Chicken has never been a favorite of mine. I don’t know if I’m scarred for life from my parents feeding me BOILED chicken growing up or if it’s just not in my culinary DNA (the thought still makes me shudder). I’m trying to find new flavorful ways to add more chicken into my repertoire. Cilantro lime chicken is a giant leap in the right direction.
The only way I really like plain chicken is if it’s grilled or barbecued. I love the slightly charred texture of grilled chicken. It nullifies that plain chicken taste I just can’t stand. But how do we get around grilling marinated chicken if we forget or don’t have time to actually marinade the chicken? Easy, we sear it in a cast iron skillet within a marinade that will offer a nice thick, caramelized finish.
I love the cilantro lime combo.
Cilantro lime chicken is a sweet and zesty dinner that tastes as if it’s been marinated for hours and grilled to perfection. The marinade consist of honey, cilantro, lime, garlic, and cumin. The honey will add a sweet caramelized glaze, similar to your classic barbecued chicken, while the lime, cilantro, and cumin will offer a more zesty and exotic twist.
I’ve been meaning to try chicken thighs for quite some time. Chicken thighs are more tender than your typical chicken breast. The meat is most comparable to the chicken wing or drumstick. Make sure you always get boneless—but try experimenting with skinless versus skin on. The skinless thighs are going to be a little healthier, but less flavorful.
And remember…don’t feed your kids or loved ones boiled chicken—they may never forgive you.
Prep Time:
Yield:
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PinIngredients
- 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (affiliate), for searing
Cilantro Lime Sauce
- 1/4 cup lime juice (or juice of 2 limes)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine cilantro lime sauce ingredients in a bowl, whisk until combined. Set aside.
- Season chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil (affiliate) in cast iron skillet on medium heat. Once warm, add the chicken and sear for about 5-7 minutes. Flip and sear for an additional 5-7 minutes.
- Add the cilantro lime sauce, Let sauce simmer until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Flip the chicken in the sauce until well coated. Garnish with additional cilantro if desired and serve.
Adapted from: The Recipe Critic
This looks amazing, thanks for sharing and can’t wait to try it! boiled chicken…that is just not right ?Sorry you had to go through that, but good to see you are on the road to recovery w this delicious recipe! 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks Jenn! Yes, slowly but surely getting there 😉
I’ve made this now a couple of times. My husband and son are in love with this recipe. I went different with it tonight and made it with shrimp. It was delicious!!! Wondering now how it would taste with steak?? Maybe on my next venture to the meat market I will get a good cut and try it out 🙂 Thank you bunches for this recipe!
★★★★★
You’re welcome – so glad you and your family like it. Maybe with steak tips? I think it may be too sweet for your typical steak, but it could be perfect as a steak tip marinade. Give it a shot!
This was amazing! I’m so happy I found this. I made tacos with this recipe topped only with Mexican cream. It was so good I ran back to the kitchen to cook more! Thank you!
★★★★★
VERY interesting idea, Melissa! I will have to give that a try.
Lots of flavor! Awaken your tastebuds with the sweet/sour combo!
★★★★★
Thank you, Veronica!
This was absolutely amazing! So glad you shared it! We used boneless and skinless chicken thighs and thought it was flavorful with the cilantro-lime sauce. The cast iron did a great job of adding a crispy texture. We have a fairly new cast iron and i was afraid the lime was going to strip the oil finish, but it turned out fine. Thanks again!
Amazing! I used my cast iron skillet. Your timing is perfect. Thank you.
Thank you, Sarah!
I intended to make this 2 night ago but only had time to whip up the sauce! How long do you think the sauce will last in the fridge?
I hope I’m not too late – but I think 2-3 days (prob even longer) refrigerated is fine if I had to guess.
Om! Recipe is fantastic
Thanks Carol!
DEEELISH!
Hi, it was delicious but my sauce did not carmelize. Not sure what I did wrong. Followed times exactly.
★★★★★
May need to turn up the heat a little more and get a good simmer going for it to caramelize.
Thanks! The recipe is a keeper no matter. Easy but great flavors.
Used your excellent directions to pan sear my first ever chicken dish.
As someone who is a complete novice your clear simple style is very appreciated!
This recipe is amazing. It’s for keeps. Very flavorful and easy to make. I added thin slices of jalapeno to add mor kick and its delicious. I was scared of burning the honey but it caramelized perfectly. Thank you for sharing! 5 star!