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This easy to make Cilantro Lime Chicken creates the most tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken. Perfect for tacos, salads, or any kind of bowl or meal prep dish.
This cilantro lime chicken is perfect for enjoying on its own as the main dish or using in your favorite Mexican recipes including enchiladas, tacos, or salads. The flavor combination of tangy lime juice, fresh cilantro, and a hint of spice thanks to using chili powder, makes this chicken the flavorful and juicy.
For more chicken recipes try our Huli Huli Chicken, Grilled Mexican Chicken, and our Creamy Mushroom Chicken.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Lime Juice: Use fresh juice and be sure to zest the limes before juicing them.
- Chili Powder: All my recipes are tested using Gebhardt’s chili powder.
- Honey: Add a hint of sweetness and balance the flavors of the marinade.
- Chicken: This recipe can be made with chicken thighs also.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Clean the chicken by removing the fat, then slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make them thinner and easier to cook.
- In a bowl combine the lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, cilantro, minced garlic, honey, salt, and chili powder. Stir to mix.
- Add the chicken to the bowl and coat in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to overnight.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade. Place in heated pan and allow to cook about 5-7 minutes on each side or until chicken is fully cooked through. The internal temperature of chicken should reach 165 degrees F.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and set on cutting board to let rest for a couple of minutes before slicing.
Storage
- Marinating: Store in a sealed container and marinaded overnight. Do not marinade for over 24 hours.
- Storage: Store cooked chicken in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Store cooked chicken in a sealed freezer safe container or bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Serving
- Salads: This chicken is perfect in a salad. Like this Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad. (Everyone commented how much they loved the chicken I figured I should just share the recipe on it’s own!)
- Tacos: Shred or slice it up and use in tacos on either corn tortillas or flour tortillas.
- Mexican dishes: use it in some enchiladas, nachos, or quesadillas.
More Chicken Recipes
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup lime juice use fresh
- zest of 2 limes
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chili powder
Instructions
- Clean the chicken by removing fat, slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make them thinner and easier to cook.
- In a bowl combine the lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, cilantro, minced garlic, honey, salt, and chili powder. Stir to mix.
- Add the chicken to the bowl and coat in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to overnight.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade. Place in heated pan and allow to cook about 5-7 minutes on each side or until chicken is fully cooked through. Leave in the pan extra time to blacken if desired.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and set on cutting board to let rest for a couple of minutes before slicing.
Video
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe first published January 4, 2018. Updated July 17, 2024.
Photography by @JessGaertnerCreative.com
I’m a few years behind, but I have this marinating right now. I think I’m going to make salads. Trying to think of what all to use in the salads. I can’t wait for this to be done!
Love this recipe ! My family enjoys this .Thank you
Love this. It went really well. I’m now trying it vegan style using Quorn cutlets. We shall see…
A staple in my home, thank you.
Me too!! So glad you enjoy it 🙂
This Chili Lime Chicken looks so delicious! I know your marinade will make the chicken so moist and flavorful! Yum!! Thank you for sharing the recipe, Serene!