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Chili Lime Grilled Chicken - moist and delicious chicken marinated in chili and lime and grilled to golden perfection in this easy recipe that takes 30 mins
The Best Grilled Chicken
This chili lime grilled chicken is absolutely delicious, juicy, and flavorful. It hits all the right notes: citrusy, aromatic, with a pleasant nuance of the cilantro and garlic.
Ingredients For Grilled Chicken Marinade
- Lime juice and zest
- Olive oil
- Cilantro
- Jalapeno
- Garlic
- Honey
- Chili powder
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Chili Lime Grilled Chicken Recipe
For the chicken, the original recipe calls for chicken breast but I opted for chicken thighs with the skin and bone.
I remove the bones prior to marinating the chicken and still keep the skin. The end result is crispy skin, and tender, juicy chicken meat.
I love the combination of chili, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice in the marinade. They pair so well with the chicken, with a tint of spiciness from the chili.
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep at medium heat covered for about 5-7 minutes, then flip it over. Grill for another 5-7 minutes, or until the thermometer reads 165°.
Yes, chicken is high in protein and also low in calories. It is very useful in diets working to shed body fat.
No. You can make it anytime with a cast-iron grill pan or regular skillet, or bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes at 400F. The end result is always amazing.
This recipe is only 515 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Chili Lime Grilled Chicken
For a wholesome meal and easy BBQ party, I recommend the following recipes.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Chili Lime Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 – 2 1/2 lbs. (900g-1.1kg) skin on chicken thighs
Marinade:
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 3 teaspoons fresh lime zest
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped finely
- 2 jalapeño, chopped finely
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder , or to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the chicken thighs, remove the bones, leaving the skin on, and pat them dry with paper towels. Set aside.
- Get a big bowl and mix all the ingredients for the marinade together using a whisk. Make sure the marinade is well combined.
- Add the chicken to the marinade, making sure to stir and coat the chicken evenly. Marinate for 2 hours.
- Fire up the grill, brush a little oil on the surface. Add some of the garlic, cilantro, and jalapeno from the marinade on top of the chicken and grill until golden brown and charred on both sides. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this tonight; it was so delicious… Thanks for the recipe my family sure enjoyed it.
Hi Laura, thanks for trying this chili lime chicken recipe. You should try more recipes on my site. :)
Made this tonight and it was delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for trying my chili lime recipe.
Can you use pork chops instead of chicken?
Just tried this in the oven and was a little nervous it would be too spicy (We’re babies!) but it was the perfect amount of spice. Will definitely be making this again!
Thanks for trying the chili lime chicken recipe.
If baking, should I turn the chicken over once? If so, which side should be face-up first?
No need to turn it will get cooked. Skin side up.
Do you think I could use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead?
Of course you can but won’t be as flavorful, moist and sinfully delicious.
I pinned this recipe and decided to cook it as a part of my Pinterest Cooking challenge and it was absolutely amazing. So juicy and citrusy that neither me nor my boyfriend could get enough :-) I used chicken supremes, baked them in the oven and the result was superb. Will definitely be making it again and again. Thank you so much for this wonderful dish! It was in fact so yummy, that I added it to my blog – http://en.londonbeginnings.co.uk/blog/recipe/chilli-lime-chicken/
Hi Maja, thanks for your comment, and yes this chili lime chicken is absolutely wonderful!!
hi! I tried this dish at a girl friends house. I loved it! I wonder, can I be marinated longer than 2 hours? For instance while I’m at work?
Heather – of course you can marinate overnight, it’s even better. :)
Please don’t tell people to rinse chicken. It is a foolproof way to spread chicken spooge all over the sink and adjacent areas. This can lead to contamination and sickness. There is no reason to rinse chicken for any reason. You are cooking it at a high temperature and killing anything on the surface.
It’s my personal preference. Even though you are killing all potential germs during the cooking process but there are always some dirty bits on the surface…feathers…blood…etc.
I always wash my chicken, then disinfect my area with a bleach and water solution.
Cooking will kill any bacteria present, including campylobacter, while washing chicken can spread germs by splashing. Thoroughly wash and clean all utensils, chopping boards and surfaces used to prepare raw chicken. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water, after handling raw chicken. (from Google: “washing raw chicken?”)
I wear disposable plastic gloves in bulk from Costco, when prepping chicken or any other raw meat. I do rinse in deep sink, set meat in a deep strainer to drain. Pat with paper towel and all contaminated goes in the trash. Work surface and surrounding area is disinfected. I do not use same counter for meat that I prep other foods on, ever. Opposite sides of the sink. I easily can use more than one set of gloves, so gloves are sitting out and waiting for a change out. They just roll off staying inside out. Trash is bagged up and taken out.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I made the marinade this morning, marinated my chicken throughout the day, about 6 hours, baked it in the oven (it was raining in my neck of the woods today) and it was hands down delicious. I used pepper flakes but followed everything else. I’ll be looking for other recipes on your site for sure.
Thanks Mimi, this is an excellent recipe.