Name: Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves; ¼ cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons lime juice from one lime; 1 teaspoon lime zest from one lime; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper; 3 cloves garlic finely minced; ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken Breasts

Looking for a simple but delicious marinade that’s perfect for the grill or the skillet? My cilantro lime chicken is one of my favorite grilling recipes, but also cooks up beautiful in a pan during the winter months.

Total 2 hours 25 minutes

Serves 4 servings

Dinner

American

Jump to the recipe

grilled chicken breasts on a wood cutting board

Why this recipe works

Only 5 ingredients makes this a really easy and affordable recipe. I always have limes and garlic in the fridge, so I usually only have to pick up cilantro.Thi

My cilantro lime chicken is versatile too. It’s wonderful as chicken tacos, sliced up in a salad, or even on a homemade hamburger bun!

cilantro lime grilled chicken breasts on a white plate

Ingredients you will need

I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but chicken thighs work great with this marinade as well.

labeled ingredient photo for cilantro lime chicken

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. Please scroll down to simply print out the recipe!

Poke several holes in the chicken breasts with the tip of a knife. Place chicken breasts in a glass casserole dish.

woman poking chicken breasts with a knife

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, zest, salt, pepper, garlic, and cilantro.

Pour marinade over the chicken, turning to coat each breast.

woman pouring marinade over chicken in a glass dish

Marinate covered, in the refrigerator for about 2 to 4 hours.

Remove chicken from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before cooking. Grill over medium heat for several minutes, turn and grill several more, enough to get nice grill marks. Turn heat down to low and cover, turning occasionally, until meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.

Let rest on a cutting board tented with aluminum foil for ten minutes before slicing. Serve with Grilled Corn on the Cob.

Expert Tips & FAQs

Dry off the marinated meat before you put it onto the grill. Remove the meat from the marinade, let it drip, then place on paper towels and pat dry. Placing meat with wet marinade on it onto the grill can cause scorching and burning.
To cook in the skillet instead of on the grill, follow all the instructions for preparing the chicken. When it’s time to cook, add some olive oil to a skillet and let it get hot (but not smoking) over medium high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, then reduce heat to low and partially cover. Allow to cook until internal temperature reaches 165 F.

We make this cilantro lime grilled chicken throughout the summer, it’s that good!

More Great Grill Recipes

Before you grill anything, be sure to properly clean your gas grill.

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This post originally appeared here on May 14, 2012 and has since been updated with new photos and expert tips.