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Bursting with a perfect balance of bright, savory, and spicy notes, this Mexican Chicken Marinade elevates ordinary chicken into a mouthwatering meal! Made with bright, fresh cilantro, lime, a hint of honey, and an easy seasoning blend, this marinade is an easy recipe for your next Mexican-inspired meal.
Why this Mexican Chicken Marinade is the Best
Grilling marinated chicken is our favorite, but you can also bake it for an equally delicious meal. Once cooked, you can serve it in various ways. Pair it with our simple Mexican Salad or chop it up and add it to a salad, tacos, or nachos.
Here are some of the reasons why this is the BEST chicken marinade:
- Quick & easy and can be made ahead of time
- Flavorful thanks to using fresh ingredients
- Juicy and tender chicken every time
Mexican Chicken Marinade Ingredients
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: the oil helps to seal in the moisture of the chicken.
- Honey: adds a hint of sweet to balance the flavorings.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: a small amount of an acid in the vinegar helps to give tender juicy chicken.
- Lime: the acidity helps tenderize the meat, and it adds a zesty citrus flavor
- Cilantro: use a combination of stems and leaves for a fresh pop
- Seasoning Blend: a combination of onion and garlic powders, chili powder and ground cumin bring a classic flavoring to the chicken.
How to Make Mexican Chicken Marinade
When you marinate chicken, you’re doing more than preventing it from drying out. Marinating enhances the chicken’s juiciness and flavor. Letting the chicken marinate in the zesty blend of liquid, spices, and herbs allows it to absorb the flavor and aroma, making your meal even more delicious and enjoyable.
- Prepare the marinade by combining the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Add the chicken to the marinade and ensure the chicken is completely coated with the mixture.
- Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, preferably 2-4 hours.
- Rotate the chicken as needed to ensure that all of the meat is getting equal time in the marinade.
While we love grilling this chicken thanks to the smoky flavoring that it gets, you can easily cook this chicken in a skillet on the stovetop or bake it in the oven.
Cooked Chicken Temperature
While chicken breasts should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, chicken thighs are actually better when cooked to at least 180 degrees F.
Flavor Variations
This is an excellent basic Mexican chicken marinade recipe, but feel free to experiment with different variations.
- Spice: increase the heat in this marinade by adding some jalapeños or Serranos.
- Fruit Juices: orange juice or even pineapple juice are great additions with the lime in this recipe.
- Herbs: add some additional fresh herbs with the cilantro. Oregano, thyme, or parsley are great additions.
Mexican Chicken Marinade FAQs
Chicken should be marinated for at least 30 minutes. We recommend marinating for 2-4 hours for optimal results. For food safety keep marinating time under 24 hours. Over-marinating can also lead to mushy chicken.
Yes, this marinade recipe can be used on other meats such as pork and on vegetables also. Keep in mind once marinade has been used on chicken or any meat the leftover marinade does need to be discarded.
No, you do not rinse marinade off of chicken. You should remove excess marinade from the chicken though to prevent flare-ups from the grill of dripping oil into open flames. Remove the excess by patting it off with a paper towel.
How to Serve Mexican Chicken
- Main Dish: serve these grilled chicken thighs as a main dish with some salsa and a side dish. Some ideas include: Mexican Salad, Mexican Fruit Salad, Elotes, or Grilled or Roasted Vegetables.
- Tacos, Burritos, Quesadillas, & More: chop up the chicken to make some Grilled Chicken Street Tacos, or use as a filling for some burritos or quesadillas using our flour tortillas.
- Salad: slice the chicken up to make a grilled chicken salad.
- Nachos: chop up the chicken and layer on some Tortilla Chips with cheese, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.
Storage Information
- Refrigerator: cooked chicken can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. The marinade on it’s own can be stored in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: The uncooked chicken with the marinade can be frozen and safely stored for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container.
- Make Ahead Instructions: if meal prepping you can cook the chicken, portion it out and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
If you like to prepare your meals in advance, you can easily divide your chicken into freezer safe containers, add the marinade, and store it in the freezer up to 3 months, until you’re ready to cook it.
More Chicken Recipes
- Shredded Mexican Chicken
- Mexican Chicken Street Tacos
- Baked Chicken Quesadillas
- Cowboy Quesadillas
- King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Mexican Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 limes juiced
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare the marinade by combining the ingredients in a jar. Shake or stir to combine.
- Add the chicken to a large bowl or bag and pour the marinade over the top. Stir to combine and coat all of the chicken. Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes, 2-4 hours for best flavor (over-marinating can lead to mushy chicken).
- Preheat grill to 400-425 degrees F, set the entire grill to cook direct heat.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, pat dry.
- Rub a small amount of oil on the grill grates.
- Place the chicken directly on the grill. Close the lid and cook for 6-7 minutes. Then open the grill, and flip the chicken. Close the lid and continue cooking for another 5-8 minutes until chicken registers an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (165 degrees F if cooking chicken breasts).
- Remove the chicken from the grill and place on a large baking sheet. Let the chicken and rest for at least 5 minutes before serving and slicing.
Notes
- Chicken: swap for chicken breasts if desired. Chicken breasts should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Refrigerator: cooked chicken can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. The marinade on it’s own can be stored in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: The uncooked chicken with the marinade can be frozen and safely stored for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container.
- Make Ahead Instructions: if meal prepping you can cook the chicken, portion it out and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by the talented KJandCompany.co
Okay, so my issue is this: while I am Mexican-American, my wife is white, and doesn’t like cilantro. She’s one of those that it tastes like soap to her. She can eat it in salsa if it’s not overpowering, but otherwise it’s a dealbreaker. Aaaand she passed that trait onto our kids, who also don’t like cilantro. Can I just use a tiny bit? Can I substitute something else? What do you recommend?
That’s a tough one.. You can try using just a small amount and maybe they won’t be able to pick out the flavoring. Or I’ve read that there’s more of the “soap” flavoring in the stems, have you tried taking off just the leaves and adding that to dishes? And I’m also wondering if they would taste the “soap” if you used dried cilantro? Worst case you could add a touch of coriander to get an earthy flavoring, but it’s a different flavor than actual cilantro.