Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade takes minutes to prepare and made with simple ingredients. The results are tender, juicy and flavor packed chicken.
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With my large family, we eat a lot of chicken. I like to make homemade marinades and seasonings to change the flavor of meats and veggies. This cilantro lime marinade for chicken has become a new family favorite.
We love the fresh lime juice flavor. With the added cilantro in this easy marinade to make this cilantro lime chicken recipe. If you are looking for more chicken marinades recipes, check out these other family favorites.
Buttermilk Chicken Marinade, Chicken Curry Marinade, Chicken Pickle Juice Marinade and Mexican Chicken Marinade just to name a few.
Table of Contents
What is Cilantro Lime Marinade?
Cilantro Lime Marinade is loaded with staple ingredients. This oil base marinade is made with zesty lime, fresh chopped cilantro and simple seasonings.
The combination of these ingredients gives the marinated cilantro lime chicken a light and refreshing taste. Helping the chicken to grill with with amazing flavor and a juicy center.
Ingredients:
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or thighs
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Lime Wedges, juiced
- Fresh Cilantro Leaves, finely chopped
- Minced Garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- Honey
- Ground Cumin
- Chili Powder
Scroll to the bottom of the post to see recipe card. This will give you the full recipe and ingredients.
Substitutions and Additions:
- Marinade Ingredients – Feel free to add or change ingredients to the marinade to what you prefer. We have even added in some lime zest to enhance the lime flavor.
- Change Chicken – You can change the chicken to Bone-In Chicken Thighs or Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs. We have even grilled chicken tenders with this marinade for delicious results.
Step by Step Instructions:
Step 1 – Combine everything in a gallon size bag. Add chicken.
Step 2 – Marinade chicken for 2-12 hours. Grill over medium high heat for 6-7 minutes per side. Cook the chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
How Long to Marinate Chicken:
Marinating your chicken it recommended because it adds so much flavor to your chicken. Putting together this quick cilantro lime marinade is easy to do.
We recommend marinating the chicken for at least 30 minutes and no more 12 hours. If marinating the chicken for too long it could cause the chicken to break down.
Keep chicken stored in the fridge while marinating.
Recipe Tips:
- Prepare Chicken – Before placing chicken in the marinade, we recommend pounding chicken to about the same size. You may need to filet the chicken if it is too large. This helps to cook the chicken evenly and about the same time.
- Meat Thermometer – Use a meat thermometer to check to see if cooked through before removing from the grill. The internal temperature should reach 165 degrees. When chicken is cooked fully.
- Choosing Fresh Ingredients – When gathering the ingredients for the marinade, make sure to use fresh limes and cilantro with the spices.
- Marinade – Make sure to discard any of the marinade that you soaked the chicken in. You do not want to reuse this marinade.
What to Serve with Grilled Chicken?
Whether we are making this Cilantro Lime Chicken or Pork Chops we like making grilled side dishes to serve. These are some of our favorite dishes.
- Grilled Zucchini – Grilled Zucchini is a quick and easy side dish and pairs great with grilled chicken. We like to cut the zucchini into spears. But you can also slice it and cook it directly on the grill grates or cook in foil.
- Grilled Potatoes in Foil – Slice your favorite potatoes and place in aluminum foil. Top with spices and oil to cook on the grill. This makes a delicious side dish and it is quick and easy.
- White Rice – Grilled chicken is great paired with white rice, cauliflower rice or brown rice. Add a side of grilled veggies and slice avocados for a complete meal idea.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Grilling chicken is easy to do with a prepared grill. Make sure to preheat grill to medium heat. Oil the grill grates to prevent the chicken from sticking. Grill the chicken for about 6 minutes on each side and then use a meat thermometer to make sure cooked. Cooking time will vary. Allow cooked chicken to rest before slicing.
Yes, this cilantro lime marinade can be used to bake your chicken in the oven. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. I recommend flipping halfway through to fully cook chicken.
Store your leftover grilled chicken in an airtight container in the fridge. The chicken will last about 4 days if stored properly.
Reheat leftover chicken in the microwave in 1 minute intervals. This helps to not dry out the chicken when reheating it.
More Easy Grilled Chicken Recipes:
- Grilled Boneless Chicken Recipe
- Grilled Chicken Quarters
- Cajun Grilled Chicken
- Jack Daniels Marinade
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Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts or chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 limes juiced
- 1/4 cilantro finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Combine everything in a gallon size bag. Add chicken.
- Marinade for 2-12 hours.
- Grill over medium high heat for 6-7 minutes per side.
- Cook until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Serve with more fresh limes chopped cilantro.
