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The Best Grilled Chicken
This chili lime grilled chicken is absolutely delicious, juicy, and flavorful. It hits all the right notes: citrusy, aromatic, with a pleasant nuance of the cilantro and garlic.
How to Make Chili Lime Grilled Chicken Recipe
For the chicken, the original recipe calls for chicken breast but I opted for chicken thighs with the skin and bone.
I remove the bones prior to marinating the chicken and still keep the skin. The end result is crispy skin, and tender, juicy chicken meat.
I love the combination of chili, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice in the marinade. They pair so well with the chicken, with a tint of spiciness from the chili.
Ingredients for Grilled Chicken Marinade
- Lime juice and zest
- Olive oil
- Cilantro
- Jalapeno
- Garlic
- Honey
- Chili powder
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Grill the Perfect Chicken Breast?
Keep at medium heat covered for about 5-7 minutes, then flip it over. Grill for another 5-7 minutes, or until the thermometer reads 165°.
Is It Healthy to Eat Grilled Chicken?
Yes, chicken is high in protein and also low in calories. It is very useful in diets working to shed body fat.
Does This Recipe Have to Be Grilled?
No. You can make it anytime with a cast-iron grill pan or regular skillet, or bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes at 400F. The end result is always amazing.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 425 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy BBQ party, I recommend the following recipes.
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Chili Lime Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 - 2 1/2 lbs. skin on chicken thighs
Marinade:
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 3 teaspoons fresh lime zest
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro (chopped finely)
- 2 jalapeño (chopped finely)
- 4 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder or to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the chicken thighs, remove the bones, leave the skin on, and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
- Get a big bowl, mixing all the ingredients of the Marinade together using a whisk. Make sure the Marinade is well combined together.
- Add chicken to the Marinade, make sure to stir and coat the chicken evenly. Marinate for 2 hours.
- Fire up the grill, brush a little bit of oil on the surface. Add a little bit of the garlic, cilantro, and jalapeno from the Marinade on top of the chicken and grill them until they turn golden brown and charred on both sides. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
We love this recipe and have made it several times. Sometimes we sub 1 jalepeno for a Serrano pepper for more heat. I do need to make it twice this week and was wondering how long I could leave it marinating in the fridge before grilling. I was hoping I could make both batches of marinade on Monday night and cook one batch on Tuesday night and the other of Wednesday night. Thoughts? I’m a bit of a newbie to food safety when it comes to marinades.
Thank you! Rule of thumb is up to 24 hours, 2 days max as it can make the meat start to break down.
Fantastic chicken! A keeper for sure! And, if it’s raining outside and you don’t want to grill, it comes out great in an air fryer also!
Excellent!
Best chicken I have ever made. Marinated it for 3 hours. Juicy and a hint of the lime. I omitted cilantro but added some cayenne. DELISH!
Awesome!
Good