This super simple Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade is perfect for summer grilling. It results in the juiciest, most flavorful chicken and pairs incredibly well with many different side dishes. Serve up this cilantro lime chicken in under an hour.
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Why You'll Love This Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
- Fresh and flavorful! Using fresh ingredients helps make this cilantro lime chicken extra juicy and flavorful.
- Healthy dinner idea! All ingredients used in this healthy chicken marinade are from real, good-for-you ingredients. No fillers, additives, or unnecessary junk, just like in this greek yogurt chicken marinade!
- Perfect for both meal prep AND busy weeknights! This recipe is easy enough to make during weekend meal prep OR when you're running around on busy weeknights. Just marinate the chicken all in 1 bowl and fire up your grill - it's that easy!
- A great staple recipe! Pair this recipe with street corn salsa to make this delicious street corn grilled chicken or serve it up in tacos, quesadillas, salads, burrito bowls, or chicken salad!
Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken breasts because they're neutral in flavor and offer lean protein, but you can also use boneless thighs too.
- Agave: Agave helps to caramelize the marinade on the chicken while grilling. Its sweetness also balances the acidity of the lime juice. If you don't have agave, honey or pure maple syrup will work too!
- Fresh cilantro: I love fresh cilantro in this marinade for its brightness and flavor. However, if you don't like cilantro, you can use fresh parsley, dill, or ½ tablespoon of dried herbs, like oregano and thyme.
- Lime juice: The acidity of the lime juice helps to tenderize the chicken breasts. It also adds great tangy flavor. If you don't have fresh limes, you can use red wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or lemon juice.
⭐️ See recipe card below for descriptions and quantities of each ingredient.
Instructions
- Step 1: Add chicken to a large bowl. Top with olive oil, fresh lime juice, agave, chopped cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Mix until the chicken is fully coated. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 2: Preheat your grill to 425 degrees F.
- Step 3: Add marinated chicken to the grill. Cook, untouched with the grill closed, for 5 to 7 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side, another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
⭐️ Tip: Cook the cilantro lime chicken with the grill closed so that the ambient temperature helps cook the chicken all the way through. Relying solely on the heat from the grill grates may cause the chicken to dry or burn on the outside before the inside cooks all the way through.
Substitutions and Alterations
- Boneless chicken breasts - You can use boneless chicken thighs instead.
- Agave - Honey or pure maple syrup would work well as a 1:1 substitution.
- Lime juice - Fresh lemon juice, red wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or rice wine vinegar would all work well too.
- Cilantro - I recommend using a fresh herb in this marinade for maximum flavor. If you don't like cilantro, you can use fresh parsley or dill! If you don't have fresh herbs accessible, you can use ½ tablespoon of dried oregano or dried thyme.
How to Store Cilantro Lime Chicken (and Marinade)
To store: Cilantro lime chicken marinade (with raw chicken) can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days in an airtight container.
After grilling, you can store grilled chicken in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To freeze: Freeze chicken after grilling in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months.
To reheat: Defrost grilled chicken in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to eat, preheat your oven or grill to 350 degrees F. Warm chicken for 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated through.
Top tip!
These chicken breasts will be cut thin, so make sure you don't overcook them! I like to butterfly the chicken breasts in half so they absorb more of the marinade. However, this means that they cook much faster and will only need about 10 to 15 minutes total on the grill.
Recipe FAQs
It is recommended to marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes and no longer than 24 hours.
However, if needed, you can marinate chicken up to 2 days. It is not recommended to keep it marinating much longer than that because the proteins and fibers of the meat may begin to break down in the marinade and turn the meat mushy.
Cilantro lime chicken pairs well with many different side dishes and meals! Serve it with coconut lime rice, blackened corn, roasted skillet corn, or air fryer bell peppers.
You can also serve it inside quesadillas and tacos or on top of burrito bowls and salads.
Related Recipes
Looking for more chicken recipes? Try these:
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know. Leave a comment with a rating at the bottom of this page!
Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied into 6 pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 tablespoon agave
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Add chicken to a large bowl. Top with olive oil, fresh lime juice, agave, chopped cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Mix until the chicken is fully coated. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat your grill to 425 degrees F.
- Add marinated chicken to the grill. Cook, untouched with the grill closed, for 5 to 7 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side, another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
Notes
- These chicken breasts will be cut thin, so make sure you don't overcook them! I like to butterfly the chicken breasts in half so they absorb more of the marinade. However, this means that they cook much faster and will only need about 10 to 15 minutes total on the grill.
Nutrition
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