Ditch the bottle and make your own marinade, it's easier than you think! This Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken is fresh, flavorful, and from scratch!
Summerrrrrr! I know you're out there. We saw a glimmer of it in May, but lately, it's been cool and drizzly and much more Spring-like than summer. No matter, in this household there is no grilling "season." You'll find my husband next to the grill in the snow, sleet, rain, wind, hurricane, tornado, tsunami, zombie apocalypse... Man loves his grill. And I love giving him all the things to grill, like this new Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken!
Ingredients Needed
By now, you all know that this household is all about fresh. Those bottles of pre-made marinade? Full of high fructose corn syrup, xanthan Gum, sodium benzoate and a whole host of other preservatives. In this marinade?
- Olive oil
- Fresh cilantro
- Fresh garlic
- Fresh lime juice
- Salt
Remember those Breyers ice cream commercials with the little kiddos reading the ingredients of their ice cream vs. the ingredients of their competitors? Every time I make something from scratch, I think of a little one reading the ingredient list of what I've just made, reassuring me that the little added effort is 100% worth it.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Ok yes, opening a bottle is a tad easier. Just a tad, though.
Step 1: Add all ingredients (except chicken) and mix!
Step 2: Add chicken and marinate!
TIP: Using a regular large plastic bag is totally fine. But we find that for marinating (especially if we don't have a lot of time) vacuuming sealing the bags is a great way to do it. We love our Food Saver for not only this, but to store a lot of our homemade stock, soup, and meats. It's an investment, but if you freeze anything, it's totally worth it!
Speaking of grill... we are in love with this bad boy (a new house treat for us!) Nothing like a stainless steel Weber!
Step 3: Grill!
TIP: To keep chicken juicy, reduce the amount of times you open the grill lid and check on the chicken. Typically breasts will take 7-9 minutes to grill (dependent upon thickness of the chicken), so at the 4 1/2 - 5 minute mark, flip and try to avoid opening the grill more than that.
To be sure that you're chicken if fully cooked, it's always best to use a thermometer to ensure it's heated to 165 degrees. We love this instant read thermometer from Thermo Pro.
Grilled to juicy perfection! This was sooo flavorful and perfect to just pull out of the fridge when we got home from work and toss on the grill.
Other Favorite Grilled Recipes
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Breasts
10 Minute Spicy Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Sides to Serve With
15 Minute Garlic Parmesan Zoodles
Enjoy friends! If you make this recipe or any others, please let me know on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest! I love hearing from you!
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 1/2 tablespoons raw honey
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro minced
- 3 limes juiced
- 2 -3 teaspoons kosher salt to season chicken
Instructions
- Generously salt both sides of the chicken breasts and place in a large zip lock bag or food saver bag.
- In a medium bowl, mix the remaining ingredients.
- Add mixture to the bag with the chicken and carefully move around the chicken in the bag to ensure they are all coated with the marinade.
- Remove as much air as possible from the bag, seal, and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Grill for about 7-9 minutes on each side, until internal temp is 165 degrees F or juices run clear.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
GRILLING SEASON! I can already smell this wafting around in my backyard. I love how simple and refreshing this is. This chicken is great as a main, and I'm thinking in a hearty salad as well. So many options!
Ooh...love the fresh cilantro and lime combo. Can't wait to try this super simple marinade for grilled chicken. Just the right flavors and the touch of honey...YUM.
Haha my man loves his grill too! And his smoker and his charcoal bbq. He would adore this homemade sauce for so many things. Gotta try it out ASAP! Maybe Father's day..... 🙂
I love recipes that use a lot of cilantro, not only because I love the taste of cilantro, but because I always seem to end up with more of it than I know what to do with. I hate throwing out old cilantro, and yet it happens all too often! I'm going to have to start using this as my go-to when I've got a bunch of cilantro to finish up. The lime and honey are perfect flavours to balance the greens, and amazing with chicken, so I can see myself using this quite a bit (and in quite a few different ways!). Do you know how long the marinade would keep on its own in the fridge?
Hi Sean! While it's best to use citrus based marinades as soon as possible (because over time you'll lose the potency of the citrus) 3 - 4 days would be fine for this marinade. The biggest concern is that fresh lime juice starting to ferment, but that'll take awhile. 🙂
We are ecstatic with grill season. We love cooking out and make as many dishes as we can on the grill. Now, I believe cilantro and lime belong together. They are such a great marinade combination and have made it many times. You've reminded me that I need to kick up our chicken meal with a cilantro lime marinade.
I love easy peasy summer grilling dishes like this so much because I am tied to my grill all summer but want to have plenty of options for switching those chicken breasts up. I'm glad that this marinade comes together with delicious, clean ingredients and I don't have to fuss much to get big flavors! This would be perfect paired with a simple summer salad or even some grilled veggie drizzled in a bit of the marinade as well!
I put cilantro and lime on literally everything (my husband jokes that all he needs to do to find me is follow the trail of cut limes I leave around the house), so this chicken is right up my alley! I will give the marinade a try with chicken skewers rather than chicken pieces because when I tend to grill for a lot of friends, and it just seems easier that way. Great recipe!
I am so happy grilling season is finally here. This chicken sounds delicious. I know my family would enjoy it for sure. Leftovers would make great chicken salad sandwiches too.