Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe

This Cilantro Lime Chicken recipe uses fresh cilantro, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, and a touch of honey to turn simple chicken breasts into a flavorful, juicy dish.

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Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 22 minutes mins

Servings4

Cilantro Lime Chicken is what you make when you want big flavor without the fuss. A quick marinade made with fresh cilantro, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, and a hint of honey turns simple chicken thighs or breasts into something seriously delicious. This is a dinner idea that feels like it came from your favorite Mexican restaurant. Serve it with rice, stuff it in tacos, slice it over salads—leftovers are just as good.

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🔥 Our Best Tip: Get your pan or grill nice and hot before the chicken goes in. That sizzling sear is where all the flavor lives—it caramelizes the marinade, gives you gorgeous golden bits, and keeps the chicken juicy inside. Don’t crowd the pan, and don’t move it around too much—let it get that crust! It’s the difference between good chicken and restaurant-quality chicken.

What Goes Into A Chicken Cilantro Recipe

This recipe uses boneless, skinless chicken breasts—quick, lean, and perfect for soaking up that punchy cilantro lime marinade.

Prefer dark meat? Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work too—richer flavour, more forgiving, just add a few extra minutes cook time.

Make Ahead Or Use For Meal Prep

Cilantro lime chicken is perfect for prepping ahead, whether you’re planning a quick weeknight dinner or stocking up on meals for the week.

Marinate overnight:
The chicken can be marinated for as little as 30 minutes, but overnight is ideal for maximum flavor. Just don’t go much longer than 24 hours—the acid in the lime juice can start to break down the meat and make it mushy if left too long.

Freeze it raw or cooked:
This recipe freezes beautifully.

• Raw + marinated: Place the chicken and marinade in a freezer bag and freeze flat. Thaw overnight in the fridge and cook as usual.
• Cooked: Let the cooked chicken cool completely, then store it in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to two months. Great for tossing into salads, wraps, or rice bowls later.

Tip -> Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes after cooking. It keeps the juices in and makes every bite tender.

How To Serve A Chicken Recipe With Cilantro

This lime chicken is incredibly versatile—serve it any way you like! For a simple dinner, pair it with white rice or Mexican rice, black beans, or a corn salad on the side. Add a dollop of guacamole, some lime wedges, and a sprinkle of fresh coriander to bring it all together.

Want to build a full meal around it? You’ve got options:
– Tacos: Slice the chicken and pile it into warm tortillas with shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream, and a squeeze of lime.
– Burrito Bowls: Layer it up with rice, beans, grilled corn, guacamole, and a drizzle of chipotle mayo or lime crema.
– Salads: Toss chopped chicken over greens with cherry tomatoes, corn, black beans, and a zingy lime vinaigrette.
– Wraps: Roll it all into lettuce or a soft tortilla with your favourite fillings for an easy lunch or meal prep option.

This cilantro lime chicken is zesty, garlicky, and bursting with fresh, bold flavour. The lime juice adds brightness, garlic brings depth, and the cilantro mellows into a herby, vibrant finish. Even cilantro skeptics will love it—this easy chicken dinner is anything but boring.

More Cilantro Lime Recipes

• Coconut Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe
• Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
• Cilantro Lime Shrimp Taco Recipe

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Cilantro Lime Chicken

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This Cilantro Lime Chicken recipe uses fresh cilantro, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, and a touch of honey to turn simple chicken breasts into a flavorful, juicy dish.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 22 minutes minutes

Servings 4

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Ingredients

  

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• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, approximately 1 ½ pounds, trimmed and pounded to ¾ inch uniform thickness
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided (3 tablespoons for the marinade and 1 tablespoon for the skillet)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus additional for garnish
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime zest
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Garnish

• Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• Lime wedges

Instructions

 

• Add the boneless skinless chicken breasts to a heavy duty large zip top bag. Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, fresh lime juice, chopped fresh cilantro leaves, minced garlic, honey, fresh lime zest, salt, ground cumin and black pepper.
• Pour the marinade mixture over the chicken breasts in the zip-top bag. Seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible.
• Place the bag of marinating chicken into the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, or up to overnight, to allow the chicken breasts to absorb as much of the marinade as possible before cooking.
• Remove the marinating chicken breasts from the refrigerator 15-20 minutes before cooking to allow them to come to room temperature.
• Heat a large (12 inch) heavy duty skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and place them into the hot skillet. Reserve the remaining marinade.
• Cook the chicken breasts for 6-8 minutes on the first side, or until seared to golden brown, then flip the chicken breasts over. Add the reserved marinade to the skillet and cook the second side for another 6-8 minutes or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the chicken breasts to rest for 5 minutes before garnishing with an additional sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro leaves and lime wedges and serving. The rest time will allow the juices to redistribute into the chicken breast pieces ensuring that the chicken is moist and tender when sliced.

Notes

• For best results when browning the chicken, do not move the chicken breast pieces once placed into the very hot skillet. This will help to ensure a beautiful golden brown sear on the outside of the cilantro lime chicken.
• You will want to rinse your fresh cilantro under cool water, then pat dry really well, before using them in this recipe. They are oftentimes very sandy, or gritty, when sold in bulk at the grocery store or produce stand. This is due to how they are grown.
• Be sure to zest your limes before squeezing them for the juice.
• If your limes are hard, you can roll them on the counter, applying gentle pressure with the palm of your hand, to help release the juices for squeezing.
• Once the chicken breasts have marinated, and been removed to add to the hot skillet, then you will want to dispose of the zip top bag with the remaining marinade in it. You do not want to use this for anything else as it has raw chicken juices in it.
• You can grill these cilantro lime chicken breasts on medium high heat (approximately 400-425* F) for 6-8 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165* F on a meat thermometer.
• You can chop up any leftovers and add them to a salad, or a tortilla wrap, for a great lunch the next day.

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 714mg | Potassium: 444mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

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