My Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken 🍗🍋🟩🎉 is so TENDER, juicy, and full of Mexican-inspired flavor! Put this EASY chicken recipe on your summer menu rotation, and it’ll be a hit with everyone! Whether you make it for a backyard bbq and get-togethers or for a healthy weeknight family dinner, it’s always a WINNER!
Table of contents
- You probably have everything in your fridge and pantry to make this grilled cilantro lime chicken marinade. It’s as simple as lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper.
- This chicken marinade with lime and cilantro is perfect for when I’m craving something Mexican-inspired. It’s 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!
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What Readers Are Saying:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ With a five-star rating, it’s not just my family that loves this recipe. Take a look at what readers are saying, too!
This is one of the best recipes I have ever made! The flavor is so rich and beautiful, and the chicken so tender!
Elaine
Love this chicken!! It has a nice tang from the lime juice and the grilled corn and avocado salad was perfect with it (this is the third time I have made that)!
Paula
Looking for more grilled chicken recipes?
You’ll love this grilled honey BBQ chicken, grilled tandoori chicken, and grilled mango pineapple chicken recipes, too!
Recipe Ingredients
To make the grilled chicken and the cilantro lime marinade, you’ll need:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – You can substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs if preferred. Just adjust the cooking time as needed
- Lime juice and zest
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Fresh cilantro
- Kosher salt and pepper
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Grill Lime Cilantro Chicken
- Add the cilantro lime chicken marinade ingredients to a large zip-top bag. P
- Place the chicken inside, and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Once the chicken has marinated, preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Grill the cilantro lime chicken until cooked through, making sure to flip it halfway through.
- Garnish with lime wedges and additional cilantro before serving.
Tip for Shortening the Grill Time
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 Chicken FAQs
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.
I used thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts to make this cilantro lime grilled chicken. This type of chicken breasts needs roughly 10 minutes total to cook through.
The lime tenderizes the chicken and also infuses it with tons of flavor!
If you don’t have an outdoor grill, I suggest investing in a cast iron grill pan. They let you grill meats and veggies all year long, directly on your stove!
If you don’t have an outdoor grill, I suggest investing in a cast iron grill pan. They let you grill meats and veggies all year long, directly on your stove! Or, make my skillet cilantro lime chicken or baked lime cilantro chicken breasts instead.
What to Serve With Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
Storage:
This recipe is best fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, and serve cold. Or, warm the chicken in the microwave or a skillet over medium heat.
Recipe Video Tutorial
I have an Ebook dedicated to all things BBQ and grilling! Please check out my Best 35 Grilling Recipes ebook available for immediate download!
Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts, I had 4 breasts
- 1 to 2 teaspoons lime zest
- ½ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ 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
- 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.
- Lightly oil grill grates and preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- 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.
- Garnish chicken with additional cilantro, optional lime wedges, and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Grilled Chicken Recipes:
ALL OF MY GRILLED CHICKEN RECIPES!
Grilled Lemon Chicken – EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the chicken is so TENDER, juicy, and full of LEMON flavor! With grilled broccoli on the side, this is a HEALTHY recipe perfect for swimsuit season that tastes AMAZING!
Sweet Chili Grilled Chicken – Tender, juicy, and full of flavor from the sweet chili sauce! Easy, healthy, ready in 10 minutes, zero cleanup, perfect for backyard barbecues or easy weeknight dinners!
Peach Chili Grilled Chicken – Tender, juicy, and full of flavor from the sweet peach preserves and chili garlic sauce! The perfect contrast! Easy, healthy, ready in 10 minutes, zero cleanup, perfect for backyard barbecues or easy weeknight dinners!
Foil Pack Barbecue Chicken – Ready in 15 minutes and such an easy way to enjoy barbecue chicken on the grill! A delish and healthy meal made in a foil pack with zero cleanup!
Grilled Chicken With Watermelon Mango Mint Salsa – The chicken is tender, juicy, and the EASY salsa made with watermelon, mango, and mint adds so much fresh FLAVOR! Healthy, FAST, EASY, zero cleanup, perfect for backyard barbecues or easy weeknight dinners!
Grilled Tandoori Chicken – Recreate this Indian favorite QUICKLY and EASILY at home! If you’re looking for a new spin on grilled chicken, this is THE recipe to try! Super juicy, flavorful, and you’ll LOVE IT!
Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Kabobs – Juicy chicken and crisp vegetables coated in a sweet-and-tangy sauce! Great for parties or easy weeknight dinners! Everything tastes better grilled!
Spicy Garlic Grilled Chicken – An EASY homemade marinade made with everyday ingredients that produces super FLAVORFUL, juicy chicken! If you’re looking for a NEW marinade to jazz up grilled chicken, this is the one!
Originally posted July 1, 2019 and reposted with updated text June 24, 2022.
I have made this twice both times were excellent. Added some cayenne peeper and chili powder the second time to give it a liitle kick. The chicken is very moist and flavorful
Thanks for the 5 star review, Margie, on this recipe and the others you commented on. I am grateful that you took the time to leave comments and that this chicken turned out excellent for you!
Great taste! Used fresh lime juice, added 1 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder. I also used slightly pounded thighs as we like the flavor and the way they hold juiciness.
Thanks for the 5 star review, Christine, and I’m glad to hear this chicken turned out great for you with the lightly pounded thighs.
My wife loved it so it is definitely a keeper! I decided to make this at the last minute so I wasn’t able to marinate the chicken as long as recommended but it still turned out to be very tasty. I used chicken tenders so I cut back on the recommended cooking time.
Thanks for the 5 star review, Noel, and I’m glad the chicken was a hit even with a shorter marinating time. I like use chicken tenders too sometimes because they cook very quickly.
Delicious but wonder given I don’t have a grill, if
this dish can be prepared otherwise?
Thanks so much
Yes here’s a great recipe for baking it
https://www.averiecooks.com/20-minute-baked-lime-cilantro-chicken-breasts/
I made this as written. It is so flavorful!
I strained the marinade and then boiled it to make a lttle sauce to pour over the chicken and jasmine rice.
My son really likes it.
I made this as written. It is so flavorful!
I strained the marinade and then boiled it to make a lttle sauce to pour over the chicken and jasmine rice.
My son really likes it.
I made this as written. It is so flavorful!
I strained the marinade and then boiled it to make a lttle sauce to pour over the chicken and jasmine rice.
My son really likes it.
I’m glad your son really enjoyed this!
great
great
This is one of the best recipes I have ever made! The flavor is so rich and beautiful, and the chicken so tender! I made a side dish of tomato, onion avocado seasoned with lime juice, cilantro and Mexican seasoning, and it was a great combo. This recipe was easy and delicious, and I csn’t
Love this chicken!! It has a nice tang from the lime juice and the grilled corn and avocado salad was perfect with it (this is the third time I have made that)!
Love this chicken!! It has a nice tang from the lime juice and the grilled corn and avocado salad was perfect with it (this is the third time I have made that)!
Thanks for the 5 star review Paula and I’m glad this was a winner for you! So glad to hear you’ve been on a roll with the avocado corn salad and have made it three times already. I LOVE that corn salad and have been making it all summer too!
I know what I’m making in a few days for July 4 (with some corn and avocado salad)!