Juiciest baked cilantro lime chicken recipe with bold Mediterranean seasoning and the BEST garlicky lime sauce! Make it in the oven or Crockpot. Serve baked cilantro lime chicken over rice or your favorite grain to make use of the delicious sauce!
Baked cilantro lime chicken
Of the many chicken recipes I've shared with you here, this cilantro lime chicken is one that is regularly requested by my family.
Fresh cilantro and lime juice are the perfect duo that many associate with Mexican cuisine. But they are also gloriously used in Mediterranean cooking – often combined with garlic and a host of warm spices.
In this one-pan cilantro lime chicken recipe, the chicken thighs take on a simple and delicious seasoning that includes warm spices like paprika, nutmeg, seasoned salt, and garlic powder. And white wine, lime juice, chicken broth, and cilantro form a show-stopping sauce in which the chicken cooks until fall-apart-tender! You’ll want to put the delicious sauce to use; pour it over some rice, bulgur, or your favorite grain.
Ingredients for cilantro lime chicken thighs
This baked chicken thighs recipe comes together with simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Chicken thighs - For succulent, flavor-packed results, use bone in, skin on chicken thighs.
- Seasoning - Seasoned salt, paprika (sweet Spanish or spicy paprika, whichever better suits your taste), black pepper, garlic powder, and nutmeg.
- Extra virgin olive oil - You’ll need a couple of tablespoons of quality EVOO to brown the chicken for more flavor and better presentation.
- White wine - To deglaze the skillet after browning the chicken and to start off our garlic sauce with lime and cilantro. Don’t cook with alcohol? Just use more chicken broth (perhaps with a splash of white vinegar for a little acidity). The flavor will be different, but still delicious.
- Chicken broth - A generous 2 cups of quality low-sodium chicken broth are just what you need to make this chicken dinner super saucy.
- Fresh lime juice - The star of the sauce, lime juice brightens and lifts the other flavors in this baked chicken recipe.
- Garlic - You need 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped. No need to mince them too finely or neatly.
- Fresh cilantro - An entire bunch (stems removed) goes into the skillet. You’ll also need more for garnish.
How do you make cilantro lime chicken?
This chicken recipe is as simple as season, brown, and bake. Here’s how you make chicken with lime and cilantro (printer-friendly recipe below):
- Season the chicken. 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). After patting the chicken dry, season it chicken all over, and be sure to lift the skins up and apply the spice mixture underneath.
- Brown the chicken. Heat up a bit of extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat in a large cast iron skillet (be sure the skillet has a lid, as you will use it later). Brown the chicken well on both sides. This is another opportunity to create great flavor!
- Make the sauce. Remove the chicken from the skillet for now and set it aside. Lower the heat. Add 1 cup dry white wine and cook to reduce, and then pour in 2 cups chicken broth. Add in the juice of 2 limes and 6 cloves roughly chopped garlic.
- Cook the chicken thighs with the sauce. Add the chicken back into the skillet and nestle it into 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 on the center rack for about 45 minutes. The chicken should be well cooked through and pretty much falling apart!
Slow cooker option
If you're wondering whether you can make cilantro lime chicken in a slow cooker, the answer is YES! Here's what you do:
- Season and brown in the skillet as directed in the recipe.
- Make the sauce (per the recipe as well).
- Transfer the sauce to the bottom of a large slow cooker or Crockpot.
- 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).
I personally prefer baked cilantro lime chicken, but the slow cooker option is wonderful as well, especially when you need a hands-off alternative.
Can I use chicken breasts to make this recipe?
While bone-in skin-on chicken thighs are my usual choice for maximum juiciness, you can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts. Be sure to pound them with a meat mallet until the breast is an even thickness to ensure the entire breast cooks at the same speed.
Because breasts cook faster than thighs, you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. If baked in a 425 degrees F heated oven, chicken breasts are cooked in about 18 to 20 minutes, depending on their size and thickness. My Italian baked chicken breast recipe is a good guide to help you estimate how much time you need.
Can I use boneless chicken thighs instead?
Yes, if you like, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs. As with chicken breasts, boneless chicken thighs will cook faster than bone-in (around 30 minutes at 425 degrees F). See my baharat baked chicken thighs recipe for more tips on how long to bake boneless chicken thighs.
Regardless of what cut of chicken you use, it will need to cook through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F when measured with a meat thermometer.
What to serve with cilantro lime chicken
Cilantro lime chicken thighs are perfect with a hunk of crusty bread of rice or grains (barley and bulgur will both work well here) to soak up the delicious sauce!
If you’re a potato person, you can’t go wrong with Greek potatoes. And if you’re looking for something green that goes well with baked chicken thighs, try baked zucchini, roasted cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts.
If you’re adding a big salad to start, try black bean and corn salad, lemon parmesan lettuce salad, or roasted asparagus salad.
Leftovers and storage
If you have any leftover cilantro lime chicken, allow it to cool completely before transferring to a tight-lid container. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through.
More chicken thighs recipes
Check out our collection of Mediterranean diet recipes. For all recipes, visit us here.
VISIT OUR SHOP
Easy Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Spice mix:
- 1 to 1 Ā½ teaspoon seasoned salt like this one
- 1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika, or hot paprika, if you like
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- Ā½ teaspoon 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
- 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).
- What to serve along: You have s many options for what to serve with these baked chicken thighs! Here are some ideas. Rice, Greek potatoes, baked zucchini, roasted cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts all go really well. For salad options, try black bean and corn salad, lemon parmesan lettuce salad, or roasted asparagus salad.
- How to store leftovers: Allow leftovers to cool completely and then transfer to an airtight container. These chicken thighs will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop in a skillet over medium heat.
- 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.
I hate chicken thighs, we only typically eat chicken breast. Now, with that said, I've made this recipe about 6 times now, every time i make it with even more thighs!!! currently, I have 13 in the oven! This chicken doesn't even taste like thighs. My mom has commented that thighs gross her out but whenever I make this recipe, she eats 2 at a time! She's a 70 year old woman and she says that thank God for the internet and for "this greek lady" lol. I guess because of the name of your website she assumes you're greek. Anyhow, I've already made this post much too long, I just want to thank you for adding a new item to my family menu, and thank you for all your other recipes I've pinned, when my family gets tired of thighs I will try my hand at those other recipes.
P.S. I've tried this recipe with chicken breast, it's not the same. Thanks again!
Crystal,
Thank you for the kind comment! I am so glad this chicken thighs recipe wins your approval and your moms! She sounds wonderful, BTW! And I'm flattered that she is grateful for the blog...eventhough I'm not Greek lol. BTW, there are a couple of great chicken breast recipes here that you might like š Happy cookin
Omg this was delicious. I'm eating the leftovers now. I have never used a cast iron skillet and bought it just for this recipe. I made it with 5 thighs and should have cut some of the seasoning. I wasn't sure how much a "bunch" of cilantro was and think I should have used more. The only thing I did different was at the end I cooked the chicken under broiler to crisp the skin again. So so good. I saved the juice and might put it on rice or something. Not sure what but there was no way I could get rid of it. Thank you for this recipe.
I am so glad you enjoyed this chicken, Wendi! It is a favorite here; and I purposely like the extra juice so I can add it to rice or pasta or whatever...You are right, it's too good to waste š
I made this for the first time and it is one of the best chicken recipes I've ever made - and ridiculously easy. The only thing I did that is not specifically in the recipe was remove the chicken from the pan when finished cooking and tent to keep warm. Then I moved the pan to the stovetop and reduced to thicken. After about 5 minutes, I added a little masa to speed the process. Served the chicken thighs with the sauce. Great as leftovers also nuked for one minute. Just crazy good.
Lee, thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed the cilantro lime chicken. I'm with you on the leftovers!! So appreciate you sharing your feedback here.
I'm gonna have to stop reading this blog while at work Suzy... :l I get so hungry and cant work!
This sounds mouth wateringly delicious and i cant wait to try!
Always looking for new dishes to try out!
#FanFromSouthAfrica
Ameshenee, thanks so much for all the sweet comments! I hope you get to make some of these recipes soon. Can't wait to hear your thoughts. Welcome to The Mediterranean Dish!
Thus far I've tried your shwarma chicken slider and this amazing chicken recipe. So so so tasty.. and leaves you wanting more even if you have had 2 helpings already hahaha.
I look forward to trying the Cornish hens this festive season.
As always thank you so sharing these wonderful recipes š
I feel like ive gotten to know you more and more as i read and try them <3
#FanfromSouthAfrica
Wonderful, Ameshnee! I am so glad to hear you're enjoying the recipes. Thank you for your kind words...means a lot to me. Enjoy!
Lovely recipe! My darling; my (sometimes) finicky husband declared that it was: "if not the best chicken I've had in my life, definitely in the top 2 or 3!"
Tonya, thank you so much! I am glad it gained your husband's approval too š
Can you tell me the steps to take if I want to make this recipe in a slow cooker?
Thank you!
Hi Lynn,
I haven't made this particular recipe in a slow cooker, but here is my suggestion: follow the recipe here up to step #3 where you brown the chicken (I think this is important). Then place the chicken in the crock pot and add about 1/2 of the liquid, the cilantro etc. You don't need as much liquid when you slow-cook. Cook on LOW for about 6 hours. Enjoy!
This recipe is indeed a hit!! Love it,
I did a couple of tweaking only because I didn't have a couple of things so next time I'll try the original .
I ran out of paprika only had a little bit and had to use only what I had and the garlic powder container had turmeric & accidentally put that instead, and I used garlic salt so I skipped the salt (the turmeric made it taste so good too) - if y'all wanna try this variant you won't be disappointed š - my dad wanted to eat the bones from the chicken and like you said the liquid Is Gold!!! Delicious !!!!
So great to hear it, Zussie! And I'm glad you tweaked the recipe to fit your needs. Happy cookin!
I'm so excited about this recipe. My slow cooker browns and sautees, so I'm using it. How did you get the lovely tan color. It looks like it has cream or coconut milk as well. Did I miss that? I'm going to add some coconut milk because I'm obsessed with it. Chicken thighs are Browning as I type. I love the addition of nutmeg to the other spices.
Hi Susan...You can easily make a slow-cooker version of this chicken. There is no coconut milk in my recipe, just the lime juice, broth and a bit of white wine. But, I always love to hear people's twists on my recipes...Hope you enjoy it!
I used a cup of my favorite canned coconut milk. I usually follow recipes exactly the first time I make them, but was out of white wine, so I already had to improvise. It turned out great. So delicious. Serving it over Jasmine rice. It took just under 4 hours on low. I reduced the sauce afterwards just a bit. Really delicious.
This was really awesome! We had a ton of limes from our tree, and I needed to start using them. This was simple to make, a one pot dish. Unfortunately, I did not have cilantro so substituted dried Italian seasoning. I think the cilantro would have made this dish so much better, and I will make sure to have some on hand the next time around. There will be a next time around!
Thanks so much for sharing, Christin! So happy to hear that this recipe worked out well for you. I like your variation...hopefully you get to try it with cilantro soon!
We greatly enjoyed this dish tonight -- a fun dish to cook, with all those appetizing fragrances along the way, and that delicious broth to taste (and taste again). It was about five second into the dinner when we said this recipe's a keeper.
In the dozens and dozens of comments above, I'm sure this has come up once before. Tonight, there was enough broth/wine/lime juice to braise the dish, rather than baking. Maybe one day I'll bake, but I prefer seeing/smelling (and tasting, toward the end) the dish as it simmers on the range.
Thanks for sharing!
John, thank you so much for your kind note and feedback! Yes, you can absolutely braise the chicken thighs stove-top. I like the extra sauce as gravy, and I often use it on rice next to the chicken. A reader recently shared that he used the sauce as liquid to cook quinoa next to the chicken. Thanks for the reminder though, I keep meaning to add a note to the recipe.
I don't have any white wine on hand... any suggestions for a sub?
Hope my email made sense to you, Sarah, but for the benefit of others, I'll share here again. There is plenty of liquid in the recipe already, I think you'll be fine omitting the wine as the lime juice provides great acidity already. I never dispose of the extra cooking liquid btw, I love it on plain rice.
Love this recipe. Made it tonight for the family and it was a huge hit - even with my 2 year old!
Yikes! I am making this but did not read the directions thourghly so did not brown the chicken enough. Do you think I could put under the broiler after it is done?
Yes! You can simply put on the top rack and broil briefly, watch so the skin does not burn. It may not be as dark and crispy, but it will still taste great! Good luck
Thanks for responding so quickly, just about to do that! This smells soooo good!
I have made the dinner twice now including tonight and it is amazing. My family and I love it. I used chicken legs tonight instead of thighs and it was excellent. I am always looking for good cilantro recipes and this a definite keeper. Thanks for this!!!
Josh, this is a favorite over here too! I am so glad you and your family like it. Cilantro is a great herb, isn't it?! Stop by again and let me know if you try another recipe of mine! Thank you!
This recipe is the best! I have made it 4 times now. I don't use seasoned salt or garlic powder because I don't have them, but sea salt and extra fresh garlic. When I have sauce left over I make soup with it. Must make more now!
Emma, that is great to hear! I love the extra sauce, so many ways to use it up! Thanks for sharing.
What heat and for how long do you cook on the stove to get the "deep brown"? Mine have been cooking for about 20 minutes and I feel like now they won't need much time in the oven.
Kellie, i brown my chicken on high or medium-high heat so the skin gains color quickly. Depending on how many thighs and how large they are, 10-15 mins or so. You can check the internal temp of the chicken thighs partway through baking, it should be at least 165 F in order for it to be fully cooked. This is the supposed to turn out fall-off-the-bone with lots of "juice." Hope this helps.