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This cilantro lime chicken is sweet, salty, and citrusy and resembles a simple teriyaki glaze that adds worlds of delicious flavor. My cilantro lime chicken comes together in four simple steps and only takes about 25 minutes to pull together! It’s delicious with veggies or served over cilantro lime rice.
If you’ve enjoyed my cilantro lime salmon in foil or blackened salmon with cilantro lime butter, you will love this savory citrusy combo with chicken!
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe is prepared by pan-searing chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet until golden and nicely charred. The hot pan is then deglazed with a honey-based sauce, thickening and caramelizing into a sweet, tangy, and sticky sauce.
The cilantro lime marinade consists of honey, cilantro, fresh lime juice, garlic, ground cumin, and chili flakes. The honey will help form a sweet sticky glaze as the sauce simmers and reduces.
If you’re looking for more delicious chicken thigh recipes, try my simple roasted chicken thighs, grilled honey sriracha chicken thighs, and honey garlic chicken thighs!
Ingredients
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: boneless, skinless thighs are healthier than bone-in thighs and easier to pan-sear. Chicken thighs are more tender and flavorful compared to chicken breasts.
- Lime: fresh lime adds loads of citrus flavor. Use a citrus squeezer to juice the limes, otherwise, it’s very difficult to extract all of the juices you will need.
- Honey: honey adds sweetness and helps to thicken the sauce. Use brown sugar as a substitute but do not omit it entirely.
- Cilantro: fresh cilantro is critical to adding that signature cilantro taste to the dish, however, if you don’t like cilantro, you can substitute it for parsley.
- Soy sauce: you can use a low-sodium sauce for a milder flavor or a darker soy sauce for a richer flavor.
- Garlic: always opt for fresh garlic. I use a microplane to pulverize the garlic into a paste that easily mixes into the sauce.
- Crushed red pepper flakes: chili flakes are optional but add subtle spice and flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.
How to Cook Chicken Thighs
Step 1.
Combine lime juice, honey, cilantro, soy sauce, garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. whisk until combined. Set aside.
Step 2.
Season chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper. Be sure to unroll them so they lie completely flat. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Once warm, add the chicken and sear for about 6-8 minutes (image 2a). Flip and sear for an additional 6-8 minutes (image 2b). Ensure chicken measures at least 165°F at the thickest part.
Quick Tip
Chicken thighs come packaged rolled, making them appear plump and round. unfold the chicken thighs so they lie as flat as possible in the skillet. They will cook quicker and more evenly.
Step 3.
Remove the chicken and place on a plate. Reduce the heat to medium, add the cilantro lime sauce, and deglaze the pan (image 3a). Simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Use a spoon to scrape the pan and keep the sauce moving. Once the bubbles increase in size and thicken, the sauce is ready (image 3b).
Step 4.
Return the chicken to the pan and toss in the sauce. Garnish with additional fresh chopped cilantro and serve over cilantro lime rice.
Quick Tip
Ensure the thickest part of the chicken measures 165°F with a digital thermometer. Chicken thighs can be cooked well past 165°F and remain juicy and tender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. If you decide to grill the chicken, prepare the sauce separately in a small saucepan to simmer and thicken. Drizzle over the chicken after it’s been removed from the grill.
Bone-in chicken thighs are best reserved for roasting in the oven. Because they contain bone, they’re thicker and not as functional for pan-searing.
Yes, I prefer chicken thighs because of their tenderness and flavor however chicken breast or tenders also work.
More Chicken Recipes
Enjoy this recipe? If you made this recipe, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoons olive oil, for searing
Cilantro Lime Sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, (1.5-2 limes)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1-2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine lime juice, honey, cilantro, soy sauce, garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. whisk until combined. Set aside.
- Season chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper. Be sure to unroll them so they lie completely flat. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Once warm, add the chicken and sear for about 6-8 minutes. Flip and sear for an additional 6-8 minutes. Ensure chicken measures at least 165°F at the thickest part.
- Remove the chicken and place on a plate. Reduce the heat to medium, add the cilantro lime sauce, and deglaze the pan. Simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Use a spoon to scrape the pan and keep the sauce moving. Once the bubbles increase in size and thicken, the sauce is ready.
- Return the chicken to the pan and toss in the sauce. Garnish with additional fresh chopped cilantro and serve over cilantro lime rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
DEEELISH!
Om! Recipe is fantastic
Thanks Carol!
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.
Amazing! I used my cast iron skillet. Your timing is perfect. Thank you.
Thank you, Sarah!
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!
Lots of flavor! Awaken your tastebuds with the sweet/sour combo!
Thank you, Veronica!
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.
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 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 😉