This grilled cilantro lime chicken recipe delivers lots of flavor thanks to a quick marinade, and with just 7 ingredients and 3 simple steps, it’s easy enough to cook any night of the week.
Easy Mexican Grilled Chicken
I probably get more requests for chicken recipes than anything else. With so many different flavors to enhance the popular white meat, and so many methods to prepare it, the mighty chicken is a dinner time staple. During the summer months, the grill is my best friend, where It’s a take It to the grates match up between the best bbq chicken or my favorite Greek marinated chicken or this Mexican cilantro lime chicken recipe. Variety is the spice of life :).
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.
For an almost always juicy bird, make this grilled chicken with dark meat chicken thighs. But if white meat is your preference, it’s just as tasty made with white meat chicken breasts.
What’s in This Cilantro Lime Chicken?
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 with the chicken.
This cilantro lime chicken marinade is the star of this recipe, but you don’t need much to achieve big flavor:
- Chicken thighs
- Limes
- Fresh cilantro
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Cumin
- Kosher salt and pepper
How to Grill Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Whisk together the Mexican chicken marinade and pour ¾ of it over the chicken thighs, reserving some for serving.
- Seal the chicken in a zip-top freezer bag and set in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Prepare clean grill grates to minimize sticking and preheat the grill at 400-450°F.
- Arrange the chicken on the hot grill grates and cook for 4-6 minutes with the lid closed. If the chicken sticks to the grill grate, let it cook a minute more before trying to flip. Cook on the second side for another 4-5 minutes. Baste with some of the reserved marinade, flip, and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Repeat on the other side side. The chicken is done when the internal temp is 160°F 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.
- Drizzle with additional reserved marinade just before serving, and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.
How Long to Grill Chicken?
Preheat the grill at 400-450°F and clean the grill grates to minimize sticking.
I cooked this cilantro lime chicken for about 15 minutes total, but your grill will cook different than mine, and the thickness of the chicken breasts will vary, so judge when it’s done by the internal temperature.
Test to see doneness when the juices run clear and internal temp is at about 160 degrees F. I always let the chicken sit for a minute or two before slicing to hold in the juices.
Can I Use Chicken Breasts?
I used skinless chicken thighs because I just love their flavor and they don’t tend to dry out as quickly as chicken breast, 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. Plus, I prefer the char on the outside of each bite.
Tips for Making Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
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 chicken marinade make for a fast marinade and can be thrown on the grill with just a 30-minute soak. Or, it can easily sit in the fridge in a gallon size freezer bag overnight.
I use my hand held blender/food processor all of the time. It’s perfect for little jobs like this Mexican chicken marinade.
Double up on the lime flavor by utilizing the lime zest. Zesting citrus always adds more flavor, often times even more than the juice.
Reserve about ⅓ cup of the marinade (didn’t add it to the chicken) to drizzle on the finished chicken. Just an extra layer of flavor, thank you very much.
Can I Freeze the Chicken in the Marinade to Cook Later?
Yes! To save time later, to make for a crowd, or take camping, freeze the uncooked chicken in the 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.
How to Cook In the Oven
Marinade the chicken as directed. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a large rimmed sheet pan with oil. Shake off the excess marinade then place the chicken on the baking sheet.
Roast on the center rack until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes, or when the juices run clear and the internal temperature is 160° F.
What to Serve with Mexican Grilled Chicken
- Mango Margarita with Chile Salt and Lime or Coconut Margarita
- Chopped Mexican Kale Salad
- Southwest Quinoa and Grilled Corn Salad
- Easy Mexican Coleslaw
- Dreamy Creamy Mango Pops
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a 
star rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
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.
Nutrition
More Grilled Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- The Best Grilled Chicken Breasts
- Grilled Chicken Breasts with Chive Herb Butter
- Grilled Lemon Chicken Skewers
- Mediterranean Grilled Balsamic Chicken
- The Best BBQ Chicken
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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!
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.
Happy to hear it turned out well and you enjoyed it Laura!
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!
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!
Chicken looks great, heading out to get ingredients now, thank you for the recipe!
Thanks Oscar!
I tried this chicken. It’s delicious! Thanks for sharing
Thank you, Mike!
Just amazing! Yummy recipe. I will try it at my home one day.
By the way, thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much, Juan!
Looks yummy and a new chicken grill recipe for me. Going to take the taste soon :)
That is an amazing recipe you have there. Tried it out and I was absolytely astonished how delish it came out.
Thanks for sharing this amazing post
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Thanks for this great article.
Holy Cow, does this recipe look delicious! I’ll be making this with my wife soon, gotta find organic chicken first. Big thanks
This was so flavorful even with a 1/2 hour marinade. I poured the extra marinade on my grilled corn, too-delicious!
Very Good Article. I loving it
I tried this recipe for dinner the other day and it was a big hit! I am a vegetarian but my husband and daughter are not, so I used chicken for theirs and organic extra-firm tofu for mine and it worked out perfectly! I will definitely be making this again.
Thanks Sabrina, I’m glad you and the family enjoyed it and you made it work for your vegetarian needs.
I made this yesterday morning, we ate it tonight. I used chicken breast, because that was all I had at the time. Everyone in the family loved it! It tasted delicious and fresh.
I will definitely make this again when we have guests over for dinner.
Thanks for this great recipe! :-)
good one article i read ever keep it up guys keep posting like this
The Chicken is look like very delicious i am loving it
Really U have awesome skills to present this recipe. After marriage, i try first time this recipe to my in-laws. yummy & looks delicious.pls share more stuff with us.
THANKS
We love this marinade! It is one of our favorites. We have used on shrimp and than grilled very delicious as well.
Hi Heather, I love that idea and will totally try it.
great recipe thanks for sharing
Yummy looks delicious
Really I have no words to express, u have the awesome writing skill, I made this dish for my wife first time…..thanks for sharing
I am very critical of my foods. I was not happy with the final product with this recipe. They looked awsome, absolutely beautiful.
Read more at http://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/2014/12/29/champagne-cupcakes/#Oh8p0eso6D8qQAlR.99
Hello, Heidi
Your recipe was delicious and easy to make. My husband liked it. Thank you for sharing such a fantastic recipe.
Thank you Heidi for this great recipe, now for it being very simple to make this recipe (y) .
nice information
Hey Heidi, this is the first time I tried cilantro lime grilled chicken with your recipe and my family loves it so much. Thank you! I’m going to make some variation with this recipe and shall let you know if I come up with something great :)
awesome foodie blog really i learnt lots of things
I love Cilantro Lime Chicken. I think I will try the addition of honey to my recipe. I am prepping the chicken and putting it in a freezer bag to be frozen for a quick-fix dinner. I especially love hearing about Cloyd. I will bet that the annoyed response was over in a matter of minutes cause I can hear the love in your words.
That was absolutely delish. Such a light summery dish. Can’t wait to make it again. Thank you.
I just marinated Halibut. Making Grilled Fish Taco. Yum
I like it. I was made this recipe for my wife. She very like it. Thanks for sharing.
My Family absolutely LOVES this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing.
I am having company over and would love to share this with them but I’m not sure what to serve it with .What do you like to serve as sides to this dish?
Thanks
I made this dish for a potluck using chicken breast and after cooking them I placed the chicken over a bed of rice! It was amazing- can’t wait to make it again (today)! I told everyone about the dish and I can’t wait to make it for them. If I could upload a picture of how mine turned out I would.
Made this the other day, huge hit! Great recipe, adding it to our regular rotation!
This is my new go-to recipe for chicken – the flavor is amazing & I can’t believe how easy this is for such great flavor! I use boneless/skinless chicken thighs (and sometimes add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes but it doesn’t need them I just like a little extra spice). I shared some with my neighbor, and now he’s making this recipe too! Fantastic – thank you for sharing!
Made this for my daughter for Mother’s Day & it was absolutely delicious. We put it on whole wheat tortillas with lettuce, tomato,& avocado. It’s sweet and tangy and the cilantro is just right. Served with asparagus from the garden. Thanks so much for a beautiful story & a great recipe.
I like this chicken. I will try this chicken on my weekend. Thanks for sharing.
Grilled chicken is my husband weakness. whenever i need something from him i always cook something new for home. this weekend going to try this.
I made lime-cilantro chicken for 30+ people today using your marinade (though instead of grilling, I dredged the marinated thighs in flour, pan-seared them, and then finished them in the oven). It was wildly popular and people were begging for the recipe. Even my 13-year-old, who normally avoids anything flecked with green like the plague, loved it. Thank you!
This recipe was delicious and so easy to make. I broiled and baked my chicken thighs. The weather was too nasty to grill, but next time I will definitely BBQ. I had extra marinade left over that I used as a dressing for a black bean, corn, tomato, red pepper salad that I threw together. Instead of traditional rice, I made cauliflower rice. Overall it was a healthy and satisfying meal. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Yum! I have loads of cilantro growing in the garden right now, so I’m absolutely making this!
I made this 2 nights ago. It was absolutely DELICIOUS! My husband doesn’t particularly like chicken, but he loved this. My kids wrinkled their noses and then wanted seconds. Needless to say, we will have this dish again. Thanks so much for sharing your story and this recipe!
This looks great and thinking about trying it tonight. One question – is that boneless, skinless thighs? thanks
Hi Barbara, yes, they are boneless thighs. Thanks!
This is the second night I’m making this chicken in 2 weeks. It is PHENOMENAL! My husband even tried to get me to make it large scale for a party this past weekend. It’s even one of the rare chicken dishes that still tastes amazing reheated. Thank you for sharing such an amazing recipe. If I had instagram or twitter I would show you the pic!
Tracy, I’m so glad you’re enjoying it, over and over again! Thank you for coming back and letting me know.
Do you think it would turn out okay if I put it in the crock pot and cooked it on low while I am at work?
Hi Mary, I haven’t tried cooking them in the slow cooker so I can’t say. But if you do, let me know how they work out.
Cilantro Lime has to be one of my favourite combos! Definitely going to try this for our next bbq. :)
Any side dish reccommended for this fabulous chicken?
Made it for dinner tonight. It was delicious. Thank you!
Heidi this is one delicious looking chicken recipe! Oh those unannounced visits. You are so right, we need to cherish those and enjoy in the moment!!
Thank you for your many great recipes. Yes I save more than I make, but this one has been made twice! Love the tenderizing of time and lime, followed by Sous Vide cook (143degrees for 75 min) to cook, then a brief grill to warm and brown–oh my goodness–this is a keeper. *****
Merci
My dear Heidi your cilantro lime grilled chicken just broke my heart. I’m totally in love with it. But you know what, the painful truth is i’m not a fan of cilantro. Can you recommend any alternative veggie for me please? That will the best cure for my broken heart!
Yum, this chicken looks amazing! I’m looking forward to utilizing my grill much more this summer. Once I get going, especially on my days off, it’s hard to focus on anything but my chores. I’d be exactly like you if someone were to stop by. Such a good reminder to appreciate those special times in our life even when it’s not necessarily convenient for us!
Thanks Senika, I totally agree with fitting in real life and our want-to-be lives. It ain’t easy but I’m trying to remember what’s important!
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This chicken is fantastic!!!
This looks absolutely delicious. I could eat chicken every day so am always looking for news ways to cook it.
Megan || http://www.ohheyblog.com
What a nice tribute to Cloyd! I could take a lesson or two about the unexpected drop in.
As for this chicken, I’m all about anything cilantro lime and I love your tip about reserving some of the marinade to drizzle when serving – genius!
Such a nice tribute to him, and you’re so right that we need to spend more time focused on those we love and less time worrying about getting things done! The chicken looks great.
Thank you Kalyn. With a family as large as yours, I bet you’re pretty good at making time for all.
Thank you for adding the photo to the print version!
Hi Camille, thanks for letting me know you wanted it!! And for printing the recipe :)
This is a winner! Served 6 family members for 4th of July barbecue and everyone really enjoyed the flavors of this recipe.
We should all take a page out of Cloyd’s book and sit around the table an extra 15 minutes and enjoy all the deliciousness of this chicken! :)
I always miss my dad and there are things that remind me of him every day.
I love lime, I love cilantro and I love your story. I too am guilty of not enjoying surprise guests, but have gotten a little better as the years go by. I am trying your recipe tomorrow for a group of 18-20.(we will see how many actually show up) I made it tonight and will let it marinade overnight. Will be serving with baked sweet potatoes, baked beans and spinach salad. I will try and log back in and let you know or tag you in an Instagram. Thank you very much!