Honey Lime Chicken

4.57 from 204 votes
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This 20-minute honey lime chicken is baked in a mixture of honey, soy sauce, and fresh lime juice. It's the BEST chicken dish you can make for the entire family!

Sliced Honey Lime Chicken on a wooden chopping board.
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Honey Lime Chicken

Honey and lime chicken thighs are a staple in our home. We probably have it at least once a week, along with other chicken recipes. We can’t get enough of that sweet, tangy, savory marinade and how it caramelizes in the oven to coat every bite.

This honey lime chicken is inspired by a recipe on Eating Well, but I simplified my recipe to make it easier for you. It only takes 20 minutes to make and most of it is hands-off!

While the honey lime chicken marinade is LOADED with flavor, it still goes well with a lot of side dishes. It’s amazing on top of Cilantro Lime Rice or just plain rice if you prefer. For a lighter meal, serve it with Roasted Spring Vegetables or in a fresh salad tossed with your favorite vinaigrette.

Save some of that honey and try my Honey Balsamic Chicken or Honey Sriracha Chicken next!


Do Lime And Honey Go Together

Easy and quick chicken recipe with honey lime marinade.

This honey lime chicken recipe turned out to be a perfect 10! It’s moist, juicy, tender, and utterly delicious—something you’d expect from a restaurant.

The honey and lime combo has a bright, citrusy flavor that tastes amazing with the chicken. If you’ve never tried it before, it works surprisingly well together. Try this recipe now!


Bone-In Vs. Boneless Chicken

Easy homemade honey and lime chicken with homemade honey lime glaze.

As usual, my favorite is boneless chicken thighs (check out my video on how to debone chicken thighs).

You have the glossy, perfectly charred, and baked chicken skin, with the meat bursting with the chicken juices. You can also make the dish with bone-in chicken thighs.

Whichever part of chicken you use, you can make this dish all year long: bake in the oven, outdoor on the grill, or just cook on a skillet or cast-iron pan.


Skillet Or Oven-Baked

This recipe is absolutely versatile; you can choose to bake the chicken in the oven, or you can just cook it on the stove top. I personally love oven-baked because I love crispy and charred skin, like the pictures here.

However, skillet is an easy way to cook and you don’t want to wait that long to savor this delicious chicken!


Ingredients

This image shows the ingredients used in this recipe.
  • Chicken thighs – I use boneless thigh fillets because we’re skipping the traditional marinating and baking the chicken in the marinade instead. You can turn this into honey lime chicken breasts if you prefer white meat.
  • Lime juice – always use freshly squeezed lime juice! It cuts through the sweetness of the honey and also helps tenderize the chicken.
  • Honey – rounds out the tangy, savory marinade with a subtle sweetness. The natural sugars also caramelize during baking, creating a sticky, flavorful glaze that clings to the chicken.
  • Soy sauce – gives the marinade a boost of umami.
  • Garlic – no such thing as too much garlic! You can rub it into the fillets and infuse the marinade with even more flavor.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.


How To Make This Recipe

This honey lime chicken recipe comes together so fast as the baking also doubles as the marinating time. The sauce gets reduced during baking and turns into an intensely flavorful glaze. I usually double the marinade because it’s so delicious when drizzled over rice or vegetables!

Broiling the chicken is an optional step, but I highly recommend it. It makes the chicken skin irresistibly crispy! I also love a bit of heat in my honey lime chicken, and you can add more chili flakes if you want it spicy or leave it out altogether.

This image shows the marinated chicken on a baking sheet.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F (207°C). Rub the minced garlic on the chicken thighs with your hands. Add honey, soy sauce, lime juice, cayenne pepper, and salt to the chicken. Stir to combine well. Transfer the chicken and the honey mixture to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil to prevent burning.

Pro tip: Double the marinade if you want it to be more “saucy.”

This image shows the Honey Lime Chicken being served on a plate.

Step 2: Bake the chicken for 20 minutes, or until cooked. If the sauce pools at the bottom of the foil, spoon and brush the sauce over the chicken. Broil the chicken for 1 minute or until the chicken skin is charred. Remove from heat, garnish with parsley. Squeeze the lime wedges over the chicken before serving.


Helpful Tips For Home Cooks

  • If time allows, marinate the chicken in the sauce for around 30 minutes for deeper flavor.
  • If using boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, keep in mind that they won’t brown as deeply as skin-on thighs. Skip the broiling step, as it won’t add any char and may dry out the meat.
  • You can also make this recipe in a pan or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Be sure to turn the chicken frequently to prevent the honey in the marinade from burning.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I substitute for lime juice if I don’t have any?

Some good substitutes for lime juice are lemon, pineapple-lemon, and orange-lemon mix.

Can I grill or fry honey lime chicken instead of baking it?

Absolutely! Grilled honey lime chicken is one of my favorite versions of this recipe.

How long can chicken marinate in lime?

Thirty minutes to 2 hours is ideal. Marinating longer can make the chicken soft and mushy as the acids from the lime break down the proteins in the meat.

Does lime soften chicken?

Yes, the acidity of lime juice can help tenderize chicken, although chicken is already tender on its own.

Can I use the leftover marinade as a sauce?

Yes, you can use the honey and lime chicken marinade as a sauce. Make sure to bring it to a boil to kill any bacteria that might have transferred from the raw chicken.

How many calories per serving?

This honey and lime chicken recipe has only 360 calories per serving.

Oven roasted delicious Honey Lime Chicken.

What To Serve With This Lime Chicken

For a wholesome meal and an easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes:

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for new updates.


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4.57 from 204 votes

Honey Lime Chicken

This 20-minute honey lime chicken is baked in a mixture of honey, soy sauce, and fresh lime juice. It's the BEST chicken dish you can make for the entire family!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 3 people
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Ingredients  

  • 1 lb (500g) chicken thighs, deboned, skin-on
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1.5 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 3 dashes cayenne pepper
  • 1 big pinch salt
  • chopped parsley
  • lime wedges

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F (207°C). Rub the minced garlic on the chicken thighs with your hands. Add honey, soy sauce, lime juice, cayenne pepper, and salt to the chicken. Stir to combine well. Transfer the chicken and the honey mixture to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
    Pro tip: Double the marinade if you want it to be more “saucy.”
  • Bake the chicken for 20 minutes, or until cooked. If the sauce pools at the bottom of the foil, spoon and brush the sauce over the chicken. Broil the chicken for 1 minute or until the chicken skin is charred. Remove from heat, garnish with parsley. Squeeze the lime wedges over the chicken before serving.

Video

Notes

  • If time allows, marinate the chicken in the sauce for around 30 minutes for deeper flavor.
  • If using boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, keep in mind that they won’t brown as deeply as skin-on thighs. Skip the broiling step, as it won’t add any char and may dry out the meat.
  • You can also make this recipe in a pan or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Be sure to turn the chicken frequently to prevent the honey in the marinade from burning.

Nutrition

Serving: 3people, Calories: 389kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 148mg, Sodium: 621mg, Potassium: 380mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 539IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Bee Yinn Low

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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Recipe Rating





142 Comments

  1. Pip says:

    Thanks for sharing this! It was crazy delicious!!

  2. Philip Casing says:

    Just a few questions to clarify. When baking the chicken thighs, how should we cover them with aluminum foil: do we loosely cover or cover to seal?
    After baking for 20 minutes, do we remove the aluminum cover or not?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes cover loosely. Yes, remove the aluminum cover before serving.

  3. Julian says:

    4 stars
    Cook the chicken for 5 minutes less then finish it off in a High Sear with a teaspoon of olive oil to get that nice colored finished.

  4. Julian says:

    4 stars
    Cook the chicken for 5 minutes less then finish it off in a High Sear with a teaspoon of olive oil to get that nice colored finished.

  5. Jess says:

    5 stars
    Love honey and lime recipes and this isnโ€™t much different to what I usually cook. I did this in a high sided pan and added lime zest and fresh mint to the mixture, I left out the soy sauce (didnโ€™t have any) then put it in pitta bread and was delicious

  6. Kurt says:

    5 stars
    Just made this tonight. Wife and kids loved it! Great recipe and easy to make. Thank you Bee!

    1. Jess says:

      5 stars
      Love honey and lime recipes and this isnโ€™t much different to what I usually cook. I did this in a high sided pan and added lime zest and fresh mint to the mixture, I left out the soy sauce (didnโ€™t have any) then put it in pitta bread and was delicious

  7. Kurt says:

    5 stars
    Just made this tonight. Wife and kids loved it! Great recipe and easy to make. Thank you Bee!

  8. Megan says:

    Can you make this recipe woth salmon? How would you adjust the recipe?

  9. Hermsoven says:

    4 stars
    Easy to prepare, but lacking in flavor. None of the ingredients really stand out. Cooked the chicken on a stove-top cast iron grill after about 20 minutes marination. On the plus side, the chicken was succulent and looked attractive.