What chicken can be used for Cilantro Lime Marinade?

I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe most of the time, but you can also use chicken drumsticks, chicken wings, chicken breast and also boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

Herbs and Spices for Cilantro Lime Chicken

The combination of spices and dry herbs is completely up to you. I am giving you the spice combination that I like to use, but you can make the flavor more robust or omit any of them that you don't like. You can also keep it very simple and just use salt, pepper, and paprika. I use this marinade all the time and I often do different combinations.

Use this marinade for many other proteins.

I like using this marinade for any poultry, but it works really well for pork chops, steaks and even fish.

How long should you marinate cilantro lime chicken?

You can grill it immediately, but if you can let it marinate for at least 30 minutes to an hour, it will taste even better. For the best results, let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Use the Cilantro Lime Chicken for many other recipes.

We love this chicken for tacos, burritos and Burrito Bowls . It's absolutely wonderful.

Save some of the marinade to serve with the chicken.

You can set aside some of the marinade right after making it and before adding the chicken to it and then serve it with the grilled chicken. (NOT after marinating raw chicken in it, of course, just set aside a few Tablespoons right out of the food processor.) The fresh lime juice and herbs will give it a pop of extra flavor. OR simply serve with more extra lime juice and fresh cilantro.

It's perfect for meal prep.

This is one of my favorite recipes for meal prepping because you can marinate the chicken up to a few days in advance. Just be sure to bring the refrigerated chicken to room temperature for about 30 minutes before grilling. The marinated chicken freezer really well too! Just combine the chicken in the marinade, place in a freezer ziplock bag or airtight storage container and freeze for up to 3 months. Then thaw and grill. Since the chicken has been in the marinade, it will be extra flavorful.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade

Name: Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 8 bone-in (skin on chicken thighs (however, you can use any chicken parts, chicken drumsticks, thighs, wings, breast, even use boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts)); 1 medium poblano pepper (or jalapeno pepper); 1/2 cup olive oil (or avocado oil, grape seed oil, etc); 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro; juice of 1-2 limes (zest of 1 lime); 3-5 garlic cloves (minced); 1 teaspoon salt (1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper); 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 – 1 teaspoon paprika; 1/2 – 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 1 teaspoon chili lime seasoning (optional, or any other unsalted seasoning mix, such poultry seasoning, dry Italian herbs, herbes de Provence, chili powder, etc.)

Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade

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5 from 1 review

The cilantro lime marinade for there grilled chicken thighs is incredible! It has the right balance of flavors – a bit of heat, fresh flavors and a bit of sweetness. The grilled chicken would be perfect to serve just as it is with some rice or potatoes or in burrito bowls, tacos or on top of salad.

Author: Olga's Flavor Factory
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 65 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Main Course

Ingredients

Scale

8 bone-in (skin on chicken thighs (however, you can use any chicken parts, chicken drumsticks, thighs, wings, breast, even use boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts))

Marinade:

1 medium poblano pepper (or jalapeno pepper)
1/2 cup olive oil (or avocado oil, grape seed oil, etc)
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
juice of 1–2 limes (zest of 1 lime)
3–5 garlic cloves (minced)
1 teaspoon salt (1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 – 1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 – 1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili lime seasoning (optional, or any other unsalted seasoning mix, such poultry seasoning, dry Italian herbs, herbes de Provence, chili powder, etc.)

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Instructions

Trim the chicken thighs of extra skin and fat, so they look nice and neat.
Cut the poblano pepper in half, place it on a baking sheet and broil it on the highest heat setting of your oven until the skin gets charred about 5 minutes. It can burn really quickly, so keep an eye on it. Remove the skin.
Place all the marinade ingredients into a food processor or blender. (You can also chop the cilantro and poblano pepper finely and not use a food processor at all.)
The combination of spices and dry herbs is completely up to you. I am giving you the spice combination that I like to use, but you can make the flavor more robust or omit any of them that you don’t like. You can also keep it very simple and just use salt, pepper, and paprika. I use this marinade all the time and I often do different combinations.
Process all the ingredients together until smooth.
Combine the chicken with the marinade in a large bowl. You can grill it immediately, but if you can let it marinate for at least 30 minutes to an hour, it will taste even better. For the best results, let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat the grill on high heat for about 15 minutes. Clean the grill grates. Take a wad of paper towels and holding them with a pair of tongs, dip them into a small bowl of oil and brush the grill grates 3-5 times. This will help to create a barrier on the grates, making them somewhat nonstick and also clean the grates even more.
Place the chicken skin side down on the grill grates and lower the temperature to medium. Grill the chicken for 5-8 minutes, until the skin has some nice grill marks and is golden brown.
Flip the chicken over and continue grilling until the internal temperature of the chicken is 170-175 degrees Fahrenheit. The time will vary greatly, depending on your grill and the size of the chicken, anywhere from 15-25 more minutes. (If you grill chicken breast, the internal temperature needs to be 160-165 degrees Fahrenheit.)
Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Serve with more fresh cilantro and lime.

Notes

Instead of using a poblano or jalapeno pepper, sometimes I use Hatch Valley Salsa that I buy at Trader Joe’s. It has some heat and lots of great pepper flavor. You can substitute salsa verde or some other pepper salsa. In this case, it will be even faster to make the marinade.

Find it online: https://www.olgasflavorfactory.com/recipes/cilantro-lime-grilled-chicken-thighs/