Zippy, garlicky, and bursting with fresh herby flavor, this cilantro lime chicken is an easy dinner you’ll make on repeat!
It’s a blessing that this recipe is so easy, as it is one of my family’s most requested dinners. While many cilantro lime chicken recipes rely on an overnight marinade, I’ve found that a bold spice blend brings so much flavor that you don’t need to plan ahead!
It’s the same trick I use for my Balsamic Chicken, Garlic Dijon Chicken, and beyond. Here, paprika, nutmeg, and garlic powder give the chicken thighs a sweet-savory depth that perfectly balances the zing of fresh lime.
Everything comes together in one pan, which means fewer dishes and richer flavor. The savory chicken drippings mix with white wine, lime juice, and cilantro for a pan sauce is so tasty you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful. The chicken thighs simmer in the sauce until they’re juicy and fall-apart-tender. Incredible!
- Tip: Turn them into a tasty lunch the next day! Shred the chicken and toss with black bean and corn salad for a protein-packed power lunch, or make a zippy healthy chicken salad.
Table of Contents
Cilantro Lime Chicken Ingredients and Substitutions
Fresh cilantro and lime juice are a perfect duo that may call to mind Mexican cuisine, but they are also gloriously used in Mediterranean cooking, where we balance the lime’s zing with fragrant warming spices. You’ll need:
- Chicken: I love juicy, crispy-skinned chicken thighs, but you can use any cut of chicken you have. Just adjust the cooking time so the chicken registers at 165°F at the thickest part.
- Extra virgin olive oil: There’s no substitute for good Mediterranean olive oil! Use a high quality extra virgin variety for the best flavor.
- Garlic: Adds that addictive sweet-savory quality. If you avoid garlic, substitute with shallot or green onion.
- Limes: Add a sharp zing. Lemons will work too, just keep in mind they tend to be slightly sweeter.
- White wine: Dry white wine adds a rich depth of flavor, and most of the alcohol cooks off. If you avoid alcohol, swap with more chicken stock or broth and an extra squeeze of lime.
- Chicken broth: Use homemade stock or broth if you have it, or go for a low sodium store bought option.
- Cilantro: Both the stems and leaves add loads of flavor. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, this recipe is delicious with parsley.
- Spices: Spanish paprika, garlic powder, and nutmeg bring a warming, cozy quality to balance the zing of the lime. Salt and pepper perk everything up.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken
It’s a blessing that this cilantro lime chicken is so easy, as it is one of my family’s most requested dinners. Here’s how it’s done:
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Roughly chop 6 garlic cloves. Chop 1 bunch of cilantro, discarding and tough stems.
- Season the chicken. In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Pat 8 bone in, skin on chicken thighs dry, then season all over with the spice mix. Be sure to season underneath the skin as well. Let the chicken thighs sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes while your oven heats.
- Brown the chicken. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken thighs with the skin side down and wait until the skin releases from the pan and turns golden, 5-7 minutes. Flip and wait until the second side is golden, about 4 minutes. Remove the chicken from skillet and set aside briefly.
- Make the cilantro lime chicken sauce. Lower the heat to medium low and add 1 cup white wine to deglaze the skillet. Let cook for a few minutes to reduce, then add 2 cups of chicken broth. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Stir in the cilantro (save a little for garnish) and garlic, then juice in 2 limes.
- Simmer the chicken in the cilantro sauce. Return the chicken to the skillet and bring to a simmer once more. Simmer for about 5 minutes or so.
- Bake the chicken. Cover the skillet with the lid (or foil if you don’t have one). 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.
What to Serve with Cilantro Lime Chicken
When you’re planning what to serve with cilantro lime chicken thighs, your number one goal is to take full advantage of the incredible pan sauce. A hunk of crusty bread more than does the trick. I also love the chicken on a bed of rice, with plenty of the sauce spooned over top. Round out the meal with something fresh and crunchy, like a mini sweet bell pepper salad.
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Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems chopped
- 2 limes juiced
- 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
For the Spice Mix
- 1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika (or hot paprika, if you like)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Season the chicken. Mix the spices in a small bowl. Pat the chicken thighs dry, then season all over with the spice mix. Be sure to season underneath the skin as well. Let the chicken thighs sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes while your oven heats.
- Sear the chicken. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken thighs with the skin side down and wait until the skin releases from the pan and turns golden, 5-7 minutes. Flip and wait until the second side is golden, about 4 minutes. Remove the chicken from skillet and set aside briefly.
- Make the cilantro lime sauce. Lower the heat to medium low and add the white wine to deglaze the skillet. Let cook for a few minutes to reduce, then add the broth. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Stir in the cilantro (save a little for garnish), lime juice, and garlic.
- Simmer the chicken in the cilantro lime sauce. Return the chicken to the skillet and bring to a simmer once more. Simmer for about 5 minutes or so.
- Bake the chicken. Cover the skillet with the lid (or foil if you don’t have one). 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.
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Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The pan sauce may solidify in your fridge; simple reheat over low heat. Alternatively, shred the chicken and into a healthy chicken salad, wrap, or as a topping for Caesar salad.
- 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).
Nutrition
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The recipe doesn’t explain what to do with the garlic. It’s MISSING
Hello! The garlic is added when you make the sauce: 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.
Delicious flavors and will definitely make again BUT absolutely will not cover the pan in the oven. There is plenty of sauce to keep chicken moist without the lid. Cooking with the lid made the once crispy skin wet and rubbery. Also after 35 minutes in oven temp was already 175 so I’ll start checking temperature after 20 min next time. One comment mentions cornstarch but I don’t see it in list of ingredients? It’s not a bad idea to thicken sauce bc it was quite watery but still so tasty.
Thanks for your feedback!
Is there cornstarch?
I still do not see where it would be added in the directions.
Hi, there! Cornstarch is not needed for this recipe.
This one is a winner! So good! I wasn’t sure when to add the cornstarch but the broth made a lovely soup! Step 3 repeats:
Brown the chicken thighs deeply on both sides in the heated oil. Remove from skillet and set aside briefly.
Good catch, Dani! We’ll get that fixed!
I’ll start by saying the chicken was flavorful and tender. That’s what gave it 4 stars. There is way too much liquid for the size of the recipe. My chicken was swimming in sauce to the point it covered it completely. The recipe didn’t specify the size of pan, but my cast-iron pan easily fit eight chicken thighs. I’ll end up having to throw away half the sauce. Too bad.
What would be a good sub for nutmeg? Cinnamon?
Hi, Lucy. Yes, I think cinnamon would be a good substitute here.
This recipe will strip the seasoning off your cast iron or carbon fiber pan. Don’t make the same mistake as me, use something else!
Paired this with the Watermelon Salad and Zucchini Fries (chips). Three different yet complimentary flavors. I happened to use boneless thighs for dietary reason, so they browned and baked in 1/2 the time. Family loved it, but our mutual feedback was that it needs more lime. We are considering lime zest with the garlic when we make it again. Very yummy and my picky eaters loved it and wanted more.
So delicious and easy! I’ve made this a few times now and my family loves it. 8 thighs don’t fit in my skillet when they’re raw, so I use 6 or 7.
Making it the first time, I didn’t notice that I was supposed to cover the skillet with a lid in the oven. I baked it without and it had a lot of sauce left. The skins were crispy and the chicken was juicy. My kids looooved it like this. Thank you!
Thanks, Rachel! I’m so happy it was a hit for the whole family!
Can you use lemon instead of lime?
Hi, Ernest! I think making that substitution would change the flavor profile of the recipe quite a bit, as lime is a pretty key ingredient here. We’d love to hear your feedback if you give it a try, though!
Love, love, love!
I am going to make this, this week! I gotta use boneless and skinless chicken thighs though because Bell & Evan’s is the brand I have been getting lately since ALL other brands taste weird and have a weird mouth feel LOL and they only do skinless/boneless! I am sure it will still be yummy though.
I was looking for a really tasty cilantro lime marinade for my chicken burrito bowls, but this looks too tasty to pass up, so I’ll use this recipe with my bowls! As per usual with every other recipe I have tried of yours Suzy, I am sure it will be fantastic!
Thanks for the recipe.
I’ve made it many times. Delicious and easy.
Absolutely delicious!
A keeper.
Absolutely delicious! I made this tonight in my Instant Precision Dutch Oven so didn’t need to use my regular oven. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
This is one of my favorite recipes. I made it again last night and I forgot how easy it is to make with wonderful hearty flavor using very simple ingredients that I generally have in my house already. Would love more recipes like this one.
This recipe is absolutely delicious! We loved it!
The only deviation fro the recipe was to boil the liquid after removing the chicken from the oven to thicken the sauce.
5 stars! *****
Lisa 🙂