This bold, saucy cilantro lime chicken takes on a delicious Mediterranean twist. Chicken thighs rubbed in warm spices and cooked to tender perfection in a garlic, lime and cilantro sauce. Word to the wise, make every use of the tasty sauce!
Make in the oven or the crockpot! And serve over rice your favorite grain. Be sure to grab my tips and watch the video for how to make it.
Of the many chicken recipes I've shared with you here, this cilantro lime chicken recipe is one that is regularly requested by my family. They love this saucy, fall-apart tender chicken!
Fresh cilantro and lime juice are the perfect duo that many associate them with Mexican cuisine. But they are also gloriously used in Mediterranean cooking--often combined with garlic and a host of warm spices (wait till you taste these chicken thighs!)
If you're a fan of these flavors, you'll want to also check out this grilled shrimp recipe with roasted garlic cilantro, and my spicy cilantro pesto--I've been adding this pesto on my soups and labneh cheese a lot lately.
So much to love about this cilantro chicken
- Bold, comforting flavors. The first step is seasoning the chicken well with a few warm spices including sweet paprika, nutmeg, along with a dash of seasoned salt and natural garlic powder.
- A million-dollar sauce! White wine, lime juice, chicken broth, garlic and fresh cilantro--a sauce you'll want to pour over some tasty rice or your favorite grain (definitely make every use of it!)
- Takes one pan to make.
- Baked and crockpot options! Either option will result in fall-apart tender chicken thighs, but my preference is baked.
How to make cilantro lime chicken
(print-friendly recipe and video below)
1. Season the chicken. Pat the chicken dry. Mix the spices together (1 tablespoon garlic powder; 1 to 1 ½ teaspoon seasoned salt; 1 teaspoon each sweet paprika and black pepper; and ½ teaspoon nutmeg).
Season the chicken all over, and be sure to lift the skins up and apply the spice mixture underneath.
2. Brown the chicken. Heat up a bit of extra virgin olive oil in a large cast iron skillet (be sure the skillet has a lid, you will use it later). Brown the chicken well on both sides (this is another opportunity to create great flavor)
3. Make the sauce. Remove the chicken briefly from the skillet. Lower the heat. Add white wine and cook to reduce then add the broth. Add in the lime and garlic.
4. Cook chicken with the sauce (first on stovetop briefly then bake). Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Add the chicken back into the skillet and nestle it in the sauce. Add the fresh cilantro (we're using 1 bunch of cilantro here). Bring this party to a high simmer for 5 minutes, then cover the skillet and transfer it to the oven. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 45 minutes (the chicken should be well cooked through and pretty much falling apart!)
Cilantro lime chicken recipe in the crockpot
If you're wondering, can I make this in the crockpot or slow cooker, the answer is YES! Here's what you do:
- Season and brown in the pan as directed.
- Make the sauce.
- Transfer the sauce to the bottom of a large slow cooker or crockpot (affiliate link)
- Add the chicken to the crockpot and nestle it into the sauce. Add the cilantro.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours (internal temperature should register 165 degrees F.)
Like I said earlier, I do prefer baked cilantro lime chicken, but the slow cooker option is wonderful as well.
Serve it with
Lebanese rice makes a perfect bed for this saucy chicken thighs recipe, or, try couscous or plain orzo pasta. If all you have is some crusty bread, that will work to sop up the tasty sauce!
Other side and salad options for a complete meal:
Sides: Greek potatoes; Skordalia (mashed potato and garlic dip); Baked Zucchini; Olive Oil Fried Brussels Sprouts;
Salads: Greek green bean salad; Mediterranean Three Bean Salad; Tabouli
Leftovers and Storage
If you have any leftover cilantro lime chicken, allow it to cool completely. Transfer to tight-lid container and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days.
You may also like
Mediterranean Wine Braised Lamb Shanks
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Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs bone in, skin on
- Private Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 limes juice of
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 bunch cilantro stems removed, chopped; more for garnish
Spice mix:
- 1 to 1 ½ tsp seasoned salt like this one
- 1 tsp sweet Spanish paprika or hot paprika, if you like
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, mix the spices. Pat the chicken thighs dry, and season each thigh on both sides with the spice mix. Be sure to season underneath the skin as well. Let the chicken thighs sit in room temperature for about 15 minutes.
- Brown the chicken. When ready, heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a cast iron skillet (with a lid). Brown the chicken thighs deeply on both sides in the heated oil. Remove from skillet and set aside briefly. Brown the chicken thighs deeply on both sides in the heated oil. Remove from skillet and set aside briefly.
- Lower the heat and deglaze the skillet with the white wine. Let cook to reduce and then add the broth. Bring the liquid to a simmer then add the lime juice and garlic.
- Now. return the chicken to the skillet and toss in the cilantro. Bring to a high-simmer for about 5 minutes or so.
- Cover the skillet with the lid and transfer to the heated oven for 45 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with more cilantro, if you like.
Video
Notes
- Cook's Tip: Do not skip step #3. Browning the chicken thighs here provides more appealing crispy skin and adds great flavor.
- Slow Cooker/Crockpot Instructions: Once you've browned the chicken and prepared the sauce, transfer the sauce to the bottom of a large slow cooker or crockpot. Nestle the chicken into the sauce and add the fresh cilantro. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours (internal temperature should register 165 degrees F.)
- Visit Our Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including spices and extra virgin olive oil used in this recipe
Nutrition
*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2015 and has recently been updated with new information and media of readers' benefit.
Awesome recipe. Chicken so flavorful and tender.
So tasty and delicious!
I SOOOOO love your recipes & thank you from the bottom of my heart. A question... in some of your recipes I can successfully substitute skinless chix breasts successfully then again some aren’t as successful. Can I sub skinless in this recipe? Is there a rhyme or reason when substitution wouldn’t work?
I thank you, my family thanks you and my guests thank you for all you share!
Hi, Kathy! I have substituted chicken breasts in this recipe and found that it worked. Just keep an a close eye on the cooking time so the chicken doesn't dry out.
THIS was fantastic! Easy to make. Only thing different I did was add some corn starch to the sauce to thicken it up after I took out of the oven. My son even said it was the best chicken he has ever had. Thank you!
Wonderful!! Thanks, David!
Could I transfer the chicken/sauce to a baking dish prior to baking? I currently don’t have a pan I can put straight into the oven.
Yes, Maria! That should work just fine.
Love your recipes ! ! !
Thanks, Nancy!
This dish was excellent! I didn’t add the wine, just more chicken broth and mixed some fresh chopped parsley with the cilantro. I also made the Greek Lemon Rice but switched out the lemon juice for lime juice! Really outstanding! Big winner dinner at my house. Will be making this again. Thanks for your wonderful, flavorful recipes!
Thanks for sharing, Lisa!!
Hi there!
Absolutely love this recipe but I find that that sauce comes out with almost a watery consistency. Am I doing something wrong or should I just use less white wine?
Thanks!
Hi, Madhav! I don't think you're doing anything wrong. The sauce typically doesn't thicken that much. You could try using less wine if you prefer.
Made this using skinless, boneless thighs and otherwise following the recipe exactly. The prep was easy and the flavors were really good. But baking it in the oven for 45 minutes produced chicken that had the texture of a chicken stew, I see no need to put these on the oven for anywhere near 45 minutes after browning them. When I do similar recipes with boneless, skinless thighs, after browning them I simmer on the stoven covered for 8 - 10 minutes. If finished in the over, it's usually 20 minutes, max. Thighs are very tender to begin with and don't need to be tenderized by prolonged cooking.
Let it thicken and cool. It can be a bit wet when it comes out, but be patient.
Is it necessary to add white wine at all? I really dont like using alcoholic beverages in my food.
It is not. I've found chicken broth to be a great substitute.
Fantastic, easy, inexpensive, FLAVORFUL, I served it over rice
with a hummus side. Delicious and easy.
Pretty ridiculous flavors and sauce to pour over the rice.
Gonna hit my rotation!!
Awesome! Thanks, Mark!
I made this tonight with only 2 large thighs,
and the sauce was over rice. Killer good. Light, and flavorful.
Side was hummus and roasted brussel sprouts.
Thanks for this recipe. I read a ton of recipes, never saw this one before,
found yours yesterday and saw this could work.
WORK? It works, without alot of work either.
[Just don't grab the handle of the lid after it comes out of the oven!]
Delicious!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Mark!
Thank you so much for yet another awesome recipe! Soooo good! I used a Dutch Oven, as I don't own a cast iron skillet. It worked perfectly. Chicken was super tender and flavorful!
Thanks for sharing, Cindy!
Would lemon and Italian parley work in place of lime and cilantro?
Hi, Vanessa! I think making those changes would change the flavor profile of the recipe quite a bit, as they are both key ingredients. I'd love to hear your feedback if you give it a try, though!
So yummy and tasty . . . Super easy too !!!
This was wonderful. My only negative comment would be the amount of time it took. The chicken came out incredibly tender, and the sauce had great flavor! We normally don't eat the skin, but it was very easy to pull it back and eat the rest. I did make a mess in the oven, so I would suggest putting a cookie sheet below the pan while it is in the oven. Brand new oven was initiated! Oh, well.. it was worth it!
How drastically would the taste change if we wanted to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs? My family is not a big fan of bone - in. Does the recipe need to change at all?
You could totally use boneless... no need to change the recipe. Just watch the cooking, as boneless meat tends to cook a little bit faster.
This recipe was the bomb. I was too lazy to dirty a pot for rice. So, I added rice and instead of wine I added more broth. Along with lime juice, I added the zest. It was so good. Thank You
Yum! Thanks for sharing!
We can't get enough of your recipes. Another amazing one!! It was divine.
Thank you so much, Ragna! That means a lot!
Yes! These look amazing and so good for you! So excited to try these!
You will LOVE this one, Sydnie!
While this recipe required more work than some of your other chicken recipes, it was worth it. The chicken was delicious and my family loved it (even though they are not big fans of cilantro!). I totally recommend this recipe
That's wonderful to hear! Thanks, Julia!
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updates, thus where can i do it please assist.
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