Cilantro lime chicken is bursting with fresh and tangy flavors that are best suited for summer. The combination of juicy chicken, zesty lime, and fresh cilantro creates an irresistible dinner dish perfect for grilling or pan-searing.
One of the best things about this dish is its versatility. It’s perfect for piling into tacos, quesadillas, and enchiladas, tossing in a salad, or serving with a side of rice, roasted veggies, or grain of choice. You can also swap out chicken with shrimp, tofu, or your favorite protein to change it up.
Ingredients
- Chicken breast – we recommend using chicken tenders or cutting the larger chicken breasts into tenders. We also recommend using a meat tenderizer to pound the chicken to even thicknesses so that they cook evenly.
- Avocado oil – high heat oil for browning the chicken.
- Garlic – for a little sharpness.
- Lime – for vibrant, tangy, citrusy kick
- Fresh cilantro – for a slight herbiness.
- Honey (optional) – for a light sweetness.
- Spices – cumin, sea salt, and black pepper are simple, flavorful spices that compliment the chicken.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken
Rinse and trim the chicken breast. If you’re using large breasts, slice the breast into tenders. Place the tenders between plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer to flatten the tenders to roughly equal thicknesses. This will both tenderize the meat and prevent drying out or under-cooking the chicken due to varying thicknesses. Transfer the chicken to a shallow dish or large Ziploc baggie.
In a small bowl, combine the avocado oil, garlic cloves, lime juice and zest, 2 tablespoons of cilantro, honey, cumin, and salt and pepper to create the marinade.
Pour the marinade over the chicken. Toss to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes, or up to overnight. We prefer to marinate our chicken about 4 hours. Turn the chicken over once or twice as it marinates to better distribute the marinade.
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, drizzle a small amount of avocado oil in the bottom of the pan (you won’t need much since the marinade also contains oil). Add the chicken in a single layer to the pan and brown on one side, undisturbed, for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the chicken over, reduce to medium heat, and cook another 4 to 5 minutes, until browned and cooked through. A meat thermometer should read 165°F in the thickest part.
Remove from heat and top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cilantro and additional lime wedges, if desired.
How to Use This Chicken
- Tacos/Enchiladas/Quesadillas – stuff into tacos, enchiladas, or quesadillas
- Salad/Pasta Salad – toss into salad or pasta salad for some added protein
- Corn on the cob – steamed or grilled corn on the cob is a great side to pair with this chicken
- Grilled veggies – grilled or roasted asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, or summer squash are excellent, versatile sides.
- Brown rice/grains – mix and match grains like brown rice, pearled couscous, rice pilaf, farro, or grain of choice for a full meal.
- Potatoes – roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes are a perfect match for this chicken.
- Veggie fries – sweet potato fries, zucchini fries, or regular french fries are an odd complement to this dish.
How to Modify This Recipe
- Swap the protein – shrimp and tofu are excellent protein swaps to change things up.
- Switch up spices – add some heat with crushed red pepper flakes, chipotle powder, or cayenne pepper. Add fresh basil, thyme, rosemary, or other favorite herb in place of cilantro.
- Switch up citrus – replace lime juice with lemon juice or orange juice for a completely different flavor profile.
- Cooking method – we love to pan-sear this chicken, but it is also grilling friendly.
- Meal prep friendly – this chicken is meal-prep friendly. We make a full batch on Sunday and eat it throughout the week. Warm gradually in a skillet over medium heat to prevent drying out the chicken.
Let us know what you think about this recipe for cilantro lime chicken by dropping a comment and/or rating below on the recipe card! Also, please consider sharing on social media/Pinterest if you enjoyed this recipe! We greatly appreciate it! 💕
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast, trimmed
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lime, juiced and zested
- ¼ c fresh cilantro, chopped, divided
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- lime wedges (garnish)
Instructions
- Rinse and trim the chicken breast. If you're using large breasts, slice the breast into tenders. Place the tenders between plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer to flatten the tenders to roughly equal thicknesses. This will both tenderize the meat and prevent drying out or under-cooking the chicken due to varying thicknesses. Transfer the chicken to a shallow dish or large Ziploc baggie.
- In a small bowl, combine the avocado oil, garlic cloves, lime juice and zest, 2 tablespoons of cilantro, honey, cumin, and salt and pepper to create the marinade.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken. Toss to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes, or up to overnight. We prefer to marinate our chicken about 4 hours. Turn the chicken over once or twice as it marinates.
- When you're ready to cook the chicken, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, drizzle a small amount of avocado oil in the bottom of the pan (you won't need much since the marinade also contains oil). Add the chicken in a single layer to the pan and brown on one side, undisturbed, for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the chicken over, reduce to medium heat, and cook another 4 to 5 minutes, until browned and cooked through. A meat thermometer should read 165°F in the thickest part.
- Remove from heat and top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cilantro and additional lime wedges, if desired.
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