Cilantro Lime Chicken is both simple and flavorful! Pair it with cilantro-lime rice and mango avocado salsa for a fresh and delicious meal.
author’s note
I Make This Chicken on Repeat for a Reason!
This cilantro lime chicken has been one of the most loved recipes on my site for years. I’ve gotten so many kind messages and rave reviews about it, which makes my day every time. I always love hearing how much you enjoy it because it’s one of my personal favorites too, and a big hit with my family.
Even though there are a few parts to it, the chicken, salsa, and rice, it all comes together really nicely. I usually get the chicken marinating earlier in the day, then have my husband throw it on the grill while I prep the salsa and rice. If I know the evening will be busy, I’ll make the salsa ahead of time and just add the avocado right before serving.
It’s one of those meals that feels restaurant-quality but still light and fresh, which I absolutely love. It’s packed with flavor, has simple prep, and is one I know everyone will happily eat and love.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Swaps or Tips |
|---|---|
| Chicken breasts or thighs | Both work well and stay juicy in this marinade. Thighs are extra forgiving if you like darker meat. |
| Fresh lime juice + zest | Bottled juice works in a pinch, but fresh gives the best flavor. |
| Orange juice | Pineapple juice also works and adds a fun twist. |
| Cilantro | If you are not a cilantro fan, try flat leaf parsley instead. |
| Honey | Maple syrup works too. |
| Olive oil | Use a good quality oil for best flavor. |
| Cumin | Chili powder works for a slightly different flavor profile. |
How To Make Cilantro-Lime Chicken
- Whisk together the marinade: Remove about 1/2 cup of the marinade (use it later).
- Prep chicken: You want to pound chicken breasts to an even thickness so they’ll cook evenly later on. This is best accomplished by a meat mallet.
- Marinate: Place the chicken in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 mins.
- Cook: Grill, bake, or saute the chicken until it reaches 165 degrees F.
- Baste: As you cook the chicken, brush it occasionally with the reserved marinade mix.
Quick Tip
Mangoes have a large pit inside and that makes it tricky to slice them. Here’s a helpful visual guide: how to cut a mango.
Chelsea’s recipe tips
My Top Tips For Success
- Even thickness = even cooking: Slice the chicken in half or pound it so it cooks evenly and soaks up more marinade.
- Oil the grill: Soak a paper towel in oil (I use canola), grab it with tongs, and rub it on the grates so the chicken doesn’t stick.
- Preheat the grill: A hot grill gives the chicken a better sear and keeps it juicy.
- Marinade: While it cooks, brush on the reserved marinade for extra flavor.
- Let it rest: Tent with foil and rest for 5–10 mins before slicing to keep it juicy.
Featured Comment
“This is literally the best dinner recipe ever! Everyone that has tried this (paired with the coconut lime rice and mango avocado salsa) say it is restaurant quality and it is one of the best things they’ve ever tasted! You must try this! My husband requests it often.”
– Bree
Storage
Let the chicken cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store the mango avocado salsa separately and use within 1 day. Reheat chicken gently.
Cilantro-Lime Chicken Sides:
Fruit Salads
Peach Fruit Salad
Salads
Mandarin Orange Salad
Side Dishes
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Side Dishes
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 batch mango-avocado salsa
- cilantro-lime rice or coconut-lime rice, optional
Instructions
- Zest orange and lime with a zester to get 1 teaspoon of zest from each. Juice them using a citrus juicer to get 3/4 cup orange juice and 1/3 cup lime juice.
- Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup marinade and pour the rest into a large resealable bag.
- Trim chicken of fat. Pound chicken to even thickness or slice in half to get evenly sized breasts and place in bag with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and flip the bag halfway through. Marinate for up to 6 hours.
- Preheat the grill to 450°F and lightly oil the grill grate or grill pan. Place the marinated chicken on the grill, discarding any leftover marinade. For baking or pan-searing options, refer to the "Alternate Cooking Methods" section in the full post.
- Grill for 10–12 minutes or until chicken juices run clear and internal temperature is 165℉ (see note 1). Flip chicken halfway and brush it generously with reserved 1/2 cup marinade.
- Prepare mango-avocado salsa.
- If desired, prepare cilantro-lime or coconut rice.
- Serve grilled chicken over a bed of rice (if prepared) and top with mango-avocado salsa. Enjoy immediately!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Cilantro Lime Chicken FAQs
Thirty minutes gives good flavor, but 4 hours is the sweet spot. Longer than 24 hours can toughen the meat.
Yes. You pulled it out before adding raw chicken, so it never touched raw meat.
Always pull chicken at 165°F in the thickest part for juicy results.
Alternate Cooking Methods
Use a thermometer to check doneness. Chicken should reach 165°F. Undercooked chicken isn’t safe and overcooked chicken turns dry.
- Baked: Heat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Bake chicken about 18 minutes, flipping halfway. Tent with foil and rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.
- Sautéed: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan over medium high heat. Cook chicken 4 to 6 minutes per side, brushing with reserved marinade as it cooks. Transfer to a clean plate, tent with foil, and rest 5 to 10 minutes.
Variations
Fun Serving Twists
- Street-style tacos: Shred the chicken, pile into warm corn tortillas, and top with pickled onions.
- Burrito bowls: Layer cilantro-lime rice, black beans, grilled corn, and chopped chicken. Finish with lime crema.
- Stuffed sweet potatoes: Split a baked sweet potato, fill with chicken, mango salsa, and a drizzle of hot honey.
- Quesadilla: Thinly slice leftovers and press with Pepper Jack between tortillas
Excellent recipe. Salsa was bright and flavorful, loved the rice and the chicken was excellent!.
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks so much Mark! 🙂
Made this for tea 09/08/2022 followed the instructions and tasted the marinade but wasn’t over keen i thought it tasted a bit bland but I decided to persevere and marinated the chicken in the sauce for 7 hrs I’m so glad I did because it turned out absolutely delicious and I think by letting it marinade for as long as you can it helps to infuse all the ingredients into the chicken. As for the salsa that was also delicious and I would definitely make this again.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed this! Thanks Bev! 🙂
We made this for dinner. It was amazing!! Full of flavor! Will definitely be making it again!
I’m so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Renee! 🙂
Absolutely delicious! The mango salsa is the star of this show. Will definitely make this again and again…
I am so thrilled to hear this! That salsa is definitely the star! 🙂
This recipe is really hard to read and follow. Half the marinade ingredients are meant for the salsa. If you’re going to separate them like that, you should just put those ingredients under the salsa heading.
Thanks for your feedback Sara!
The ingredients measurements do not match what is written in the directions. What is the correct amount? I.e., soy sauce? Cilantro?
I’m confused what you mean. The soy sauce is what is written in the recipe and the cilantro is divided use so you add 1/4 cup to marinade and 1/4 cup to the salsa
Came here to find this comment or add it myself.
The chicken marinade ingredients say “2 and 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce” and “2 teaspoons minced garlic” but the marinade instructions say “1 teaspoon each cumin, soy sauce, garlic”. If you only use 1 tsp each of the soy sauce and garlic for the marinade, when do you use the rest? (the cumin is right, 1 tsp in the marinade, the remaining 1/4 tsp in the salsa)
This recipe is the best, btw!
I am so thrilled you loved this recipe! Everything is updated, thanks for your feedback!
It calls for 2.5 tablespoons of soy sauce in the ingredients, but then it only mentions adding one teaspoon of soy sauce to the marinade. What about the rest of it? It isn’t mentioned anywhere else.
Thanks for catching this! The recipe is updated!
2 times i make . Its delicious 😋
So happy to hear! Thanks Johnna! 🙂
Absolutely nothing about this dish was “easy to whip together” but I can’t say the difficulty wasn’t worth it. This may be the most delicious dinner I’ve ever made. I used skin-on thighs instead of chicken breasts, and we can’t eat avocado, so I added some pinto beans instead. Fantastic!
I am beyond thrilled to hear this is the most delicious meal you’ve ever made! Thanks so much! 🙂
Delicious, used fresh pineapple in place of mango and put cilantro in salsa too.
Glad you enjoyed the dish!
Question for you! Life got crazy and the chicken has been marinating for 2 days. Is it still good?
I’m not sure! If it smells okay it’s probably alright. The citrus from the marinade has probably dried it out quite a bit (acid will begin “cooking” the chicken)