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.
More Weeknight Chicken Thigh Recipes You’ll Love!
Meat and Poultry
Skillet Chicken Thighs with Cherry Tomato Sauce and Za’atar
Entree
Easy Balsamic Chicken
Meat and Poultry
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Thighs with Dill Yogurt Sauce
Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
Visit Our Shop.
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.
Video
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
Bundle and Save!
Four of our best-selling signature olive oils, perfect for everyday use.
*This post has recently been updated with new information for the 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 🙂 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 🙂
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 🙂
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 🙂
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 🙂 – 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.