Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken (Easy Marinade + Juicy Every Time)
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken is an easy and flavorful grilling recipe that is perfect for a summer taco night! It is also delicious with rice and grilled veggies, or burrito bowls!
Quick Look: Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ready In: 55 minutes
Serves: 4
Calories: 376 Calories
Main Ingredients: boneless skinless chicken breasts, fresh cilantro, lime
Why You'll Love It: this is a super easy, flavorful, and healthy grilling recipe that is delicious on its own, in tacos, or burrito bowls!
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If you're looking for an easy, flavorful dinner, this grilled cilantro lime chicken is about to become a go-to. It's made with a simple cilantro lime chicken marinade that infuses every bite with fresh, zesty flavor while keeping the chicken perfectly juicy.
Whenever I'm trying to figure out what to grill, I come back to this recipe time and time again. With just a handful of simple ingredients, you get bold, bright flavor that tastes like it came from your favorite restaurant, yet it's incredibly easy to make at home.
One of the best things about this recipe is how versatile it is. You can marinate the chicken ahead of time, making it perfect for busy weeknights, meal prep, or casual summer grilling. Serve it with rice like in my Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls, slice it for salads like my Southwestern Shrimp Salad (swap the shrimp for this chicken), or tuck it into tacos like my Cilantro Pesto Steak Tacos, for a fresh and healthy meal everyone will love.
And if you're looking for another flavor-packed chicken recipe, don't miss my Honey Sriracha Chicken Thighs...they're another family favorite!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy, flavor-packed marinade - The cilantro lime chicken marinade comes together in minutes with simple, fresh ingredients.
Juicy and tender every time - A quick marinade helps keep the chicken moist and full of flavor on the grill.
Healthy and high-protein - This is a light, nutritious dinner that still feels satisfying.
Perfect for meal prep - Make a batch and use it all week for salads, bowls, tacos, and more.
Great for summer grilling (or year-round!) - Fire up the grill or use the oven or air fryer when the weather doesn't cooperate.
Key Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - I have made this recipe using chicken breast, chicken tenders, and chicken thighs. All work well!
- Lime - this recipe uses both lime juice and lime zest for maximum lime flavor
- Fresh Cilantro - fresh cilantro adds delicious fresh flavor to the cilantro lime marinade.
- Cumin - cumin adds a smoky and nutty flavor to the chicken. It is a common ingredient in cilantro chicken recipes.
How to Make Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
This cilantro lime chicken recipe is super simple, from start to finish.
Flatten the chicken. To begin, pound the chicken breasts to about even thickness. They don't need to be completely flattened, but doing this helps evenly cook the chicken on the grill, and will also slightly reduce cooking time.
Make the cilantro lime marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, cumin, honey, and salt. If you want to add a little heat to the marinade, you can add ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes!
Marinate the chicken. Add the cilantro lime marinade to the chicken in either a glass or plastic Tupperware container or a plastic Ziploc baggie. Let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8-12 hours. If you marinate on the longer range of things, the outside of the chicken may start to turn white, as the lime sort of "cooks" the chicken, as it does to ceviche, but it won't affect the outcome.
Grill the chicken. Once the chicken is marinated, preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the chicken, so I recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature of the chicken is cooked to 165 degrees F. If you're wanting to make this recipe during non-grilling season, you can make this on a griddle skillet on the stovetop.
Serve. Serve topped with additional cilantro leaves, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
Serving Suggestions - This chicken can be served in a variety of ways. I especially like using this cilantro lime chicken on chicken burrito bowls, with rice (or cauliflower rice), salsa, corn, black beans, sour cream, and guac! Oh and my green cilantro sauce if I'm feeling extra. It is also great for salads, tacos or burritos, or simply served with some grilled vegetables and rice.
Pound the chicken evenly - This helps it cook more evenly and stay juicy.
Preheat your grill - Aim for medium-high heat (about 400-450°F) so you get a nice sear.
Oil the grill grates - This helps prevent sticking, especially with a marinade.
Cook to 165°F - Use a meat thermometer for perfectly cooked chicken every time.
Let it rest - Give the chicken 5 minutes to rest before slicing to keep all those juices inside
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
While I typically use chicken breast for this recipe, boneless skinless chicken thighs and chicken tenderloins will also work! Chicken thighs will be darker meat, and I like them for grilling as they tend to be more tender and moist after cooked.
The best way to ensure your chicken is cooked through is by using an internal meat thermometer. You want your chicken 160-165 degrees F. I like to take it off at 160 and let it rest for a few minutes before cutting into it.
Yes! You can marinate the chicken ahead of time or cook it and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days for easy meals throughout the week.
Yes! You can freeze the chicken in the marinade before cooking, or freeze it cooked. Just thaw overnight in the fridge before grilling or reheating.
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If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #greensnchocolate.
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4-6 chicken breasts)
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pound the chicken breasts to even thickness.
- In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, garlic, honey, cumin, and salt.
- Place the chicken breasts in a Tupperware or Ziplock plastic baggie and add the marinade. Be sure that the marinade covers all of the chicken.
- Let marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook for 6-8 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness and size of the chicken breasts. I always recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure that the middle of the chicken breast is 160-165 degrees F.
- Serve sprinkled with more cilantro. Enjoy!
