This quick and easy Cilantro Lime Chicken recipe is perfectly seared on the outside and bursting with juices and flavor from the marinade on the inside.
The chicken can be grilled, cooked in a skillet on the stovetop, or even baked, making it the perfect weeknight meal. It’s also packed with enough flavor to impress your dinner guests.
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Why You’ll Love Cilantro Lime Chicken
This Mexican-inspired chicken is the perfect recipe for summer cookouts. The cilantro lime chicken marinade has simple ingredients and takes under 5 minutes to prepare. You can cook this on the grill, on the stovetop, or even in the oven (instructions below).
When the weather starts warming up, grilling is one of our favorite ways to cook chicken breast or thighs because it seals in all of the juices and flavor, just like Grilled Steak or Grilled Pork Tenderloin.
The combination of zesty lime, cilantro, garlic, and a little honey is a clear winner, so it’s going to win your family over and get rave reviews.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Combine the ingredients for the marinade.
- Pour marinade over the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Grill, Saute, or Bake the chicken (instructions below). Then, once cooked, serve the chicken with lime wedges and more cilantro to garnish.
Pro Tip:
The marinade is so delicious, we like to brush some over the chicken as it’s being grilled.
How to Cook Cilantro Lime Chicken
Once the Cilantro Lime Chicken is marinated, you can grill, saute, or bake in the oven. No matter what method you choose, this recipe makes the juiciest chicken!
GRILLED Cilantro Lime Chicken
Heat the grill to medium. Place the marinated chicken onto the grates, cover, and grill for 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked to 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
SKILLET Cilantro Lime Chicken
If you prefer to cook on the stovetop, heat a large skillet or grill pan to medium heat. Coat with 1 Tbsp of oil and then place marinated chicken in the pan in a single layer. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side or until 165°F. If the chicken is browning too quickly, cover the pan with a lid after you flip it to the second side.
BAKED Cilantro Lime Chicken
It’s easy to bake the chicken following the instructions from our Baked Chicken Breast recipe. Simply bake on a sheet pan or dish for 20 minutes at 400°F or until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F.
Can I Use Chicken Thighs?
Yes, chicken thighs will work just as great in this recipe. Grill the chicken like in our Chimichurri Chicken recipe until the thickest part of the meat has an internal reading of at least 165°F. They taste even better when they reach 175˚F. Chicken thighs are more forgiving since they aren’t as lean as chicken breast meat.
What to Serve with Cilantro Lime Chicken?
This classic recipe can easily be served with your favorite Mexican-inspired sides. We love to serve the chicken with white rice or our quick instant pot mashed potatoes. This cilantro lime chicken pairs well with:
Make-Ahead
Due to the amount of lime in the marinade, we don’t recommend marinating for more than 2 hours.
- To Refrigerate: Once cooled, store any leftover cooked chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Store cooled chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight. Then reheat in the microwave, in a skillet, or in the oven. You can also eat it cold within one day of defrosting.
Once you try the cilantro lime chicken recipe, it will become a regular on your grilling menu. I love that it is enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
More Summer Grilling Recipes
We love cooking outdoors in summer because everything seems to taste and smell better on the grill; chicken, beef, seafood, veggies – you name it! If you love firing up the grill in summer, you will love these grilling recipes.
- Grilled Salmon
- Juicy BBQ Chicken Breast
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Grilled Corn in Foil
- Grilled Pork Chops
- Perfect Hamburger
- Carne Asada
Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken
- In a bowl, combine oil, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, salt, pepper, paprika, and honey for the marinade.
- Add the chicken to the mixture and allow to marinate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours then cook the chicken either on the grill, in a skillet, or bake it in the oven (see instructions below). Once it's cooked, serve with lime wedges and garnish with more cilantro if desired.
How to Grill Chicken
- Preheat the grill to medium heat. Cover and grill the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness, or until cooked through*.
To Cook Chicken in a Skillet
- Set a large non-stick, non-reactive skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil and sautee chicken in a single layer for 4-5 minutes per side until browned and cooked through*, depending on the thickness of your chicken. If your chicken is very thick, cover the chicken with a lid after you flip it.
How to Bake Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the chicken breast on a lined baking sheet or large casserole dish. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.
Notes
*Chicken breast should be cooked until it reaches 165˚F at the thickest part on an instant-read thermometer.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home. 
Was really good! I forgot to add the garlic because the instructions don’t list it anywhere, it only shows in the ingredients. But that’s equally my fault. Loved the flavor regardless. Will have to try with the garlic next time.
So great to know that you still loved it, Chris. Thank you for your good review!
I was at Meijer after work the other night, ran into cilantro and decided that was it. Cilantro lime chicken for dinner! A quick google search for a recipe led me to your website and I am so happy for that! This is definitely my new go-to for grilled chicken and cannot wait to try it with shrimp as others have said. I actually took the marinade and boiled it vigorously for 7-10 minutes while the chicken was in my Ninja grill. It made the perfect sauce and really set this apart from other chicken recipes I have tried. Eating leftovers today as tacos 🙂 Thank you!
I’m so happy you discovered our blog. Welcome! 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing that wonderful review with me, Jourdan!
Oh my how yummy this was!! Could I make a jar of the marinade to use here and there or would it go bad?
Thank you! I love ALL your recipes!
Hi Lisa, I haven’t tried making the marinade ahead of time so I’m not sure how far ahead you can make it.
This was so delicious did not know what to make for dinner and wanted to make something quick and easy. Everyone loved. Can you please show us how to make sweet potatoes fries, like the ones we get at the restaurants?
Thank you Natasha, for always responding to all our emails.
Hello Hanna, I’m glad you used this recipe to try and so good that you enjoyed it! l don’t have a recipe for Sweet Potato Fries yet but thanks for suggesting that. I’ll add that to the list. For now, I only have this recipe for Oven Baked Potato Wedges.
Omg delicious! The whole family loved it!! Will be making it again for sure!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Samira! Thank you for that wonderful review!
Made it tonight for dinner. My picky boyfriend LOVED it! Great flavor. We complimented the chicken with salad. Thank you for this recipe. I will definitely make it again.
Love it! Thanks for sharing your great experience with us, Abegail. I hope that you will both enjoy every recipe that you will try!
I know this says grilled but are you able to make this on the stove?
Hi Lex! Yes, that would work. You just need to cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F
The BEST recipe, full of flavor and sooooo juicy….I made it last night in the Ninja Foodie
I’m so glad you enjoyed that! That’s so great!
Hi Rosaura! I was going to try this recipe in the Ninja Foodie (8 quart.) How long did you air fry the chicken breasts and at what temperature? Thanks in advance!
Was this grilled on a medium heat? Thanks
Yes that’s right.
I absolutely loved this chicken. It was super flavorful and moist and I liked how the lime taste was not overpowering. I am Puertorrican so I did use adobo seasoning instead of the salt, pepper, and paprika, but it’s only because I don’t know how to use regular salt and pepper lol Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Will definitely be making this again!
Sounds great, Rose! So happy to know that you enjoyed this recipe using your own substitute. Thank you for sharing that with us!
This chicken turned out SO good. I marinated it for about 1.5 hours before grilling and the chicken breast was so tender and juicy. I served it with a side of green/purple cabbage tossed in your shrimp taco sauce. This is new a favorite in our home, thank you!
That is so awesome! Thank you for sharing your feedback with us, we’re so glad you found a new favorite!
So easy and so tasty. Thanks for the recipe, all good flavours.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Yet ANOTHER keeper! Delicious! Marinated the chicken for just the 30 minutes and it was just right! Quick & easy and oh so flavorful! 🙂
I am so happy to hear that you loved it!
Best ever Cilantro Lime Chicken. I’m very picky and this was the best. Thanks for a great recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
I am sorry, this one was horrible. Too much lime. Natasha’s receipes are great. But when they came with a someone else’s collaboration-unfortunately not so much.
Hi Sasha, my only thought is maybe you had some extra juicy limes? Different limes have different amounts of juice. Marinating too long can also result in poor results which is why we recommend not marinating more than 2 hours.
That’s the thing- I did it for 2 hours, marinated time. And measured exactly a quarter of a cup of lime juice. This one isn’t for me, sorry! Love your recipes, though.
I love the recipe. Can I use the marinade on shrimp
Hi Lorraine, I haven’t tested that but I bet that could work!
If i dont have a grill can i cook it in a pan or the oven?
Hi Cristina, this recipe is best used as grilled but the options that you mentioned should also work too. I am just not sure it will give the same result compared to if it was grilled.
Did you think about the recipe I want.thanks for your good recipes
Hi Malak, yes we have it on our list. Thank you again for that suggestion.
This was so delicious! The flavors were spot on!
Thank you for your wonderful review April! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
So yummy! I served it over salad with guac and cilantro ranch lime dressing, and we all loved it!
Yum! I’m craving this now! Thank you for that great review Kara!
This is so amazing! Definitely, easy marinade to make and so flavorful!
Isn’t it so so good! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Matt!