This recipe for cilantro lime chicken is marinated grilled chicken that’s topped with a zesty cilantro lime sauce. The perfect quick and easy way to spice up your grilled chicken!
You can never go wrong with grilled chicken, my family loves chicken caprese, chicken fajita foil packets, and this fresh and delicious cilantro lime chicken.
I am a grilling fiend lately, it’s just that time of the year! Chicken is the protein of choice in my family and I have grilled dozens of chicken breasts in the past month. I felt like it was time to switch things up a bit so I created this cilantro lime chicken recipe. The chicken marinates in a flavorful cilantro, olive oil and lime mixture and half of the unused marinade is reserved to sauce the chicken after it’s cooked. Plain chicken goes from boring to fabulous in no time at all!
How do you make cilantro lime chicken?
To make the cilantro lime marinade/sauce, you’ll need a blender. The ingredients for the sauce include fresh cilantro, garlic, lime juice and olive oil. The ingredients simply go into the blender and then are processed until a sauce forms. I used the liquefy function to get a smooth sauce; if you prefer a sauce with more texture you could use the mix or puree functions.
The great part about this cilantro lime chicken is that a single marinade/sauce saves so much time without skimping on flavor, and with a powerful blender the sauce can be made in a matter of minutes.
Half of the blender sauce serves as the chicken marinade, and the other reserved half is brushed on after the chicken is cooked. Serve any remaining sauce on the side for dipping.
Tips for cilantro lime chicken
- I like to use thin cut boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe as they cook quickly. You can also use chicken breast tenders or boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- The cilantro lime sauce can be made up to one day before you plan to use it, just stir it back together if it separates from being in the fridge.
- You can use an outdoor grill or an indoor grill pan for this recipe. I typically use an indoor grill pan in the colder months.
- You can mix the flavor of this recipe up a bit by adding other fresh herbs to the sauce such as dill, chives, parsley or basil.
This cilantro chicken is easy enough to make on a busy weeknight. I like to serve it with a side of rice and a salad to round out the meal. Your whole family will love this dinner, and you’ll love how simple it is to make!
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More great chicken recipes
- Garlic and Herb Roasted Chicken
- Mango Chicken
- Grilled Chicken Kabobs
- Grilled Chicken Tenders
- Chicken Souvlaki
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts I prefer to use thin chicken breasts for this recipe
- 3 limes zested and juiced
- 1 cup packed of cilantro leaves and stems
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- Cilantro sprigs and lime wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Place the lime zest and juice, cilantro, olive oil, honey, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender. Blend for 1 minute or until sauce is smooth.
- Divide the sauce in half. Pour half of the sauce into a resealable bag. Add the chicken and seal the bag; shake to coat the chicken in the marinade.Place the remaining sauce in the refrigerator.
- Marinate the chicken for 1-4 hours.
- Heat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat. Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
- After the chicken is cooked, brush the remaining sauce over the chicken. Serve any leftover sauce on the side for dipping.
- Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs if desired.
Nutrition
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Braun. The opinions and text are all mine.
Love this recipe with chicken thighs. My 2 year old loves it. X
This was a big hit at our house. Thanks for the great recipe. It was so simple and yummy!
Wow this looks so yummy.
My mouth is melting.
can I make with boneless thighs ?? I prefer dark meat chicken
Yes that will work!
I added ginger and chillies and the family loved it will be making it again
I adore cilantro and lime, it’s the zingiest combo ever!
Cilantro and lime are my favourite summer time flavours and I’ve never thought to put them on chicken! This looks fantastic, Sara!
Love the idea of a marinade and sauce in one. Cilantro and lime are great flavors that taste great together. This is a “must try” recipe.
So fresh and flavor packed! Another chicken recipe to bookmark and try real soon!
This is such a classic and great recipe! I am a cilantro lover and can never get enough! I make my own version in the summer, but just may have to try this!
What a great looking chicken dish! Time to get out the blender!
There are never enough chicken recipes. This sounds wonderful and I love the color of the sauce!
Wow I love anything that uses cilantro! These look mouthwatering yummy!
Wow I love lime and cilantro so I know this is for me! Love the color too – and it looks so juicy. Thanks for this lovely recipe!
Beautiful chicken and love the summery flavours!