This cilantro lime chicken recipe is marinated with flavor-packed ingredients then seared for a crispy outside and baked to perfection so the chicken is tender and delicious. This healthy dinner is done in under 30 minutes!
Jazz up your typical chicken dinner night with a few special ingredients. The zip from the limes and fresh flavor from the cilantro brings so much punch to any bland chicken. You will put this recipe on repeat, I promise!
Ingredients for cilantro lime chicken marinade:
- Olive oil
- Juice and zest from 2 limes
- Raw honey
- Cumin
- Garlic
- Chili powder
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh cilantro (If you have extra, here’s how to keep cilantro fresh.)
Don’t skip the marinading step! Even though it’s tempting, these 30 minutes to an hour allow all that amazing flavor from the marinade seep into the chicken and skin. You can even marinade overnight if you want to prep this in advance.
Can you use chicken breast or boneless thighs?
This recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs because the bone and skin gives it so much flavor. However, you can swap out boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast if that’s what you have on hand. See the recipe notes for varied cook times! When in doubt, chicken always needs to be cooked to 165°F.
Serving Suggestions
- Summer corn salad
- White or brown rice
- Put it on a salad with chipotle vinaigrette
- Kansas caviar
- Avocado pasta salad
- Chipotle roasted sweet potato and kale salad
This recipe is also great for meal prep! Make it in advance and serve it over salads or rice bowls.
If you love this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star review and comment! You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it and feature you!
More recipes made with chicken thighs:
Crispy Cilantro Lime Chicken
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil or avocado oil
- 1/3 cup lime juice (about 4 limes) plus more to garnish
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup cilantro leaves finely chopped, plus more to garnish
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (see notes for chicken breast)
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients, except the chicken, to a shallow bowl or ziplock bag and whisk or shake well to combine. Add the chicken thighs and turn to fully coat the chicken. Cover or seal tightly and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.1/4 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup lime juice, 2 Tablespoons honey, 3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/3 cup cilantro leaves, 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Use tongs to transfer the marinated chicken to the hot pan, shaking off any excess marinade.
- Sear on each side for 2-3 minutes on each side without moving, until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to the preheated oven and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F, allowing for 5 degrees of carryover cooking while it rests. Squeeze with fresh lime juice and top with chopped cilantro before serving.
Grill
- Heat the grill to high heat (450-500°F), only lighting 2/3 of the grill. Place the chicken, skin-side-down, directly over the flame and close the lid. Cook for 4-5 minutes then carefully flip the chicken and cook, with the lid closed, for another 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the side of the grill that's not ignited to finish cooking the chicken over indirect heat, until it reaches 160-165°F, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, let it rest for 5 minutes then garnish and serve.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This was incredible. I made it plant-based by using Daring chick’n pieces. Marinating the “meat” for an hour and then sautéing until crispy in a pan. Grilled potato wedges went perfectly with this meal.
Made this tonight for dinner with some rice pilaf and roasted sweet potatoes and it was a HIT! My husband absolutely loved it!