An Easy Chicken Marinade with Cilantro, Lime and Honey.

This is a pretty straight-forward chicken marinade with tons of cilantro, honey, lime juice, lime zest, spices, soy sauce, and olive oil.  It’s also a small batch recipe that marinates one pound of chicken thighs, but you can easily double it if needed.  You can also marinate chicken breasts if you prefer!

INGREDIENTS FOR THIS HONEY CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN MARINADE:

• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• A handful of fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 tsp. Lime Zest
• 1 Tbsp. fresh Lime Juice
• 1 tsp. Cumin
• ½ tsp. Smoked Paprika
• ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
• ½ tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 Tbsp. Honey
• 2 tsp. Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 lb. Chicken Thighs (boneless / skinless) or Chicken Breast

IMPORTANT INGREDIENT NOTES & RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Use the freshest cilantro possible.  Tear off a healthy handful from the bunch of cilantro, and chop it as finely as you can.  You should have about ¼ cup of chopped cilantro, but a little under or over that amount is totally fine.
• Zest the lime, then juice the lime.  It’s just easier to zest the lime before it is cut!  If you aren’t familiar with zesting citrus, it’s essentially shaving off the tough, colorful exterior of the lime/lemon/whatever you’re using.  It lends a really delicious citrus flavor without adding a ton of acidity to the recipe.  You can either use a zester or a fine grater to do this!
• Smoked paprika is best, you can substitute with chili powder, ancho chili powder, or sweet paprika if preferred.
• Low-sodium soy sauce is preferred because we don’t want the chicken to be too salty.  If you don’t have low-sodium soy sauce, just omit the salt from the marinade and use the regular soy sauce.

We absolutely love this marinade for chicken thighs, but it’s really good with chicken breasts, too!  I recommend grilling the chicken for the best flavor, but you could also bake the chicken at 450° F for about 15-18 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165° F.  (If you prefer to bake your chicken at a lower temperature, try baking it at 350° F for about 30 minutes.

If you do plan to grill your marinated chicken, I recommend rubbing a bit of oil on the grill grates before you fire up the grill.  This prevents the chicken from sticking to the grill, and makes for a much prettier presentation once the chicken is done!  You can use olive oil or any neutral oil, but we almost always use grape seed oil for grilling.

STEPS FOR MAKING THIS CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN MARINADE:

This truly could not be any easier.

To make the marinade:

1. First option:  Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl or a small casserole dish.  Toss the chicken in the marinade, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours, up to overnight.
2. Second option:  Combine all of the marinade ingredients AND the chicken in a large zip-top bag, press out most of the air, and seal the bag shut.  Shake the chicken around to thoroughly coat it in the marinade.  Press out any extra air from the bag, seal it shut again, and refrigerate for at least two hours, up to overnight.

To Grill / Bake / Sauté:

TO GRILL:

1. Oil the grill grates with a neutral oil (I recommend grape seed oil). An easy way to do this is to pour a little oil onto a paper towel, then rub the paper towel along the grill grates to transfer the oil onto them.
2. Turn the grill to medium heat, and grill the chicken for about 5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165° F.  Transfer the chicken to a platter, loosely cover with foil to keep the heat in, and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

TO BAKE:

1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.  Place the marinated chicken in a baking dish, and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165° F.
2. Transfer the grilled chicken to a platter, loosely cover with foil to keep the heat in, and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

TO COOK IN A PAN:

1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Once the oil is warm, add the chicken to the pan, working in batches if necessary so the pan isn’t too crowded.  Cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165° F.
2. Transfer the grilled chicken to a platter, loosely cover with foil to keep then heat in, and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

That’s it!  You can serve this chicken with rice and vegetables, use it in quesadillas, use it for meal prep throughout the week, wrap it in whole wheat tortillas with brown rice and avocado for a delicious wrap, or do whatever you please with it!

Sides to Serve with Cilantro Lime Honey Chicken:

• Spicy Smashed Black Beans
• Creamy Canned Refried Beans
• Jalapeño, Gouda, & Bacon Twice Baked Potatoes
• Buttery Small Batch Mashed Potatoes

If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, we actually love this marinated chicken with their Tex-Mex Riced Cauliflower, too!

I hope you love this marinade as much as we do!  If you try it and love it, I would love to hear about it in the comments below! You can also follow me on Instagram for even more recipes, or check out my Pinterest profile for recipe updates, too.  Thank you so much for stopping by, and please feel free to email me anytime if you have questions about a recipe!

xx Sara