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Juicy and tender cilantro lime chicken infused with the flavors of fresh cilantro, tangy lime, and classic Mexican seasonings in an easy marinade. Makes the most delicious, tender, and juicy chicken ever!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: This recipe is perfect for both busy weeknights and leisurely weekends. The instructions are easy to follow, and the ingredients are readily available in all grocery stores.
- Versatile: The cilantro and lime flavor combination is light, bright, and incredibly flavorful. It works well in many dishes like salads, tacos, and rice bowls. This recipe can also be made using chicken thighs or chicken breasts.
- Family-friendly: Unlike some other Mexican-inspired recipes, this cilantro lime chicken isn’t spicy, making it perfect for families with little ones.
Easy Cilantro Lime Chicken
This cilantro lime chicken is marinaded in a blend of fresh cilantro, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, and a few simple spices like salt, cumin, and onion powder.
To achieve that perfect golden and crispy skin, the thighs are quickly seared in a pan before being finished in the oven for the juiciest chicken you’ve ever tasted.
It’s juicy, citrusy, tender, and delicious, and makes perfect leftovers to eat throughout the week!
Ingredients
- Chicken: I used bone-in chicken thighs because they’re the juiciest, but you can easily substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs or any variety of chicken breast, and it’ll still work great!
- Cilantro: Adds a fresh, herbal, and vibrant flavor that compliments the garlic and lime exceptionally well.
- Lime juice: This pulls double duty in this recipe. First and foremost, it provides a delicious citrus flavor. It also does some work tenderizing the meat, making it extra juicy and delicious.
- Olive oil: Great in marinades like this one as it pulls fat-soluble flavors out of the other ingredients, like the garlic, and helps impart those flavors into the chicken. You could also use avocado oil if you prefer.
- Fresh garlic: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – there’s no such thing as too much garlic for me! I love it, and it tastes great in this recipe.
- Seasoning blend: You’ll need salt, onion powder, and ground cumin. This relatively simple blend complements the chicken and the main flavors of cilantro and lime. You want to avoid overdoing it here, or you’ll risk muddying up the flavor profile and creating something overly salty.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken
Prep the chicken by poking holes all over using a fork. Make sure to pull back the chicken skin so you only pierce the meat!
Add the cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, onion powder, and ground cumin to a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth.
Place the chicken in a bowl or a large storage bag and marinate it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but not more than 8 hours. Take the chicken out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes while your oven preheats to 425°F.
Heat some olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 4-5 minutes with the skin side down until they’re golden brown. Flip the chicken thighs over and carefully transfer the hot skillet to the preheated oven. Bake it for 15 to 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Remove the skillet from the oven and let the chicken rest in the skillet for 5 more minutes. The temperature of the chicken should reach 165°F.
Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and lime wedges before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overcook the chicken. Doing so will result in dry, rubbery chicken! Chicken breasts are especially prone to drying out, so keep an eye on the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. 165°F is ideal.
- Rest the chicken. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes after cooking. This allows the juices to redistribute, making the meat more tender and juicy.
- For a sweeter marinade, blend in 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey. It will add a little bit of a sticky sweetness that’s so good!
Using Chicken Breasts
- If using boneless skinless chicken breasts, you’ll need about 2 to 3 pounds. Make sure to pound them to an even thickness so they cook evenly. Bake them uncovered in a large rimmed baking dish for 20-30 minutes at 425°F or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Remove them from the oven, and let them rest for 5 minutes. The internal temperature should now be 165°F.
- If using boneless skinless chicken thighs, you’ll need about 2 to 3 pounds. Bake them in a large-rimmed baking dish for 15 to 18 minutes at 425°F or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Remove them from the oven, and let them rest for 5 minutes. The internal temperature should now be 165°F.
Serving Suggestions
- Salad: This recipe goes great on a southwest chicken salad with black beans and corn!
- Tacos: After cooking, you can shred or chop the chicken and make some fantastic tacos. Top them with cheese, salsa, and some sour cream. If you’re really feeling adventurous, make your own flour tortillas too!
- Nachos: This recipe is also great as a topper for some chicken sheet pan nachos. I also like making my own tortilla chips to make the best possible nachos at home.
Storing and Reheating
You can store cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Chicken Recipes
If you tried this Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe or any other recipe on Isabel Eats, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below! I love hearing about your experience making it!
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 6-8 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on (see Notes for alternative cuts of chicken)
- ½ cup packed cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 6 tablespoons lime juice
- 7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Poke holes all over the chicken thighs using a fork. Do not pierce the chicken skin, only the meat.
- Add the cilantro, lime juice, 6 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, salt, onion powder, and ground cumin to a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth.
- Combine the marinade and chicken in a bowl or large zip-top storage bag. Marinate for 1 hour, up to 8 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter to come to room temperature for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.
- Sear the chicken for 4-5 minutes with the skin side down, or until they’re golden brown.
- Flip the chicken thighs over, transfer the hot skillet to the preheated oven, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and let the chicken rest in the skillet for 5 more minutes. The temperature of the chicken should reach 165°F.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and lime wedges before serving.
Notes
- If using boneless skinless chicken breasts, you’ll need about 2 to 3 pounds. Make sure to pound them to an even thickness so they cook evenly. Bake them uncovered in a large rimmed baking dish for 20-30 minutes at 425°F or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Remove them from the oven, and let them rest for 5 minutes. The internal temperature should now be 165°F.
- If using boneless skinless chicken thighs, you’ll need about 2 to 3 pounds. Bake them in a large-rimmed baking dish for 15 to 18 minutes at 425°F or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Remove them from the oven, and let them rest for 5 minutes. The internal temperature should now be 165°F.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Erin Jensen of The Wooden Skillet.
very good! i added some extra spices and a tiny bit of honey. turned out to be super juicy, but the skin doesn’t really crisp up, just burns. But the meat was delicious!
This is on of the best chicken recipes I have ever tried. Delicious.
Cooking Cilantro Lime Chicken now! House smells so good! I can’t wait!!!
I used the thighs, the skin was so juicy, crispy skin with the lime, onion powder, cumin flavor. I made homemade flour tortillas (your recipe) with rice, street corn-all came together so nicely along with a sprinkle of cilantro. Made a big bowl of your salsa. I got to say this was one of my favorite meals. This is a keeper, will try your other suggestions. Thanks so much for sharing, Fan & Follower.
Big hit with my family! Also tried it with kalamansi instead of lime since that’s what I had and it was also great. Thank you, Isabel!!
We made your cilantro lime chicken last night, and everyone RAVED about it! Love your blog and your amazing recipes!
Thank you so much Teresa!
Very good recipes and this my only taught method of cooking. Thank Isabel I appreciate the teaching the right way.
Love your blog! Made this chicken about two weeks ago, the cast iron way. So delicious and juicy!
Will definitely make this again
Aww, amazing!!! I’ve loved following your blog – your amazing recipes (many of which I’ve tried and loved!), beautiful photos and refreshing writing! I’m looking forward to your new cookbook – what an awesome work! Congratulations!
Thank you so much!
To make this even lower carb, can the honey be omitted or substituted with stevia?
Yes, you can completely omit the honey to keep it lower carb. Let me know how it turns out!