely be preparing this again. Sweet story too!
Oscar
Chicken looks great, heading out to get ingredients now, thank you for the recipe!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thanks Oscar!
Mike
I tried this chicken. It’s delicious! Thanks for sharing
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thank you, Mike!
Juan
Just amazing! Yummy recipe. I will try it at my home one day.
By the way, thanks for sharing.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thanks so much, Juan!
Ellen Taylor
Looks yummy and a new chicken grill recipe for me. Going to take the taste soon :)
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That is an amazing recipe you have there. Tried it out and I was absolytely astonished how delish it came out.
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