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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.
I had some boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I needed to cook ASAP, and used this recipe. They were absolutely DELICIOUS!!!! Very moist and a wonderful flavor. I will be trying them soon using the thighs, as the recipe suggests. This one is definitely a favorite!!
Made this last night. OMG it was so good. Will be making again, I did use boneless chicken breast.
Awesome so glad that you tried my chili lime chicken recipe.
Making this tonite with boneless chicken. Breast as well as bone in chicken breasts to get a little variety. It looks amazing! I’m also going to use this marinade next time for grilled shrimp too which I think will be amazing! Serving this with a black beanand roasted corn salsa. Can’t wait to try it!
Yes, thanks for trying my chili lime chicken recipe.
Trying for the first time and I wanted to know what type of chilli powder you used in this recipe? Cayenne pepper? Also, did you fresh jalapeno or pickled ones?
I have made this several times, but am now using boneless, skinless thighs. If I do them in the oven instead of on the grill…..how long at 400?
I add extra lime and honey…..Annemarie
I would grill for 15 or 20 minutes, just check the doneness. :)
Love this recipie.Thanks Rasa
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was soooooo delicious!! I was only able to marinade it for an hour (hungry kids) but it still had great flavor. I used chicken stripstock (helped with the shorter marinade time) and broiled them on a sheet for ~20 mins. 10 mins with rack set to middle of oven, then around 6 to 8 mins up close to the flame to char. The chicken was so moist and perfect! I’m going to use this recipe all the time!! Kids gave it two thumbs way up, too!! Thanks!!
Hi Larkin, so glad that you loved my chili lime chicken recipe. Imagine you can marinate longer and summer time on grill. Thanks for your comment. :)
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. We marinated the chicken this morning and grilled this evening. So tender, moist and flavorful. This recipe is such a keeper!
Hi Colleen thanks for your sweet comment, I am so happy that you love my chili lime chicken recipe!
it was delicious.
I want to try this today but want to use skinless-boneless in the crockpot. Thoughts? I’m thinking toss all ingredients and set on low for 6 hours.
I’m wondering the same thing!