Cilantro Lime Chicken offers a zesty, flavor-packed chicken breast, perfect for grilling or searing in a cast iron skillet.
We love serving our cilantro lime chicken recipe with our Mexican Black Beans, Pico De Gallo, and white rice. You could also serve it with our fresh Guacamole Recipe! Want more greens? Try our Kale Guacamole!
You could easily eat this as we suggested, or even use it for tacos and burritos! This can easily be made into a delicious dinner or even meal prep by making a burrito bowl or salad bowl. Plus, it’s easy to cook, whether you’re using a grill or a pan on the stove!
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Chicken Breasts – You can use this marinade with plant protein, pork, shrimp, or even steak.
- Lime Juice – Adds a fresh, tangy flavor. We recommend using fresh lime juice.
- Avocado Oil – This adds richness and moisture to the marinade.
- Fresh Cilantro – Brings a bright, herbal note, but if you don’t like cilantro we recommend using parsley.
- Garlic – In a pinch and out of garlic? We love using granulated garlic in it’s place if we’re out.
- Cumin & Chili Powder – Provides warmth and a little heat.
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper – Salt brings out all the flavor and the pepper adds a bit of heat as well.
How to make cilantro lime chicken
Prepare Chicken: Pound the chicken breasts thin for even cooking.
Make Marinade: Mix avocado oil, cilantro, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
Marinate: Coat chicken in the marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Cook: Heat oil in a skillet. Cook chicken 5-8 minutes each side until done.
Rest: Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes after cooking.
Serve: Squeeze fresh lime juice over chicken and then garnish with cilantro.
Recipe Tips and Alterations:
- Marinating the chicken enhances the flavor.
- Resting proteins will ensure it’s nice and juicy. Always wait at least 5-10 minutes to slice into it.
- Depending on the thickness of your chicken you may need to increase the cook time. You should cook it until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F in the thickest part.
- This works well with other protein as well, you’ll just need to adjust the cooking time.
more recipes with cilantro
Cilantro Lime Chicken
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Print Pin SaveIngredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
- 2 limes juiced
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil divided
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped, plus more for garnish
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken by pounding it thin. Alternatively, you can slice the chicken breasts into thinner slices for quicker cooking.
- In a mixing container, combine 2 tablespoons of avocado oil, chopped cilantro, minced garlic, cumin, chili powder, kosher salt, and black pepper to create the marinade.
- Add the chicken to the container, ensuring each piece is well-coated with the marinade. Let the chicken marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
- After marinating, remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of avocado oil.
- Cook the chicken in the skillet for 5-8 minutes on each side, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius).
- Once cooked, let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, ensuring it’s moist and flavorful.
- Squeeze fresh lime juice over the sliced chicken and garnish with additional chopped cilantro, if desired.
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Notes
- Ensure all ingredients are prepared before marinating the chicken to streamline the cooking process.
- Letting the chicken rest for 5 minutes after cooking is crucial for retaining its juiciness.
- Cook time will depend on how large your chicken breasts are but you can pound them or thinly slice them to decrease the cook time.
- You can also do this with chicken thighs, but will need to adjust the cooking time.
Nutrition
The nutritional information is automatically calculated and can vary based ingredients and products used. If the nutrition numbers are important for you we recommend calculating them yourself.
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