A quick and easy marinade of spices, fresh cilantro, and zesty lime juice transforms chicken breasts from boring to bursting with flavor. Grilled or fried up in a skillet, this Cilantro Lime Chicken is easy and delicious!
Marinades are a great way to ramp up the flavor of any protein. This Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade is flavorful and fresh and super easy to make. A summer mix of flavors that is perfect right off the grill as is or in tacos, wraps, or on salads. Seriously so good!
About the Ingredients
- Chicken breasts – Boneless, skinless, either thin or cut in half horizontally. Chicken tenderloins also marinate well and are great on the grill.
- Cilantro – There’s no substitute for fresh cilantro in this marinade. One bunch, washed and chopped, about a cup of loosely packed chopped leaves.
- Fresh garlic – 4 cloves (or more if you like) peeled.
- Olive oil – Extra virgin olive oil is our usual go to but any olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil can be substituted 1:1.
- Fresh limes – The combination of fresh lime juice and lime zest offers a strong lime flavor in this marinade but 3 tablespoons of bottled lime juice (or even bottled lemon juice) will work as the acidic element.
- Taco seasoning – Homemade Taco Seasoning or prepackaged taco seasoning can be used.
How to make Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
Cilantro Lime Marinade takes just a few minutes to make when you use a food processor to chop and blend the ingredients. If you don’t have a food processor, a blender or a smoothie maker will work in a pinch!
For thin chicken breasts, place one hand flat on top of each chicken breast and, holding your knife parallel to the cutting board, slice it in half horizontally from the thick end to the thin end. Do for all chicken breasts.
Set the chicken cutlets into a shallow dish or into a zip top bag and set aside.
Into the bowl of a food processor add cilantro, garlic cloves, olive oil, lime juice and zest and taco seasoning.
Pulse until finely blended, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add the marinade to the chicken cutlets and turn to coat the chicken evenly. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours to overnight.
When ready to cook, remove from the marinade and either grill or pan fry until browned and cooked through (no longer pink, temperature registering 165 on an instant read thermometer). Enjoy!
FAQ about Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
Why should i marinate chicken?
- Marinating chicken infuses the flavors into the meat and makes the chicken more tender and juicy. It is less likely to dry out when cooking and it is easy to do with delicious results!
What are the best cuts of chicken to marinate?
- Chicken Breasts, chicken tenderloins, chicken legs, chicken thighs, or even the entire whole chicken!
How Long Should I marinate the Chicken?
- The answer is 20 minutes to 24 hours, depending on your marinade. If there is a lot of citrus or vinegar in the marinade, they can be strong and you’ll want to use less time. For best results, we always suggest marinating for around 4 hours, but no more than 24 hours.
What kind of container should I Marinate the Chicken in?
- Our favorite containers for marinating are glass baking dishes (easy cleanup!) or gallon sized zip top bags.
Can I freeze my chicken in the marinade?
- Yes! If you want to freeze your marinated chicken, use a zip top bag, remove the air and pop the bag directly into the freezer. It will keep for up to three months. To use, thaw completely and cook as desired!
What can I use Marinated Chicken for?
We love to grill marinated chicken and serve as a main dish but you don’t have to! It makes a great addition to make ahead lunches, can be used in tacos, wraps, or on salads. The sky is the limit!
Other Marinades and Dressings you may like
Pantry Pork Chop Marinade – a quick (2 hours or less!) delicious pork marinade made up of common pantry ingredients.
Asian Ginger Salad Dressing – makes a nice quick marinade, it can be brushed over vegetables and it makes a great salad dressing.
One Pan Chicken Fajitas – Great weeknight family meal and only one pan to wash!
Homemade Thousand Island Salad Dressing – A delicious, preservative free addition to any salad or burger.
Easy Homemade Ranch Dip – easily transformed into an awesome salad dressing with just a little milk.
Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts thin or cut in half horizontally
- 1 bunch cilantro leaves chopped, about a cup loosely packed
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small limes juiced and zested, about 3 tbsp
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
Instructions
- For thin chicken breasts, place one hand flat on top of each chicken breast and, holding your knife parallel to the cutting board, slice it in half horizontally from the thick end to the thin end. Do for all chicken breasts.
- Set the chicken cutlets into a shallow dish or into a zip top bag and set aside.
- Into the bowl of a food processor add cilantro, garlic cloves, olive oil, lime juice and zest and taco seasoning.
- Pulse until finely blended, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add the marinade to the chicken cutlets and turn to coat the chicken evenly. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours to overnight.
- When ready to cook, remove from the marinade and either grill or pan fry until browned and cooked through (no longer pink, temperature registering 165 on an instant read thermometer). Enjoy!
Nutrition *
* The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
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