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Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe
Zesty, moist, juicy baked chicken with mouthwatering marinade is a sure-fire way to tantalize your palate and appetite.
This is one my favorite Mexican recipes and I have the perfect baked cilantro lime chicken recipe for you.
This recipe couldn’t be any easier as simple ingredients are all you need. Aromatic cilantro, fresh lime juice, garlic, chili flakes bring out the explosive flavors of the chicken.
Serve the chicken with side dishes such as Cilantro Lime Rice, Tequila Lime Shrimp or make taco salad with the chicken.
You can also serve with a simple sauteed broccoli.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken?
To make this easy recipe, first you marinate the chicken for 15 minutes.
Next, pan-fry the chicken in a skillet for a few minutes before baking it for 20 minutes. It’s that easy!
Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
The marinade is the soul of this dish. It calls for everyday ingredients that you already have in your pantry:
- Olive oil. This will keep the chicken moist and juicy.
- Garlic.
- Cilantro, stems and leaves.
- Lime juice.
- Red chili flakes.
- Salt.
Cooking Tips
To make sure that you have the best results, follow the tips below:
- Use chicken thighs, which are more tender, moist and juicy. Buy bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs and debone it. Click on this post to learn how to debone chicken thighs, with video guide.
- You can use skinless and boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, if you like.
- Use freshly squeezed lime juice if you can. You will love the fresh and citrusy aroma from the lime juice.
- Use lots of cilantro stems and some cilantro leaves as there is a lot of flavors in the stems.
- Pan-fry the chicken on a skillet first, to make sure that the skin is browned and crispy before baking the chicken in the oven. This extra step turns your cilantro lime chicken from good to exquisite.
- After baking, spoon the marinade over the chicken to make it extra flavorful and moist.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 404 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
Serve this dish as is or with rice and other side dishes. For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. skin-on deboned chicken thighs
- lime wedges (for garnishing)
- chopped cilantro (for garnishing)
Marinade:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro stems and leaves
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Whisk all the Marinade ingredients together in a big bowl, mix well. Add the chicken into the Marinade, stir to coat well. Marinate for 15 minutes, but best for 2 hours.
- Heat up a skillet and pan-fry the chicken with the skin-side down until slightly browned. Turn over and pan-fry the other side of the chicken until slightly browned.
- Spoon the leftover Marinade on top of the chicken before baking. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken and the Marinade residual to a serving platter (discard the oil), squirt some fresh lime juice, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
I was directed to this recipe from a list of “25 Best Recipes to Make in an Air Fryer” but find no directions for air frying. Any ideas?
Hi Jim – that’s strange as this recipe doesn’t require air frying at all!
I made this last night for dinner, and it is for sure a keeper. We (3 adults) all loved it!
I started by making the marinade in the food chopper. I grilled the bone-in thighs on the barbeque, just to get the skin crispy and get the cooking underway. I transferred everything to a baking dish and baked them for 45 minutes.
I served it with brown rice (ooh, that yummy sauce from the chicken woke it right up!), steamed zucchini, and sliced tomato.
I will be making this again really soon, thanks so much!
I tried marinate chicken for half of hour and chicken’s flavor is really great!
It looks so delicious, I’d love to taste it.
What if using other than chicken meat? such as goat / cow / or fish. Would it be different.
I am sure it will taste good. :)
I followed a link from a list of clean eating recipes on another website and found this recipe. It is *almost* ideal for anyone following a clean eating program, though some would argue the skin should be removed if eating clean (yet that could be debated), and doing that would definitely produce a different result, so I would be reluctant to remove it. Apart from that, just swap the salt out for sea salt or Himalayan salt, and you’ve got a yummy, “clean” recipe. I shall be trying shortly! Thanks – many of your other recipes look delightful as well :)
What would you recommend for a side dish to serve with this yummy recipe?
Here are all my side dishes: https://rasamalaysia.com/tag/side-dish. All of them are good. Many love this Brown Butter Garlic Honey carrots recipe: https://rasamalaysia.com/brown-butter-garlic-honey-roasted-carrots/. :)
My mom made this chicken today and I loved it because it was so yummy and tasty! Hope she makes it again soon. Thank you mom
(My son wanted to post a comment cause he liked it so much! Also, my mom and mother in law stayed for dinner and they both asked me for the recipe. Definitely a keeper. Super easy and delicious!!!
Hi Mirel, awww thanks for the comment. I am so glad that everyone love my cilantro lime recipe. Make sure you ask them to sign up my email newsletter so they get recipes in mail.
Made this for the first time last night for dinner it’s now the hubby n kids fav!!!! Delicious ?!! Thank you for sharing!
This has become one of my children and my favorite recipes!! I change it slightly by using boneless skinless chicken breast and cubing it. I then marinade it and simply pan fry it until golden brown and cooked through. It is great in a burito, over rice and in a salad! I actually keep some in the freezer in marinade to pull out in the morning and cook when I get home from work. ?
Hi Ruth, happy to know that you you and your children love my Cilantro Lime Chicken recipe!! :)
This has become one of my children and my favorite recipes. I changed it slightly. I cut skinless chicken breast into cubes, marinate it and then cook it in a fry it in a fry pan. Delicious in a burito, over rice or in a salad!!!