This Cilantro Lime Chicken is a quick recipe bursting with fresh, citrus flavor! This keto chicken recipe is ready in just 20 minutes and perfect for salads, sandwiches, wraps, and more.
Everyone loves eating a delicious dinner, but preparing those dinners often isn’t nearly as enjoyable. Life is busy enough without adding a dinner recipe that takes hours! This Cilantro Lime Chicken is a light, citrusy dish that is packed with flavor!
You can toss this chicken in the cilantro lime marinade before leaving for work then it is ready for the grill 15 minutes before you want to eat dinner. This recipe doesn’t require a ton of cookware and utensils so there is nearly zero clean up. It also freezes and reheats well making it perfect for meal prep. This has made it one of our favorite summer recipes!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- 20 minute recipe. This recipe comes together in only 20 minutes with just a few simple steps!
- High Protein and Low Carb. This grilled chicken is low carb and packed full of lean protein!
- Minimal clean up. Not only does this recipe come together in no time, there is nearly zero clean up required.
Ingredients Overview
Below are the ingredients you will need to make this grilled chicken recipe. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page to see the exact amounts for each ingredient.
- Chicken: We used large chicken breasts. You can use chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat.
- Cilantro: Contributes to the delicious fresh, citrusy, peppery flavor of the marinade.
- Avocado oil: We prefer avocado oil for this marinade, but olive oil would also work. Use your favorite mild-tasting cooking oil.
- Sugar-free maple syrup: Adds a subtle, sweet flavor without the carbs.
- Limes: You will juice and zest these limes for the marinade. If you only have juice, that’s okay, but you’ll miss out on the boldness and major lime flavor the zest gives us.
- Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper
How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken
Below are photos and step-by-step instructions to easily make this recipe. You will need a grill or grill pan, cutting board, knife, and mixing bowl or Ziploc bag for marinating the chicken.
Slice the chicken
The key to having super juicy chicken breasts right off the grill is actually making them thinner! This lean protein doesn’t have a ton of fat to keep it juicy, so longer cooking times can dry out your cuts. Instead of letting large, thick chicken breasts cook for a longer amount of time, you want to slice each one into two thinner breast cutlets.
Lay the chicken breast on the cutting board, then slice it in half parallel to the board (as if butterflying, but slice all the way through to make two thinner more uniform chicken breast). You will then have 4 chicken breast cutlets in total.
Marinate
Next, mix the cilantro, oil, maple syrup, lime juice, zest, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper in a shallow bowl or plastic bag. Add the chicken and marinate for at least 8 hours.
Cook
Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium-high heat (approximately 400 degrees F). Next, remove the chicken from the marinade and place it on the grill. Cook chicken for 3-4 minutes, then flip and grill another 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked to 165 degrees F. Then remove the chicken from the grill and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes.
Serve
One of the perks of this recipe is how well it goes with a variety of side dishes and the many different ways this chicken can be used! While the grill is hot, make this Grilled Zucchini Salad or Grilled Zucchini Mozzarella Wraps for easy summer sides. Make a keto chicken sandwich with this chicken between two chaffles! Simple veggie dishes like Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower or Air Fryer Broccoli (maybe with cheese sauce) make it easy to enjoy on a busy weeknight, too.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Reheating Instructions– This recipe reheats best in an air fryer or skillet. In an air fryer, reheat at 350 for 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook as the fast, hot air can dry out the chicken if you let it go too long. For skillet reheating, you can lightly oil a skillet and rewarm over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Flip at least once. In a pinch, you can also reheat the chicken in the microwave in 30-second increments until heated to your desired level.
- Storage Instructions– First, allow to cool completely. Then you can store in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. You can freeze this recipe in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
Cilantro Lime Marinade
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup
- 2 limes juiced and zested
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Slice the chicken as if butterflying, but slice all the way through to make two thinner more uniform chicken breast. You will then have 4 chicken breasts in total.
- Mix the cilantro, oil, syrup, lime juice, zest, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper in a shallow bowl or ziplock bag. Add the chicken and marinade for at least 8 hours.
- Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium-high heat (approximately 400 degrees F)
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it on the grill. Cook chicken for 3-4 minutes, then flip and grill another 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked to 165 degrees F..
- Remove the chicken from the grill and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe FAQ
This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and egg-free so it fits in wonderfully with an allergy free diet! It is also low-carb and keto-friendly with the sugar-free maple syrup. It’s a lean protein without many calories, so yes, this is a diet friendly chicken recipe.
Yes, this is the perfect freezer-friendly meal prep recipe. Feel free to freeze the raw chicken in the marinade for easy prep later, or cook the chicken and then freeze it for a fully cooked meal later! Just remember to let the chicken cool completely before freezing to protect it from freezer burn.
Yes, this is a great chicken recipe for the air fryer, too. Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees for 3 minutes, then add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Flip, then cook an additional 4-5 minutes or until the chicken reaches and internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
