Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken — EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the cilantro chicken is so TENDER, juicy, and full of Mexican-inspired flavor!! Put this HEALTHY chicken recipe on your summer menu rotation and it'll be a hit with everyone!!

Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken - EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the chicken is so TENDER, juicy, and full of Mexican-inspired flavor!! Put this HEALTHY chicken recipe on your summer menu rotation and it'll be a hit with everyone!!

Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken

You probably have everything in your fridge and pantry to make this cilantro lime chicken marinade because it's as simple as lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper.

I love Mexican-inspired flavors and this Mexican chicken marinade is perfect for when I'm craving something Mexican-inspired, but also lighter, cleaner, and fresher-tasting than a barbecue sauce or with as much sodium as other marinades have.

It delivers flavorful, tender, juicy chicken with a hint of lime and plenty of fresh, herby cilantro.

Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken - EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the chicken is so TENDER, juicy, and full of Mexican-inspired flavor!! Put this HEALTHY chicken recipe on your summer menu rotation and it'll be a hit with everyone!!

What's in Lime Cilantro Chicken?

To make the grilled chicken and cilantro lime marinade, you'll need:

  • Boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Lime juice and zest
  • Olive oil
  • Honey
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Kosher salt and pepper

How to Grill Lime Cilantro Chicken

Simple add the cilantro lime chicken marinade ingredients to a large zip-top bag and place the chicken inside to marinate. Once the chicken has marinated, pre-heat the grill to medium-high heat.

Grill the cilantro lime chicken until cooked through, making sure to flip halfway through. Garnish with lime wedges and additional cilantro before serving.

How Long to Marinate Chicken

I like to marinate my chicken overnight for the full and tenderizing effects, but if you're running short on time, even 30 to 60 minutes will do.

Chicken Breast Grill Time

I used thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts to make this cilantro lime grilled chicken. This type of chicken breasts needs roughly10 minutestotal to cook through.

Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken - EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the chicken is so TENDER, juicy, and full of Mexican-inspired flavor!! Put this HEALTHY chicken recipe on your summer menu rotation and it'll be a hit with everyone!!

Can I Use Chicken Thighs?

Of course! Just note that chicken thighs may need more or less time on the grill, depending on their size and thickness.

What to Serve With Grilled Chicken

As long as you've got your grill fired up, you can grill some vegetables like I did in this Grilled Lemon Chicken recipe. The veggies cook in the same amount of time that it takes to grill the chicken, about 10 minutes. Place the vegetables in a grill basket over high heat on one side of your grill and place the chicken on the other side over medium heat.

I also highly recommend this Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad. Taking advantage of seasonal summer corn that you throw on the grill for less than 10 minutes, then cut off the ear and combined with lime juice and cilantro, to play up the lime-cilantro effect is perfect.

Or just go for Grilled Mexican Corn (Elote) which is another favorite of ours.

Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken - EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the chicken is so TENDER, juicy, and full of Mexican-inspired flavor!! Put this HEALTHY chicken recipe on your summer menu rotation and it'll be a hit with everyone!!

Tips for Making Lime Cilantro Chicken

As a shortcut, I used thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts to make this cilantro lime grilled chicken . Their thinner size makes for faster grilling times and much more even cooking.

This recipe would be even faster with chicken breast tenders (sometimes called breast cutlets or medallions), but as it is with the thin-sliced breasts I only needed to grill them 5 minutes per side and they were done.

Many times with large chicken breasts on the grill, I struggle to keep the outside from becoming overly dark before the interior is fully cooked through but with either thin-sliced or breast tenders, you don't have to worry about that.

Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken — EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the cilantro chicken is so TENDER, juicy, and full of Mexican-inspired flavor!! Put this HEALTHY chicken recipe on your summer menu rotation and it'll be a hit with everyone!!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts (I had 4 breasts)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons lime zest
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, plus more for garnishing
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • lime wedges, optional for garnishing

Instructions

  1. To a large ziptop plastic bag, add all ingredients, seal, and smoosh around to evenly coat chicken. Place bag in fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight, to marinate.
  2. Lightly oil grill grates and preheat grill to medium-high heat.
  3. Add the chicken, discard the bag with the marinade, and grill for about 5 minutes on the first side with lid closed, flip, and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on the second side with lid closed, or until chicken is cooked through and as done as desired.
  4. Garnish chicken with additional cilantro, optional lime wedges, and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Chicken is best fresh but extra will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 479 Total Fat: 20g Saturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 15g Cholesterol: 145mg Sodium: 1186mg Carbohydrates: 22g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 18g Protein: 53g

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Originally posted July 1, 2019 and reposted with updated text June 24, 2022.

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