Cilantro lime chicken

Serves 6 servings

Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Marinate 30 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr

This cilantro lime chicken is incredibly juicy, bursting with bright flavors, and an easy weeknight dinner everyone will love.

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • ▢ 6 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
  • ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • ▢ 2 limes, zested and juiced
  • ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ▢ 1 tablespoon honey
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ▢ ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
  • ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ▢ ¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Instructions 

  • Make the marinade. In a mixing bowl, whisk together two tablespoons of olive oil, lime juice and zest, cumin, chili powder, minced garlic, honey, salt, pepper, and chopped cilantro. You can also pulse in a food processor until it's combined.

  • Marinate the chicken. Combine the marinade and chicken thighs in a bowl or shallow dish. Marinate chicken for 30 minutes to an hour in the fridge. When the chicken is done marinating, take it out of the fridge and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature.

  • Sear the chicken. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Heat the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes with the skin side down, until they're golden brown. Then, flip the chicken and sear the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. The chicken will not be fully cooked at this point.

  • Bake the chicken. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the chicken thighs for 15 to 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F (70°C).

  • Garnish and serve. Remove the chicken from the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes, and garnish with extra lime slices and cilantro leaves before serving.

Lisa’s Tips

  • Storage tip: Leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
  • I always recommend using a meat thermometer since most ovens vary as much as 50 degrees in temperature.
  • Experiment with different chili powders in this recipe (and always feel free to add a little more!). Grocery stores are now carrying different varieties of chili powder like guajillo or chipotle.

Nutrition

Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 503mg | Potassium: 342mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 224IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg

Comments

  1. LT

    June 12, 2025 at 5:02 pm

    how far in advance can you make the marinade

    Reply

    1. Lisa Bryan

      You can make it a day or so in advance. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

  2. Ei

    June 9, 2025 at 4:17 pm

    Oh! This is delicious!!! Thank you for another great recipe, Lisa!
    I used 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that i cut to make an even thickness, marinated them in a plastic bag, and then barbecued. I cooked up the remaining marinade on the stove – adding water and water/flour mixture to make a gravy. Served it over grilled thin-sliced red potatoes. Yum!!

    Reply

    1. Downshiftology

      Great idea on turning the leftover marinade into a gravy, sounds delicious!

  3. Louise

    June 1, 2025 at 10:44 pm

    Hi just wondering if you roasted the lime slices with the chicken or was put on after as a dressing? 🤩

    Reply

    1. Downshiftology

      Hi Louise – I added the lime slices after, but you can certainly roast them with the chicken!

For the rest of this article please go to source link below.

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By Lisa Bryan

I’m Lisa, a real food lover, meal prep fanatic, massive wanderluster, YouTuber (with over 2 million subscribers!) and bestselling cookbook author living in sunny Southern California. I’m also a big advocate of self-care and taking life “down a notch” (i.e. downshifting) – while chasing adventures halfway across the globe! Because it’s all about balance. 

Downshiftology is my online home where you’ll find wholesome recipes, healthy travel tips, kitchen advice and cooking tutorials. You may even notice a theme of minimalism (in food and life) woven throughout. My hope is that you’ll be inspired to whip up healthy meals, excited to get back to basics, and happy to embrace a life that’s a little more simple and far more vibrant.

MY STORY

I started Downshiftology in 2014 after I left my former corporate career in a blaze of burnout. Previously, I was an executive for healthcare companies (cancer research, diagnostic imaging and molecular diagnostics) and my days consisted of long hours, high stress and poor eating, usually while running between meetings. Wellness was not a priority and I sure didn’t understand balance. I was your quintessential, “type A” corporate workaholic.  

A few years before that I was diagnosed with several autoimmune diseases – celiac, hashimoto’s, psoriasis and endometriosis – one diagnosis virtually after the next.

Eventually, I realized my work and lifestyle were affecting my health, so I opted for a “life do-over” and quit my job. After several months off, the dots finally connected and I learned how to really nourish my body – through food and lifestyle.

Inspired by personal blogs I’d read online, I created Downshiftology to share my healthy recipes, globetrotting travel posts, and lessons learned in the kitchen. I became a certified health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and somewhere along the way I stumbled onto YouTube.

Today, I’m passionate about life restarts and helping others make positive food and lifestyle changes – at any age. With delicious, wholesome, gluten-free recipes along with inspiring travel and lifestyle posts, I’m happy to show you that simple is not boring and food restrictions are not life restrictions.

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Thank you for taking the time to read through my story. I’m so happy you’re here…and I’d love to get to know you!

(Source: downshiftology.com; June 13, 2025; https://tinyurl.com/yjjxtynd)
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