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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.
Hey, is there anything that i can replace jalapenoes with? its hard to find from where I am, and a little too pricey :) btw, loving your blog! Ive tried a couple of recipes from here and it was really good! cant wait to try this one now
You can use cayenne pepper. :) Thanks for your sweet comment, I am so glad that you like my recipes.
Tried the chilli and lime chicken, used chicken wings.
Was delicious and a great hit with kids. Definitely going to be a regular
Dish. Thank you
Chicken wings sound like a great idea. Thanks for trying the chili lime chicken recipe.
I made this last night and the fam loved it. Instead of thighs I used chicken breasts and since I’m cooking for a Chinese family I tripled the chili powder which gave it a brilliant kick. This is a definite keeper.
Hi Michael, thanks for trying the chili lime chicken recipe.
Made this for dinner last night and it was very delicious. I used skinless boneless chicken breast and baked them in the oven. I took the marinade and boiled it for a bit on the stove to make a glaze. Then during the baking on occasion I spread some glaze over the chicken. For the last few minutes I turned on the broiler to thicken up the glaze a little bit more. This recipe is a keeper – Thank You!
Hi Toni, thanks for your tips and thanks for trying my chili lime chicken recipe. :)
Just wrote a blog post on this! We gave it 5 stars! Definate going into my meal rotation!
Hi Brittany, thanks so much, I am so glad that you like this chili lime chicken recipe.
This was absolutely delicious. I made it with chicken breasts alongside black beans and roasted veggies. We will continue to make this. If this was on the menu of a restaurant I would order it all the time. Flavor is intense and delicious.
Awww, thanks so much for your sweet comment. Yes, this chili lime chicken recipe is definitely restaurant quality.
When you say 2lb chicken, is it with the bone or without when you weight it? Thanks.
Love this recipie. I let the chicken marinate all day and then through it on the grill. Would like to know how much is a serving? Is it one or two pieces of chicken?
A serving is one or two pieces.
Are the calories and fat content really that high? I see 653 calories and 53 grams of fat.
Can you marinade this overnight???
Yes you can!