Cilantro Lime Chicken
Discover the irresistible flavors of our juicy Mexican Cilantro Lime Chicken. With a tantalizing marinade of fresh cilantro, zesty lime juice, and aromatic garlic, this easy recipe is perfect for pan-frying, baking, or grilling. Try it now!
Servings: 3 people
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. (700g) skin-on deboned chicken thighs
- lime wedges for garnishing
- chopped cilantro for garnishing
Marinade:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons cilantro stems and leaves finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). In a large bowl, whisk all the Marinade ingredients together until well combined. Add the chicken to the marinade, stirring to coat evenly. Allow the chicken to marinate for 15 minutes; for optimal flavor, marinate for up to 2 hours.
- Heat a skillet and pan-fry the chicken skin-side down until it is slightly browned. Then, turn it over and pan-fry the other side until it is also slightly browned.
- Spoon the remaining marinade over the chicken before baking. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, discarding the oily drippings. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the chicken, garnish with cilantro, and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Use an oven-safe skillet or pan to bake the chicken in the oven. Grilling is also an option for cooking the chicken.
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 3people | Calories: 631kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 222mg | Sodium: 575mg | Potassium: 509mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 416IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg