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Chili Lime Grilled Chicken

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Chili Lime Grilled Chicken - moist and delicious chicken marinated in chili and lime and grilled to golden perfection in this easy recipe that takes 30 mins

Chili lime chicken - moist and delicious chicken marinated with chili and lime and grill to perfection. Easy recipe that takes 30 mins! | rasamalaysia.com

Delicious chili lime grilled chicken on a wooden chopping board.

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.

Easy and quick skillet grilled chicken marinated with chili and lime.

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.

Asian style Chili lime chicken featuring grilled chciken sliced and ready to serve on a wooden chopping board.

Ingredients for Grilled Chicken Marinade

  • Lime juice and zest
  • Olive oil
  • Cilantro
  • Jalapeno
  • Garlic
  • Honey
  • Chili powder

Close up of chili lime grilled chicken breasts marinade ready to serve.

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?

This recipe has 269 calories per serving.

What Dishes to Serve with this Recipe?

For a wholesome meal and easy BBQ party, I recommend the following recipes.

This Recipe Goes Well with:

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    Chili Lime Chicken Recipe

    Chili lime chicken - moist and delicious chicken marinated with chili and lime and grill to perfection. Easy recipe that takes 30 mins! 

    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Keyword Chili Lime Chicken
    Prep Time
    Cook Time
    Total Time
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 269 kcal
    Author

    Ingredients

    Ingredients:

    • 2 - 2.5 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 jalapeƱo, chopped finely
    • 4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder or to taste
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    Instructions

    1. Rinse the chicken thighs, remove the bones, leave the skin on, and pat dry with paper towels.Ā Set aside.
    2. Get a big bowl, mixing Ā all the ingredients of the Marinade together using a whisk. Make sure the Marinade is well combined together.
    3. Add chicken to the Marinade, make sure to stir and coat the chicken evenly. Marinate for 2 hours.
    4. 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.

    Recipe Notes

    You can make this chili lime chicken with a cast-iron grill pan or regular skillet, or bake in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400F and bake it for about 20-25 minutes or until the skin becomes brown and charred. You can also use skinless and boneless chicken thighs or breasts.

    Nutrition Facts
    Chili Lime Chicken Recipe
    Amount Per Serving (4 people)
    Calories 269 Calories from Fat 882
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 98g151%
    Saturated Fat 25g156%
    Cholesterol 500mg167%
    Sodium 1566mg68%
    Potassium 1121mg32%
    Carbohydrates 10g3%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 5g6%
    Protein 83g166%
    Vitamin A 665IU13%
    Vitamin C 18.7mg23%
    Calcium 50mg5%
    Iron 3.6mg20%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    152 COMMENTS... read them below or add one

    1. This recipe looks good, but I’m curious if the addition of honey makes the final product kind of sweet? I’m looking for a zesty/citrusy chicken recipe, but we don’t really like our chicken/main dishes to be sweet.

      Reply


    2. Iā€™ve always used your recipe to marinate my chicken before grilling, however this recipe has additional ingredients that I never used before, jalapeƱos & cilantro. Did you change the recipe? I havenā€™t made this in about 8 months or so but even so, I didnā€™t think Iā€™d forget something like that?

      Reply

      • Hi Becky, no I didn’t change the recipe, it has always been like this with jalepeno and cilantro. Maybe you tried a different recipe? I have a chipotle lime chicken.

        Reply

    4. Iā€™m not either a cilantro or jalapeƱo fan – is omitting both these ingredients ok or are the essential ingredients to the recipe. Thank you

      Reply

    5. I keep track of information every day on the website. It brings a lot of useful information to me
      please visit

      Reply

    6. I made this the other day for a bbq and unfortunate my brother burnt them so could not really comment. I am trying them again tonight to cook in the oven but I wondered if I could freeze half the marinade as Iā€™m cooking this for 2. Many thanks

      Reply

    7. This was incredible. I made it in my grill pan and my husband, three year old and 13 month old couldn’t get enough of it. The flavors were bold and scrumptious. Thanks you for posting

      Reply

    10. Hi
      I follow your recipes and whatever I have tried has always turned out delicious!!
      I couldnt get any chicken thighs with skin on so resorted to purchasing chicken thighs without the skin on. Is that okay? X

      Reply

    11. I love this recipe, and it has become one of my standards. I have one picky eater in the house, and I just leave a few chicken thighs plain for him. I make the marinate on the weekend. Then, the morning I want to cook these I throw boneless thighs in a Ziploc bag with the marinade before work. After work, just throw them on the grill!

      Reply

    12. For me, a nicely done skin is all that matters when it comes to chicken tights. I have to say this is the best crispy tasty chicken skin I have seen in my cooking career. I am rating this without even trying to cook it first, sorry!

      Reply

    16. Made this for dinner tonight and paired it with a cilantro lime brown rice. So much great flavor, I’m in love!

      Reply

    17. This went into my “keeper” file! Used skinless breasts and grilled them. Delicious!! Thank you!

      Reply

    20. I had some boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I needed to cook ASAP, and used this recipe. They were absolutely DELICIOUS!!!! Very moist and a wonderful flavor. I will be trying them soon using the thighs, as the recipe suggests. This one is definitely a favorite!!

      Reply

    22. Making this tonite with boneless chicken. Breast as well as bone in chicken breasts to get a little variety. It looks amazing! I’m also going to use this marinade next time for grilled shrimp too which I think will be amazing! Serving this with a black beanand roasted corn salsa. Can’t wait to try it!

      Reply

    23. Trying for the first time and I wanted to know what type of chilli powder you used in this recipe? Cayenne pepper? Also, did you fresh jalapeno or pickled ones?

      Reply

    24. I have made this several times, but am now using boneless, skinless thighs. If I do them in the oven instead of on the grill…..how long at 400?
      I add extra lime and honey…..Annemarie

      Reply

    26. Just made this for dinner tonight and it was soooooo delicious!! I was only able to marinade it for an hour (hungry kids) but it still had great flavor. I used chicken stripstock (helped with the shorter marinade time) and broiled them on a sheet for ~20 mins. 10 mins with rack set to middle of oven, then around 6 to 8 mins up close to the flame to char. The chicken was so moist and perfect! I’m going to use this recipe all the time!! Kids gave it two thumbs way up, too!! Thanks!!

      Reply

    27. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. We marinated the chicken this morning and grilled this evening. So tender, moist and flavorful. This recipe is such a keeper!

      Reply

    29. I want to try this today but want to use skinless-boneless in the crockpot. Thoughts? I’m thinking toss all ingredients and set on low for 6 hours.

      Reply

    30. Hey, is there anything that i can replace jalapenoes with? its hard to find from where I am, and a little too pricey :) btw, loving your blog! Ive tried a couple of recipes from here and it was really good! cant wait to try this one now

      Reply

    31. Tried the chilli and lime chicken, used chicken wings.
      Was delicious and a great hit with kids. Definitely going to be a regular
      Dish. Thank you

      Reply

    32. I made this last night and the fam loved it. Instead of thighs I used chicken breasts and since I’m cooking for a Chinese family I tripled the chili powder which gave it a brilliant kick. This is a definite keeper.

      Reply

    33. Made this for dinner last night and it was very delicious. I used skinless boneless chicken breast and baked them in the oven. I took the marinade and boiled it for a bit on the stove to make a glaze. Then during the baking on occasion I spread some glaze over the chicken. For the last few minutes I turned on the broiler to thicken up the glaze a little bit more. This recipe is a keeper – Thank You!

      Reply

    35. This was absolutely delicious. I made it with chicken breasts alongside black beans and roasted veggies. We will continue to make this. If this was on the menu of a restaurant I would order it all the time. Flavor is intense and delicious.

      Reply

    37. Love this recipie. I let the chicken marinate all day and then through it on the grill. Would like to know how much is a serving? Is it one or two pieces of chicken?

      Reply

    41. Hi Rasa,
      I made this chicken recipe for lunch today, cooking the meat on a flattop grill (“plancha in Spanish”) and it was absolutely gorgeous!!! It is very easy and quick to prepare, and I served it with a ratatouille.
      Thanks a lot for sharing this great recipe.
      Val

      Reply

    42. curious – are the jalapeƱo seeds suppose to be left in? not seeing if they should be gutted or not. thanks

      Reply

    46. I made this chicken a while ago with Mexican rice and pico de gallo, and it was a hit. My family loved it. They said I didn’t make enough lol I’m doing this again today! I love how flexible the recipe is. This time we don’t have chicken thighs so I am using breasts.

      Reply

    48. Hi Rasa,
      This chicken recipe looks delicious! I’m sure the chicken breasts can be incorporated into a salad, do you think it’s a good idea?

      Reply

    49. Hi there, I want to try this recipe as soon as possible, it looks delicious. By the way, how many serving size will it be for 600 calories?

      Reply

    50. I had made this one time before exactly by the recipe and it was very good, but today I did it again, only I added 1/4c chopped red onion and about 2T chili sauce. It marinated overnight and then was grilled over a wood fire, smoking it with hickory chips. This was awesome! Thanks for this recipe. It is definitely a do over!

      Reply

    51. I used boneless breasts sliced thin, marinated for 1 hour, and grilled on gas grill for about 5 minutes. This is absolutely the best grilled chicken I have ever eaten. Amazing recipe. I was afraid the jalapenos might be too much, but it gave just the right amount of heat without overpowering. This will be my new “go to” for chicken.

      Reply

    53. I love this recipe!!! I did this with chicken tenders pan seared and cooked on electric stove 75/25 and it was delicious and so moist. Great caramalization. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply

    55. Hi, I am planning a graduation party for my daughter in June. I am making and freezing ahead to be easier on the budget and make for an easier work load the day of (I have MS so I have to do a little at a time, too difficult to do in a week or a couple days). I found a different recipe (chili lime) and baked my boneless skinless chicken breast pieces (20lbs for 80/90 people and I also have 20lbs pulled pork), vacuum packed and froze. This recipe isn’t bad, but not what I had hoped for. I just found your recipe (wish I would have found this sooner, lol). When it comes time to reheat could I make a glaze/sauce with your marinade? Throw the chicken in the oven for a few? If so, how would I turn your marinade into a glaze? And how much of this marinade would you make? Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thanks! :)

      Reply

    63. Just tried this in the oven and was a little nervous it would be too spicy (We’re babies!) but it was the perfect amount of spice. Will definitely be making this again!

      Reply

    66. I pinned this recipe and decided to cook it as a part of my Pinterest Cooking challenge and it was absolutely amazing. So juicy and citrusy that neither me nor my boyfriend could get enough :-) I used chicken supremes, baked them in the oven and the result was superb. Will definitely be making it again and again. Thank you so much for this wonderful dish! It was in fact so yummy, that I added it to my blog – http://en.londonbeginnings.co.uk/blog/recipe/chilli-lime-chicken/

      Reply

    67. hi! I tried this dish at a girl friends house. I loved it! I wonder, can I be marinated longer than 2 hours? For instance while I’m at work?

      Reply

    68. Please don’t tell people to rinse chicken. It is a foolproof way to spread chicken spooge all over the sink and adjacent areas. This can lead to contamination and sickness. There is no reason to rinse chicken for any reason. You are cooking it at a high temperature and killing anything on the surface.

      Reply

      • It’s my personal preference. Even though you are killing all potential germs during the cooking process but there are always some dirty bits on the surface…feathers…blood…etc.

        Reply

        • Cooking will kill any bacteria present, including campylobacter, while washing chicken can spread germs by splashing. Thoroughly wash and clean all utensils, chopping boards and surfaces used to prepare raw chicken. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water, after handling raw chicken. (from Google: “washing raw chicken?”)

          Reply

          • I wear disposable plastic gloves in bulk from Costco, when prepping chicken or any other raw meat. I do rinse in deep sink, set meat in a deep strainer to drain. Pat with paper towel and all contaminated goes in the trash. Work surface and surrounding area is disinfected. I do not use same counter for meat that I prep other foods on, ever. Opposite sides of the sink. I easily can use more than one set of gloves, so gloves are sitting out and waiting for a change out. They just roll off staying inside out. Trash is bagged up and taken out.

            Reply

    69. Thank you for this delicious recipe! I made the marinade this morning, marinated my chicken throughout the day, about 6 hours, baked it in the oven (it was raining in my neck of the woods today) and it was hands down delicious. I used pepper flakes but followed everything else. I’ll be looking for other recipes on your site for sure.

      Reply

    70. Thank you for sharing this. I made it last night for my family. And it was a huge hit. So delicious. I’m now following your blog.

      Reply

    71. I made this last week with mango salsa over quinoa and it was awesome!! We are having it again this week, because there weren’t any leftovers :) Thanks for this great recipe!

      Reply

    72. I made the chicken this weekend and it was a huge hit. I baked it in the oven as it was raining all weekend so we didn’t BBQ, but I can’t wait to make this marinade again and get the chicken on the grill.

      Reply

    74. I made this recipe tonight with only 1 hour of marinating. It was absolutely delicious!
      I used skinless bonless thighs and thinly slided breasts. This recipe still is great without
      the skin. I wouldn’t change anything about the marinade. Next time I will save a little of
      it before putting the chicken in to marinate so that I can baste a little on before serving.
      Excellent recipe!

      Reply

    75. This was absolutely delicious! I didn’t have the BBQ option available so just used the oven. I’m sure these flavours would be good with any cut of chicken. I used what I had; chicken legs/quarters and baked for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees. This dish had such a wonderful, fresh lime flavour and I used the marinade left in the baking dish to spoon over steamed broccoli… so, so great. I cannot wait to try this on the BBQ because I’m sure that a little char will just put this chicken over the top! I have to say, I’ve had nothing but success with each recipe I’ve tried from this site. Thanks, Bee :)

      Reply

    76. I opened my BBQ season with this recipe. Very very good. I have double the marinate and used 1/2 to marinate the chicken for 3 hours and then the other half I used it to brush the chicken on both side at the end of the cooking. Made wraps with the leftover, lunch was as delicious as yesterday night dinner. Love your recipes!

      Reply

    77. Made this to the “T” as per your recipe for 12 people and it was a hit! All guests commented on the refreshing taste of lime! Thank you!

      Reply

    79. Made this tonight and it will definitely be making a return appearance on future summer menus! I have to admit that after tasting the marinade, I was dubious. I’d like to use this opportunity to take back my doubts.

      I was too lazy to bone the thighs I had, so I just left them in. Marinated about four or five hours and served with grilled baby zucchini and corn.

      High five to you, sister!

      Reply

    81. We tried this last weekend. The chicken was literally SWIMMING in marinade. Perhaps a cup of liquid is just too much for just 2 lbs of meat. Also, there was no lime or chili taste to the chicken — it was all quite bland.

      I’m sure we did something wrong because it should not be bland.

      Reply

      • Hi Stephen, I am so sorry to hear that. Some readers tried the recipe with no problem. Did you pat dry the chicken thighs? I think what might have happened is that the olive oil coated the chicken and the marinade didn’t get through to the meat. Did you marinate the chicken overnight? If so, water tends to come out from the chicken. I marinated mine for two hours. I have updated my recipe to whisk the Marinade ingredients so they are well combined. Also, I reduced the olive oil to 1/4 cup as the chicken thighs are already quite moist to begin with. The chicken thigh was very flavorful with a nice tangy taste of the lime juice and the cilantro and garlic really add to the taste.

        Reply

    83. Marinated yesterday afternoon and grilled this evening. So succulent and delish! Thanks for sharing!!

      Reply

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